The RFP Survival Guide

Good Morning. Just when it looked like Netflix had sealed the deal on buying Warner Bros., Paramount came flying in with a $108 billion hostile takeover bid. Bigger price. All cash. More drama. It’s a perfect reminder that in business & in sales, the deal is never done until the ink is dry. Verbal agreements fall apart, and sometimes a competitor shows up with a better offer at the very last second. Until the contract is executed, everything is still in play. Now, let’s get into today’s Follow Up.

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Every December, some reps watch their inbox fill up with RFPs.

They usually look serious on the surface, but fall apart when you start diving in.

The requirements are all over the place, the deadlines land at the worst possible time, and the whole thing is built around a vendor that already won the deal.

The rest are simply looking for free work disguised as an “evaluation.”

But you still feel pressure to respond, because ignoring an RFP feels like walking away from a potential deal.

So the real question becomes how to tell which ones are worth your time and which ones are busywork dressed up as opportunity.

As a wise sales rep on Reddit once said… “RFP's are like children - if you weren't there 9 months ago, it's probably not yours.”

Teams that find success with RFPs look for access to the decision makers, and a real reason why their product has a chance of being selected.

When those pieces are missing, smart reps move on because an RFP without access, insight, or clarity is probably a waste of time.

Let’s be honest, saying yes to every RFP feels productive in the moment.

It looks like pipeline, it sounds like an opportunity, and for a split second, you feel like you just added something meaningful to the board.

The reality is that one enterprise RFP can drain hours from you, your SE, and whoever gets pulled in from product, only to end with a cold “thank you for your submission,” which lands the same as a breakup text.

The most successful reps I know don’t sink time into every request that lands on their desk. They qualify aggressively, protect their time, and refuse to let a flood of questionable requests dictate their week.

Their advantage is choosing what actually deserves their effort.

Here’s where to start, next time an RFP hits your inbox:

Start with access. You need to speak with the people who are actually decision makers. When everyone with authority is MIA, it usually means the choice is already made, and your RFP is just there to pressure a better price from someone else.

Look for a real reason to change. A buyer who can’t clearly explain what isn’t working today is rarely in a position to select a new partner tomorrow. Customers who feel good where they are don’t look for a way out.

Confirm budget and timing. If they want “ballpark pricing” without any context, they are likely just shopping for bids to take back to their current vendor. Shoppers eat up your time and energy, which would be better spent following up on more serious opportunities.

Good RFPs tend to look like this:

You were involved early, or at least know who was. If you helped shape thinking in discovery, educate the team, or influence the requirements, you are playing in a very different field than a late-stage invite.

There are real milestones and stakeholders. The process has workshops, finalist sessions, reference calls, and clear dates with named people. Theater RFPs often feel like a black box.

Discovery is part of the process. You are given space to validate pain, refine scope, and hear the success metrics.

In those situations, responding to the RFP becomes a way to deepen the relationship and position yourself as the team that can make the project succeed.