Many years ago, there was a trend in IT Outsourcing named “my mess for less.” It was simple arbitrage my moving functions to a 3rd party provider with lower fixed and variable costs which drove off-shoring of IT functions primarily to Asia.
In outsourcing businesses beyond IT (logistics & transportation, facility management, customer service, and back-office functions, to name a few), “my mess for less” procurement-led thinking drives much of the RFP (request for proposal) activity that sales teams respond to.
I worked in the facility and print management industry for a time. We used an Outsourcing Transformation Framework that product and sales teams successfully applied to nudge prospects to think differently about outsourcing.
Print management is where an organization outsources its print and copy machines, ink and toner, paper, and maintenance and repair service to a 3rd party provider.
The Outsourcing Transformation Framework enables the prospect or customer to shift from my mess for less to a transformational mindset. Other industries can apply the framework to increasing revenue, improvements in customer service, productivity improvements, etc.
Your organization may not have the option not to respond to my mess for less RFPs. The best hope is to reduce the number you have to respond to.
Here’s the Bottom Line…
The best way to avoid “my mess for less” RFPs is to present the framework to the prospect or customer before the RFP is issued.
Account and territory plan development can accelerate the sales team’s ability to present the framework to the right person within the organization.
A discovery or introductory call is the ideal forum to present the framework!
The sooner a prospect or customer sees that your organization thinks differently, the sooner you’ll be able to avoid my mess for less RFPs. If you’d like to discuss your organizations outsourcing process, please reach out here.
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