By CATHERINE CHETWYND By NAME IN HERE


THE TMC


EMMIE MEES, senior director, global sales, Radius Travel


RFPs SHOULD BE THE END of the sales process, not the beginning. In sales, we qualify prospects and ask a range of questions to check whether we are the right fix for the client in global scale, tech- nology, cultural fit, service; and we qualify every prospect to get a good handle on what the client wants and whether the business is winnable. In some cases, the same RFP is sent to 20 people but buyers should invest time in making sure po- tential suppliers can secure the business; they should qualify a TMC in the same way as people qualify a prospect.


BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM If I was the customer, I would ask: Will


my voice be heard? Which other clients does the TMC look after? Whom will I be competing with for resources? Is the TMC the right fit? We are a service industry. The bulk of the spend of a small bill customer could be in ten markets, with a long tail of countries where they are spending a small amount of money. Understanding the client is all, and if we have had no good pre-sale relationship with customers and are not servicing them in any markets, we are likely to no bid. I urge buyers to engage with local


folks and make sure they are gathering information on country nuances. They also need to build up an internal business


case: What are the goals of the RFP? What are they hoping to achieve? And make sure the goals are the motivation for their coming out to bid. We get a lot of RFPs that are scant in information, but have a long list of requirements. If there’s nothing wrong, why go out


to bid? There is an element of integrity in going out to bid, so be honest about what you are looking for and what the challenges are so that the partnership gets off on the right foot. It’s crucial to narrow down what is


going to work for you as an organisation and the type of company that would fit your profile and culture; then approach relevant players.


BBT January/February 2018 57


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