Has this ever happened to you? You get an RFP. You send a proposal. And then you close the deal without any additional communication.
That’s a “rarely, more likely never” sales scenario. Because while every RFP response starts in your CPQ system with a killer proposal template populated by optimized product and pricing configurations, every deal that closes takes a whole lot more.
Today, we’ll dig into the emails and responses you send that help nudge a client along the way, from the very first review of your sales proposal to that final push across the “dotted” finish line.
Making things “write”
In your texts and social media posts and whatnot, writing any which way you want is fine. Stuff that post with emojis! Create a text completely comprised of acronyms!
But in your RFP responses, every word counts, and 100x. You want each email and text to build on what’s in your proposal (where possible), be brief (as they already have 1000+ words from you in your proposal), and speak to the customers’ needs rather than your wants.
(Want to know how to write for your customers in your RFPs and email follow-ups? It’s all in this free whitepaper on killer RFP responses.)
Wondering when? Now is when, but always may not be.
Open your CPQ system. Check when the proposal was sent. Has it been more than three business days? Send a follow-up email. Has it been only a day? Maybe don’t send a follow-up email. Has it been a month and you haven’t followed up at all? Don’t bother: that prospect has gotten the gist (even if it was unintentional) that you’re not really all that interested in their business and moved on.
Of those three examples, the first two are more likely as salespeople are typically impatient and always keen to follow-up an RFP response: Did you get it? Did you read it? Did you sign it? When will you be signing it? Repeat, repeat, repeat.
And while being persistent is often hailed as the key to success in sales, the truth is that it’s simply different for every prospect. The key to the cadence of your follow-up is simply to meet the customer’s expectations, because what works for one (an email and a phone call the day after a proposal is sent) may not work for another.
How do you determine those expectations? Pretty simple: ask. Discuss follow-up when you deliver your proposal. “I’ll reach out in two days.” or “I can contact you tomorrow or later this week: what works best for you?”
Setting and managing customer expectations should occur at every step of every customer relationship. You made sure their expectations were set and managed when you created the quote, right? Then make sure you do the same thing when you plan follow-up with them. I.e., follow-up is a two way street: make sure both “drivers” have a say.
When to use bulk email for RFP response follow-up
The short and only answer? Never. If your company uses a tool like Marketo or HubSpot or ConstantContact to send emails to prospects and customers, it may be able to use those same systems to send emails for proposal follow-up. But it absolutely should not.
RFP response follow-up should come from the rep who delivered the proposal, no one else. No “Dear sir/madam” in an email sent from info@companyname. Just a short and sweet note from the individual who sent the proposal, from that individual’s email address.
Because follow-up is in fact personal. It’s a person asking another person to do X. The second you involve a system (e.g., an automated email from an ESP) you make it impersonal, which makes saying “No” easier than ever.
Where does a CPQ system come into all this? It can queue reminders and provide easily customizable templates a rep can use for follow-up. Yes, there’s work involved personalizing every email, but it’s a light lift and your proposal and bottom line are more than worth it.
Things to keep in mind: keep your email follow-ups short and sweet; discuss follow-up with your prospect (people like being looped); and don’t automate the send. Do these three simple things, and your follow-up will be looking up.
