Connect, learn and strategize at Responsive Summit 2023. Also, check out the blog about our rebrand.

THE RFPIO BLOG

Start Responding Like a Pro

The RFPIO blog is full of insights and best practices, giving you the tools you’ll need to streamline your process and respond with confidence.

Featured Post

Why Business Units are best for visibility and control

Why Business Units are best for visibility and control

People & Teams

If you’ve attended an RFPIO webinar or conference recently—or read the Freedom to Thrive white paper—then you’ve heard us mention […]

Category: Tag: Sales enablement tools

Why Business Units are best for visibility and control

Why Business Units are best for visibility and control

People & Teams

If you’ve attended an RFPIO webinar or conference recently—or read the Freedom to Thrive white paper—then you’ve heard us mention RFPIO’s ability to break down silos. If you’re an RFPIO customer, then hopefully you’re already living the silo-flattening dream.

Through knowledge management in the Content Library and Content Library in-app collaboration and project management tools, and real-time accessibility by way of RFPIO® LookUp to all of this content, silos can be reduced to rubble. Greater efficiency and productivity ensue, correlating quickly to improved response quality and increased win rates.

Nevertheless, sometimes separation is a good thing. Whether it’s for security or compliance purposes, or even perhaps geographic locations, there are RFPIO customers who want greater control and visibility. For this, we have Business Units.

“RFPIO’s enterprise-level capabilities enable multiple business units, including partners, to collaborate on a single platform. It also reduces communication channels during the proposal development process.”
-Page Snider, Director of Business Program Management, Microsoft Consulting Services What are Business Units?

Business Units (BUs) allow you to create distinct operating units within a single RFPIO instance. Think of them like individual villages within a kingdom. These BUs give you the control in keeping people, projects, and content confined to a specific BU, but also allow you to share any of those across your instance to another BU. User profiles remain unchanged as they’re shared with each Business Unit. Additionally, advanced features are available to provide cross-unit functionality across your entire enterprise.

While Collections pertain to simply restricting content, and complete separate RFPIO instances provide no collaboration between people on projects and content, Business Units can provide a level of control and collaboration to fit any growing enterprise business.

When should you use Business Units?

Software business units are quite common in enterprises, but they’re growing in popularity with small- and mid-sized businesses, too. Prior to the pandemic, it was standard operating procedure for sales teams to work remotely while marketing, InfoSec, and customer support worked onsite. With the trend toward hybrid and fully remote work for all teams, content accessibility and control—as well as visibility into how it’s used (or not used)—has rocketed up the priority list for many companies.

For businesses of any size, there are 3 typical use cases for Business Units.

Use case #1: Separate cost centers or business groups

Business Units are most often separated by business group (Marketing, Sales, etc.) or region (EMEA, NAM, LATAM, etc.).

Business unit - cost center

Many RFPIO customers start with two Business Units, separating InfoSec content from all other content that responders will be sharing with prospects, customers, analysts, or investors.

Regional separation would mean your organization wants a Business Unit for each GEO where business is conducted. Factors such as language and compliance weigh heavily into the determination to split an RFPIO instance into Business Units according to GEO boundaries.

business units - GEO

Use case #2: Mergers

The mergers and acquisitions trend in 2021 was off the charts, and it doesn’t appear to be letting up in 2022. According to Wolters Kluwer, the U.S. saw a record $2.9 trillion in transactions (up 55% from $1.9 trillion in 2020). As RFPIO grows in popularity (250K users and counting…) and response management gains traction as an integral part of the sales tech stack, it’s more and more likely that mergers will take place between businesses that are each running their own RFPIO instances.

When a merger occurs with two businesses that both use RFPIO, it’s certainly an option to maintain the two separate instances. However, if you want more control and visibility, then you can convert one instance into the primary instance and then add the team or teams from the other company as a Business Unit.

