Most people think there is little room for negotiation in a proposal response. But if you’ve done your homework to understand a buyer’s needs, you can negotiate in your answers to the questions on an RFP and offer solutions they may not even be aware of. Don Carmichael is Chief PreSales Evangelist at Winning Skills Ltd., a boutique technology sales enablement firm. Prior to founding Winning Skills, Don enjoyed a 30-year career in PreSales, heading EMEA PreSales Enablement at both SAP and Oracle. Don’s client roster includes Adobe, Deloitte and SurveyMonkey, among many others, and he is the cohost of Two PreSales in a Pod, a show that explores the world of PreSales and buyer enablement. On this episode of the RFP Success Show, Don joins me to explain why everyone needs negotiation skills and what it looks like to negotiate an RFP answer through redirection. Don discusses the concept of buyer enablement and describes how it might shift our approach to sales, challenging us to serve as trusted advisors or buyer coaches rather than traditional sales reps. Listen in to understand why HOPE is a more effective sales strategy than FEAR and learn how to spot opportunities for negotiation in an RFP response! Key Takeaways Don’s background in technology presales for large enterprise software companies How technology presales consultants contribute to an RFP response Why everybody on an RFP team needs to be good at negotiation The concept of buyer enablement and how it might shift your approach to sales Why you can’t negotiate in an RFP response if you haven’t had pre-conversations with the prospect How to leverage redirection to negotiate in an answer on an RFP What to do when you can’t say YES to an RFP question (but you don’t want to say NO either) How to build relationships through content to become a buyer coach Why 43% of complex B2B solution buyers prefer a rep-free buying experience Why HOPE is a more effective sales methodology than PAIN or FEAR Connect with Don Winning Skills by Don Carmichael Two PreSales in a Pod Podcast Don on LinkedIn Connect with Lisa  Lisa’s Website Lisa on Twitter Lisa on Facebook Lisa on LinkedIn The RFP Success Company on YouTube The RFP Success Company on LinkedIn Subscribe on iTunes Email [email protected]  Resources Don’s Piece on Henry Ford and RFPs Sandler Selling System The Jolt Effect Research ‘Traditional B2B Sales and Marketing Are Becoming Obsolete’ in Harvard Business Review The Jolt Effect: How High Performers Overcome Customer Indecision by Matthew Dixon and Ted McKenna Book a Call with the RFP Success Company Dare to Be Influential: Maximizing Your Positive Influence While Still Being True to You by Lisa Rehurek The RFP Success Book by Lisa Rehurek The RFP Success Institute