RFx Response Mastery:
The Art of Leveraging the Complex RFx to Win More Lucrative Deals, Faster and with Far Less Effort
The RFx Response Mastery eLearning program is designed to help account executives master long and convoluted purchasing processes to win higher-valued deals with their ideal clients. This program benefits those who regularly respond to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for complex Statements of Work (SOWs) or technical specifications.
One legitimate question that arises after receiving a request for proposal is whether the RFx opportunity is a good fit for the organization. When the answer is yes, and they spend the effort to submit a response but end up not being selected, the next most common question is why they didn't win the business.
This training series addresses why a company may lose an award, many reasons of which may come as a surprise, and provides advice from long-time procurement professionals on how to master the purchasing process. RFx Response Mastery provides account executives with tips, techniques, and strategies to position their companies better to win more worthwhile deals faster and more efficiently. Companies will then be better equipped to increase their chances of winning awards and ultimately growing their businesses.
What is a “RFx” in Procurement?
RFx stands for Request for (x) and is a term to describe any formal request from organizations looking to purchase goods or services. It encompasses Requests for Quote (RFQ), Proposal (RFP), Information (RFI), Solution (RFS), and others. Procurement professionals use these documents to obtain standardized information from suppliers they potentially want to do business with in order to compare better pricing, terms, and other factors in a consistent format. The purpose, in general, is to facilitate more favorable deals, increase savings, and streamline strategic sourcing and procurement processes.
For the suppliers responding to these RFxs, this process, often necessary for more complex deals, can be cumbersome, long, convoluted, and time-consuming. Often, account executives and sales professionals are not selected or even short-listed without knowing what caused them to be eliminated. The rewards of going through this complicated process can be very profitable when you better understand what procurement is looking for and how to best approach putting together a winning response.
What will I learn in this course?
Upon completing this program, account executives will have strong skills to strategically position their organization for winning remunerative awards. The program provides executives with essential competencies, such as how to…
- gauge the buyer's intent to purchase
- expertly position proposals for gate reviews
- identify gaps, flaws, and hidden assumptions to mitigate risk effectively
- make meaningful redlines to the buyer's pro forma contract
- communicate value strategically
- manage customer unresponsiveness
- gain the ability to control what their company is measured on
- ensure that their organization's strengths are highlighted in the evaluation process
With these skills, executives will be well-equipped to improve their organization's success in competitive bidding processes, fostering growth and profitability.
Who should take the course?
RFx Response Mastery is for sales and sell-side professionals selling into procurement. This course aims to assist companies that are responding to RFx events where the buying company is purchasing a complex solution (such as outsourcing agreements in technology, facilities management, etc.)
This course will provide account and sales executives with tips, tricks, and guidance to better to respond to complex RFx events. By considering the goals of procurement professionals, as well as "shadow approvers," your company will be better positioned to win more lucrative deals.
How is the course structured?
RFx Response Mastery is a self-paced eLearning course of 7 modules with about 6 hours of content.
Each module is comprised of several detailed video lectures of 4 to 15 minutes in length that walk through the best practices for positioning your company to win complex deals. The faculty consists of experienced procurement and negotiation professionals who share their expertise throughout and guide you toward proposal excellence.
There are also several additional video resources to give you a deep dive into some topics as well as job aids designed to provide practical insights to complement the guidance from the videos.
What can I expect after completing the course?
In addition to the knowledge, skills and tools gained, those who have completed the course can immediately apply what they learned. All graduates of the course are issued a certificate of completion as well as a digital badge to share on social media like LinkedIn.
 
Graduates are also invited to join the SIG University Alumni and Faculty private LinkedIn group to stay connected with peers and faculty.
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View the Course Syllabus
See a more in-depth overview of the RFx Response Mastery program, including information about our classroom format, delivery models, topics covered, and more.
Who are the Authors of the Course?
Meet the subject matter experts that developed this program!
