I just heard from the Chief Development Officer of a client of ours about a new division of his company that we are just starting to work with (they are a successful company and a value leader in the market they serve). He told me that they responded to 74 RFPs in 2012 and won none of them! Ouch.

This looks like a no-brainer, but I can't help but wonder about how they will react to our "breaking the rules" message.  Clearly there's a need, but some people get such comfort from the routine of responding to RFPs, and others are so intimidated by the idea of pushing back.

Nonetheless, I won't expect much push back when I ask the question, "What do you have to lose?" There's nowhere to go but up in this case.

How do you think they will react?