Use case #3: Projects portion control

Depending on how your business operates and is structured, separate teams may need different numbers of active projects enabled in RFPIO. Whereas you have a set number of active projects in a single RFPIO instance—50, for example—without Business Units it’s a free-for-all for teams to use those projects. If you find that one or two teams are constantly clamoring for additional active projects, then Business Units can help set aside a suitable amount of active projects for those teams.

Let’s take the example of a single RFPIO instance with 50 active projects. In the case of a software business, sales and InfoSec may need more active projects than marketing and customer support. Business Units can allocate projects to meet each department’s needs: 15 for sales, 15 for InfoSec, 10 for marketing, and 10 for customer support.

business units project allocation

What are the benefits of Business Units?

Primarily, project control and content visibility, which result in additional benefits, including:

  • Ability to scale RFPIO across multiple departments to increase win probability and close deals faster.
  • Rolled-up reporting allows for the most comprehensive visibility available for your RFPIO instance.
  • Identify areas that may need more project management support (we see this a lot in InfoSec).
  • Allow for greater content detail and answer accuracy, and, ultimately, a more robust content repository (which pays off when you need to share content across multiple Business Units).
  • Better, granular visibility into projects, people, and content in each Business Unit but still administered within a single RFPIO instance.

Cross-Business-Unit collaboration is something that we’ve seen more as use cases for BUs have evolved. For example, projects can be shared across Business Units. Say you’re running an InfoSec Business Unit project and you notice that some of the questions may be mapped to brand messaging, which would better be handled by someone in marketing. Share that project to the marketing Business Unit to 1) delegate to a suitable subject matter expert, and 2) ensure that you’re delivering the best possible response. There are some user permissions at play, but it’s certainly possible.

Here’s a real-world benefit example from an RFPIO customer I worked with. This client had a Business Unit for North American and another for EMEA. They wanted Business Units so that EMEA could more effectively track its project workflow and would not have to wait to be granted projects from a global team managing the original single instance.

Teams, content, and templates (by language) were separated. Leaders from both GEOs were connected, however, and collaborated on strategic initiatives. They set up the roll-up reporting so that executives could more effectively track time savings to determine how many more opportunities the EMEA team could pursue.

How do you know if you need Business Units with your RFPIO instance?

Review these 6 questions. If you answer “yes” to any of them, then schedule a consultation to see if Business Units may be a good option for you:

  • Do multiple teams/departments/cost centers use RFPIO?
  • Do you want to expand RFPIO in your organization?
  • Do you have RFPIO users located in multiple GEOs?
  • Do you respond to bids, RFx, security questionnaires, or other external requests in multiple languages?
  • Do you have a single executive stakeholder or team that reviews the effectiveness of RFPIO in the enterprise?
  • Have you merged, or are you planning to merge with a company that is also using RFPIO or RFP360?

If you’re still not sure but want to know more about Business Units, you can review my webinar in the Help Center if you’re an RFPIO customer.

How to manage a sales team with a mindful approach

How to manage a sales team with a mindful approach

People & Teams, Sales Enablement

A lot of salespeople we talk to are moonlighting as RFP responders. These classically urgent tasks are thrown on top of everything else your sales team is already doing. Pretty soon you’re staring at a serious case of burnout.

After surveying 7,500 employees, Gallup uncovered the top five reasons for burnout in the workplace:

  1. Unfair treatment at work
  2. Unmanageable workload
  3. Lack of role clarity
  4. Lack of communication and support from their manager
  5. Unreasonable time pressure

Since your sales team is moonlighting as an RFP responder, you may have heard statements and questions that align with these burnout triggers.

  1. You didn’t tell me how to do this unmanageable workload.
  2. Hey, this is more than I can handle.
  3. I had no idea I would be responding to RFPs when I took this job.
  4. I’ve made suggestions to change our process, but nobody is listening to me.
  5. This RFP needs to be done in two weeks and I can’t get to it.

RFPs still need to get done on top of all of your sales team members’ responsibilities. So, how do you manage expectations and help your team succeed? By being more mindful as you change your sales leadership approach.

