{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"The Hidden Cost of Selling Too Late in B2B Sales ","description":" In this episode of the Sales Today Podcast, Fred Copestake challenges one of the most accepted assumptions in B2B and engineering sales:   That an RFP or tender represents the start of an opportunity.   The reality?   By the time an RFP reaches your inbox, many of the most important decisions have already been made.   Fred explores why tender-led sales processes often create pricing pressure, reduce differentiation, and leave sales teams reacting rather than influencing. He explains how customers typically shape their thinking long before suppliers are invited into the conversation - defining problems, solution structures, evaluation criteria, and sometimes even preferred vendors.   In this episode: Why RFPs are rarely the true beginning of the buying journey How customers define \u201cwhat good looks like\u201d before suppliers engage Why sales teams struggle to differentiate during tender processes The hidden reason margins become squeezed The difference between reacting to opportunities and shaping them Why the real sales opportunity happens before the tender exists The role of the salesperson as a \u201csensemaker\u201d during complex buying decisions   Key Takeaway If you are only engaging when the RFP arrives, you are entering a process that has already been structured by someone else. The earlier you engage in the customer\u2019s thinking process, the greater your ability to influence outcomes, create relevance, and avoid competing purely on price.   Questions to Consider   How much of your pipeline is driven by tenders? How early are you engaging in your customer\u2019s buying journey? Are you shaping opportunities - or simply responding to them?   Mentioned in this episode The Collaborative Selling Scorecard - a free tool to assess how aligned your sales behaviours are with modern buying environments.. https:\/\/collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com\/   Connect with Fred https:\/\/linktr.ee\/fredcopestake If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the Sales Today Podcast and share it with others   Watch this episode on YouTube: https:\/\/youtu.be\/CtUvzDVZmh4    Watch the full mini series playlist here ","author_name":"Sales Today","author_url":"http:\/\/throughpartnering.libsyn.com\/website","html":"