Phase Five—Acquisition and Analysis
of Proposals
Based on the detailed specifications, requests for proposals (known in the trade as
an RFP) are developed and distributed to the qualified potential suppliers. Based on
the RFP, qualified suppliers develop and submit proposals to provide the products as
specified. Salespeople play a critical and influential role in this stage of the buying
process by developing and presenting the proposed solution to the buyers. In this
role, the salesperson is responsible for presenting the proposed features and benefits
in such a manner that the proposed solution is evaluated as providing higher levels of
benefits and value to the buyer than other competing proposals. Consequently, it is
imperative that salespeople understand the basic evaluation procedures used by
buyers in comparing alternative and competitive proposals so they can be more proficient
in demonstrating the superiority of their solution over the competition.