1. Manage expectations upfront

It starts before your salesperson even gets hired. This team candidate already has an impression of your organization, based on Glassdoor reviews or word-of-mouth. Their first impression of your organization is out of your control. But, the interview process is where you take control.

Interviews are an opportunity to manage expectations upfront, so the candidate knows exactly what you are hiring them to do. You will encounter people who are overqualified and underqualified for the position you are hiring for.

Be honest about that person’s qualifications during the interview. If they are overqualified, tell them that, and discuss how they will be better suited for another role when the right opportunity comes up. You will eliminate some of the churns and “burnouts” by making the conversation about the working relationship clear before they sign a contract and join your team.

2. Communicate and coach regularly

Burnout is influenced by your sales leadership style. There needs to be a certain amount of authentic interactions with each individual every day. Even if you have an open floor plan where everyone is in plain sight, give everyone a “touch” (i.e. a one-on-one check-in) on a daily basis. Otherwise, communication will slip through the cracks.

When you walk by one of your team member’s desks—assuming they are not on a call—stop and chat with them for a bit. We’re all busy, and it’s surprisingly easy to let simple communication opportunities pass us by. If you’re starting to lose someone, regular personal interactions might be the tipping point that wins them back.

Also establish a regular coaching rhythm, whether that’s once a week, every other week, or once a month. Having these coaching sessions will yield higher performance from your sales team, as long as you stay committed and consistent.

Your attention is undoubtedly being pulled in different directions…sometimes even polar opposites. If your team doesn’t receive the attention they expect from you, they will replace your influence with something or someone else.

Schedule regular one-on-ones and stick to that schedule. Avoid rescheduling these one-on-one meetings as your team will feel like you do not prioritize them. Plan on running through a list of five bullet points during each meeting. Prep beforehand, so your team member receives the undivided attention they deserve.

3. Equip your team with the best tools

When you step into your new leadership role at an organization, you inherit a set of sales enablement tools. You may like them, you may not. Your team will feel the exact same way.

The symbiotic relationship between you and your team starts with asking a question aloud: Which sales enablement tools do we really need? Follow that up with: And, why do we really need these tools?

Don’t fall into the “set it and forget it” mentality. Check in with your team to make sure the current tool/tech stack is getting the job done well.

Another thing to look at is technology consolidation. The software market continues to expand and evolve. Can you simplify your stack with a more robust solution?

Look at the sales initiatives you have planned for the year so you understand what your team needs. During this process, you will identify inefficiencies among your current tool stack and hear relevant feedback from your team.

Perhaps RFP responders are using 5-7 different tools (with most of them being workarounds). In this case, eliminate and consolidate into a data-driven RFP management solution that truly supports your team and your organization’s initiatives.

4. Work out your mission

We are all fortunate to live in a time of great abundance, but that abundance comes with drawbacks…like distractions.

As a sales leader, you face infinite distractions. There are many inputs fighting for your time, pulling you in different directions. If you’re struggling to stay focused on your goals, it’s worth listening to what Charles Wagner said in The Simple Life.

“By dint of action, and extracting from himself strict account of his deeds, man arrives at a better knowledge of life. Its law appears to him, and the law is this: Work out your mission.”

Keep in mind that Wagner published The Simple Life back in 1895, so when he talks about “man” he means “everyone.”

Working out your mission is about your personal mission…not your organization’s mission. What gets you out of bed each morning? What are you working toward? To become an effective sales leader who leads others to success, you have to know your why.

It all comes back to the expectations you set with your sales team upfront, before they ever join your team and step foot in the office. From there, it’s about supporting and equipping team members with consistent, personalized communication. Through it all, you need to work out your mission and stay true to it. Then, you will find success and so will your team.

Equip your sales team with the best RFP management solution. See how RFPIO aligns with your sales initiatives.

3 sales enablement must-haves that benefit busy teams

3 sales enablement must-haves that benefit busy teams

Sales Enablement

Frankly, salespeople don’t like to use a lot of tools. And talk of sales enablement technology makes most of us in sales want to run in the other direction.