Jeanette Nyden
Contract Negotiations Expert
Lawrence Kane
Head of Procurement
Audrey Cushing
Director of Operations and Quality
Download our Curriculum Guide
See a more in-depth overview of our other SIG University programs including information about our classroom format and delivery models as well as a breakdown of the topics covered and expected learning objectives.
|
RFx Response Mastery:
The Art of Leveraging the Complex RFx to Win More Lucrative Deals, Faster and with Far Less Effort
The RFx Response Mastery eLearning program is designed to help account executives master long and convoluted purchasing processes to win higher-valued deals with their ideal clients. This program benefits those who regularly respond to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for complex Statements of Work (SOWs) or technical specifications.
One legitimate question that arises after receiving a request for proposal is whether the RFx opportunity is a good fit for the organization. When the answer is yes, and they spend the effort to submit a response but end up not being selected, the next most common question is why they didn't win the business.
This training series addresses why a company may lose an award, many reasons of which may come as a surprise, and provides advice from long-time procurement professionals on how to master the purchasing process. RFx Response Mastery provides account executives with tips, techniques, and strategies to position their companies better to win more worthwhile deals faster and more efficiently. Companies will then be better equipped to increase their chances of winning awards and ultimately growing their businesses.
What is a “RFx” in Procurement?
RFx stands for Request for (x) and is a term to describe any formal request from organizations looking to purchase goods or services. It encompasses Requests for Quote (RFQ), Proposal (RFP), Information (RFI), Solution (RFS), and others. Procurement professionals use these documents to obtain standardized information from suppliers they potentially want to do business with in order to compare better pricing, terms, and other factors in a consistent format. The purpose, in general, is to facilitate more favorable deals, increase savings, and streamline strategic sourcing and procurement processes.
For the suppliers responding to these RFxs, this process, often necessary for more complex deals, can be cumbersome, long, convoluted, and time-consuming. Often, account executives and sales professionals are not selected or even short-listed without knowing what caused them to be eliminated. The rewards of going through this complicated process can be very profitable when you better understand what procurement is looking for and how to best approach putting together a winning response.
What will I learn in this course?
Upon completing this program, account executives will have strong skills to strategically position their organization for winning remunerative awards. The program provides executives with essential competencies, such as how to…
With these skills, executives will be well-equipped to improve their organization's success in competitive bidding processes, fostering growth and profitability.
Who should take the course?
RFx Response Mastery is for sales and sell-side professionals selling into procurement. This course aims to assist companies that are responding to RFx events where the buying company is purchasing a complex solution (such as outsourcing agreements in technology, facilities management, etc.)
This course will provide account and sales executives with tips, tricks, and guidance to better to respond to complex RFx events. By considering the goals of procurement professionals, as well as "shadow approvers," your company will be better positioned to win more lucrative deals.
How is the course structured?
RFx Response Mastery is a self-paced eLearning course of 7 modules with about 6 hours of content.
Each module is comprised of several detailed video lectures of 4 to 15 minutes in length that walk through the best practices for positioning your company to win complex deals. The faculty consists of experienced procurement and negotiation professionals who share their expertise throughout and guide you toward proposal excellence.
There are also several additional video resources to give you a deep dive into some topics as well as job aids designed to provide practical insights to complement the guidance from the videos.
What can I expect after completing the course?
In addition to the knowledge, skills and tools gained, those who have completed the course can immediately apply what they learned. All graduates of the course are issued a certificate of completion as well as a digital badge to share on social media like LinkedIn.
Graduates are also invited to join the SIG University Alumni and Faculty private LinkedIn group to stay connected with peers and faculty.
View the Course Syllabus
See a more in-depth overview of the RFx Response Mastery program, including information about our classroom format, delivery models, topics covered, and more.
Who are the Authors of the Course?
Meet the subject matter experts that developed this program!
Jeanette Nyden
Contract Negotiations Expert
Lawrence Kane
Head of Procurement
Audrey Cushing
Director of Operations and Quality
Download our Curriculum Guide
See a more in-depth overview of our other SIG University programs including information about our classroom format and delivery models as well as a breakdown of the topics covered and expected learning objectives.