The ABCs of RFPs

Did the title catch your attention? I thought it might but the reality here is that I just wanted to vent a bit about RFPs in general.

Who puts these things together? You have to be kidding me! Do they know anything about our industry and how things flow.

If you read some of these you would be led to believe that as soon as I finish the RFPs that me and a couple of my co-workers head to the basement to begin producing the products.

Am I the only one who feels like this is the case?

In the past few years I have become more and more disenchanted with the process. I certainly do understand an organization's desire to reduce costs and to create efficiencies in the process but is the answer to create a fifty seven page document and send it out to forty three distributors and take three to four months to select a vendor who in all honesty probably can not do half the things that the RFP calls for?

This paragraph may have touched on a couple of things. I work for a large company. We have a lot of resources in both manpower and in the finances. In most RFPs, if we are honest with ourselves and our clients or the prospects requesting the RFP, we cannot or will not to agree to do many of the things that are asked.

We need to guarantee that no labor laws are being violated any where in the production chain of all the products that we supply today or might supply tomorrow. Can anyone promise that knowing how this industry works and considering the flow of products from China and other countries? Of course not, yet on every RFP, someone says yes we can promise this, and worse yet the client bites on this saying why can Sally's Promotions promise this and you can't? The answer is because we are being honest!

I also referenced the fact that we will not agree to many things that are asked and it all comes down to a simple disagreement between our company and the company that is designing and requesting the RFP. We believe that we should be allowed to make a profit and they do NOT!

What is wrong with making a little money?

Think about it...I am the customer and what I would like is for you to supply me with all my promotional products while guaranteeing that they have all been tested and our compliant with a bunch of brand new laws as well as any that might come up and are eco friendly because we want to save the environment and trees. Oh yea, I almost forgot we would like you to be a minority business if possible but don't use any child labor any where in the process.

While your at it, please include the freight in the price of the goods but I am not sure if I will really buy this product and if I do I am not sure how many I might need. Can I take one now and a few dozen in nine months... is that OK?

This all seems very reasonable to most of you I am sure and then they say please supply your net prices and mark up percentages as we will be looking for the low cost provider!

I then say...but what about service and creativity? Many a purchasing director has told me that they do not give a darn about this. Their job is to save money!

This is all enough to make me scream! It used to be that marketing and purchasing departments would have their battles and each side would win some and lose some but that is no longer the case....

Marketing may win a battle here and there but the wars are clearly being won by purchasing in putting together these gigantic bid packages.

If they ever really analyzed the amount of jerking around that goes on in these RFPs and the impact of the false promises and lack of service I would think that most, not all, people would realize this costs them an arm and a leg!

How much is an arm and a leg worth today?

I am not sure...I think I better put out an RFP on "an arm and a leg" in case I ever need one!

Say NO to a SLOW Summer!

You Control the SHOW!

About this time of year I begin my regular rants about the upcoming summer months. I have been in this industry for twenty years now and for twenty years I have heard that the summer is always slow. Is it slow because it is slow or is it slow because our account executives are slow?

Is late December and early January slow because no one is buying or because no one is reaching out and making calls?

I have a theory that it is because of the latter reasoning. Will this year be any different? It should be and let me tell you why. First of all let me say that I do believe that the during the summer months there is not the volume of promotional products being purchased as during some other times of the year. OK…now I hear a few of you saying that I am changing my mind, talking out of both sides of my mouth….a typical salesperson…right?

Here is my point! My goal for our sales force each and every year is to sell more than during the same period last year. Rephrasing that, my goal for the summer months is for it to not be “as slow” as it was last year. Can each executive sell more during June, July and August of 2009 than they did during 2008?

The answer this year is an emphatic YES for a few reasons! First and foremost I believe that there is some pent up demand among our customer buyers. They have been holding off and holding off and many of them are finally saying to themselves what we have been saying all along…Unless you are going out of business for good you need to market yourselves to tell your customers that you are still alive. (A brief side note here…are you letting your customers know that you are still alive?)

True, budgets have been cut, we all know that but in most cases there are still budgets. There are still dollars to be spent with someone so it might as well be you!

My second line of reasoning involves the “hunger factor” that exists within our most competitive reps. Many things motivate successful account executives in this business. Recognition is one key motivating factor but another one that some of you may have heard of is M-O-N-E-Y!!!

Has anyone taken a bit of a hit on their income this year? Raise your hand. OK now another question…would anyone like a chance to make up for some of that lost income? I know the answer so there is no need to ask for a show of hands but there is a need to ask if you are willing to work hard to recoup some of your lost commissions.

“Show me the M-O-N-E-Y” is that famous line uttered by Cuba Gooding in the Jerry McGuire movie. The money is there but only those who are out there will have a shot at it.

This will not be a normal slow summer! This is my projection. Every salesperson that is willing to put their nose to the grindstone and make those calls and offer up some creative options for their clients has a chance to make up some lost income. Again, like so many things in this business it is up to you!

Do not let the old saying referencing the “dog days of summer” become a self fulfilling prophesy for you! I can guarantee you one thing if you sit at home during the upcoming summer weeks sipping tea on the porch because “no one is buying”, then no one will buy!

On the other hand if you are out there meeting and greeting your existing customers as well as new prospects, prospects whose reps are “sipping tea” you just might be able to make this one of your best summers ever.

So the ball is in your court, you control the show! I sincerely hope that you are driven to be the best that you can be. Let’s get some of that money back in your pocket. Let us not resign ourselves to saying that the summer is slow. That is a good start!

Thank you for your commitment and determination to be successful!

Make sure you look under the hood...

Make sure that you look under the hood before you buy you car! This seems like common sense...right???

When you are considering buying a house it is almost a given that you would have someone come in to do a "home inspection"...correct?

One of the last things that you want to do would be to buy a vehicle, only to find out later that it had significant water damage from an unexpected drive into a lake...or to buy a home and find out 9 months down the road that there was some considerable damage caused by termites.

One of the results of this economic downturn has been that many people who thought that they had good solid positions with their employers have come to the realization that this is no longer the case. Some very good people have been forced out ending up on the street looking for a new company to process their promotional product business through while some others have been forced to work under ever changing rules in the work place.

Obviously neither scenario is one that we would want to be in. So what do you do if you find yourself in that position?

We strongly recommend that you perform your due diligence, meaning that you do your homework before making any decisions. You owe it to yourself not to make any rash decisions about your future career choices.

Making a change is not an easy decision and acting too quick can result in you making multiple changes in a short period. It is very clear that an account executive who changes employers multiple times in a short period of time does not look good in the eyes of their customers. Yes, I understand that some things are beyond your control and hindsight is always 20/20 but you do have the control when it comes to "checking under the hood" of any company that you are considering!

In an effort to offer you a free inspection, The Vernon Company is conducting a series of information webinars beginning on Wednesday May 20th. The objective will be to impart information that you may find valuable if you are considering a change.

We will attempt to inform any participants about who we are and who we are not, what we offer and what we do not!

The four part series will focus on the four pillars of our success...

Rock Solid
The Good Life
What You Need
We've Got Your Back

If you are interested we encourage you to visit...

www.vernonsales.net/itbeginshere.htm


This series will not only inform you about The Vernon Company but it might help prepare you with questions to ask any potential employer.

Changing companies is too big of a decision to take lightly! We strongly urge that you come and find out more. We may or may not be an option for you but remember education and knowledge are the keys to making an informed decision!

Thank you for your consideration!

Dave