Sure, we know it’s for a good cause…to support the sales cycle. But the reality is this: how do we spend the hours we have to achieve our revenue goals?

It’s common for salespeople to be set in their ways when it comes to getting the job done—you can pretty much multiply that by ten when you’re talking about your senior sales reps. Adopting new technology is seen as a source of friction by most people on your sales team, regardless of age, because they don’t have time to learn a new tool.

To sales, learning time takes them away from selling time. But sales also spends too many hours on administrative tasks, and there are tools that can lighten up the operational load.

Take RFP responses, for example—a classically time-consuming task that most salespeople will avoid at all costs. We sometimes get a “taste of our own medicine” around here and respond to RFPs. Thankfully, I get to use our software whenever an RFP comes in. One time I had to answer 45 questions under a tight deadline and I pulled it off in 20 minutes. Tools like that are alright in my book.

And, that brings us full circle.

Salespeople need to adopt some technology to be successful, but not all. So, here are a few sales enablement features that will bring quick, recognizable benefits to even the busiest teams.

Keep sales organized with a content repository

Without a tool to keep sales content centralized, it’s difficult to manage the resources that go into that effort. The point of the content is, of course, to support the sales cycle at various stages in the buying cycle. But an inefficient process can just end up costing companies.

When it comes to RFP responses, having a strong Content Library helps speed up the process tenfold. But the majority of companies are still doing this process manually in spreadsheets. This is where automated technology helps organize existing content—and even autosuggest answers—to save teams time.

A helpful sales enablement feature like this can also be used beyond the main purpose of the tool. Since many of the questions being asked in RFPs are identical in the sales cycle, one of our clients used the Content Library to provide his sales team with quick access to information that expedited the sales process.

So, it also comes down to how you take advantage of these tools to get more mileage out of them. Sales technology is always stronger with a strategic mind behind it.

Keep sales in the tools they know with integrations

Salespeople typically accept one tool, the CRM. But the CRM alone is not enough for sales enablement. I can tell you as a sales guy, that I don’t want to worry about a new tool.

So I completely understand when our prospects say they prefer to stay in the tool they’re already using…Salesforce.

Integrations limit the amount of tools sales has to log into. Since we all know about the tendency for salespeople to rebel against new technology, this is the kind of workflow feature your team wants to hear. This might even close the deal with minimal rebuttals.

It’s already like pulling teeth to get sales to update opportunities in Salesforce, right? So imagine adding another tool on top of that for other administrative tasks. Then you start to understand why you’re seeing so much pushback.

If sales can be in one place to update the info across multiple tools, that makes a big difference. A go-to integration like Salesforce with your latest tool will inevitably create a happier team all-around.

Keep sales collaborating with easier communication

Everyone’s jobs are interrelated and the last thing you want at your company are silos. Even salespeople, with their natural aversion to administrative tasks, understand the need to work together to reach the organization’s objectives. They also know if they don’t respond to a request that they will be “hunted down” by other team members until they complete the task.

So yes, collaboration is non-negotiable. But keep in mind that regular communication and meetings fall into the non-selling category for sales. Meaning, they will de-prioritize touch bases related to projects.

Sales enablement technology should equate to less effort with collaboration between team members. Whether it’s a Slack integration or quick way to @-mention users for clarification or questions, easy communication will sit better with sales.

The less teams need to rely on sales for administrative requests is always better, but it’s not the reality of teamwork. Simplifying communication for your salespeople is the middle ground that can keep productivity humming along for all parties.

The most successful sales teams strike a balance with their responsibilities. It’s equal parts time management and limiting distractions. When it comes to sales enablement technology, integrations are key—ditto the simplification of the entire process for smooth user adoption that provides lasting benefits for busy teams.

Keep it simple when you’re looking for that new tool. Your sales team may not be thrilled about the technology when you bring it to your company, but they’ll be on board if it’s ultimately less about work and more about sales. RFPIO makes your sales process easier—schedule a demo to see how.

See how it feels to respond with confidence

Why do 250,000+ users streamline their response process with RFPIO? Schedule a demo to find out.