RFP Questions to Ask Customer
Strategic questions to ask customers during the RFP (Request for Proposal) process that help you understand their needs, priorities, and decision-making criteria to craft winning proposals.
1What specific business challenges are you trying to solve with this project?
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What specific business challenges are you trying to solve with this project?
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Why this works
Fundamental question that reveals the underlying business drivers and helps you understand the real problem they're trying to solve, not just the symptoms they've described.
2What does success look like for this project, and how will you measure it?
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What does success look like for this project, and how will you measure it?
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Why this works
Critical for understanding their definition of success and ensuring your proposal addresses their specific success metrics and KPIs.
3What is your timeline for implementation, and are there any critical milestones or deadlines?
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What is your timeline for implementation, and are there any critical milestones or deadlines?
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Why this works
Essential for understanding project urgency and ensuring your proposal can meet their timeline requirements and deliver on schedule.
4What is your budget range for this project, and how is it allocated?
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What is your budget range for this project, and how is it allocated?
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Why this works
Important for understanding their financial constraints and ensuring your proposal is priced appropriately and within their budget range.
5Who are the key stakeholders and decision-makers involved in this project?
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Who are the key stakeholders and decision-makers involved in this project?
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Why this works
Critical for understanding the decision-making process and ensuring your proposal addresses the concerns and priorities of all key stakeholders.
6What are your current processes and systems, and how do they need to integrate with the new solution?
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What are your current processes and systems, and how do they need to integrate with the new solution?
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Why this works
Important for understanding their existing infrastructure and ensuring your proposal addresses integration requirements and compatibility issues.
7What are your biggest concerns or risks about this project?
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What are your biggest concerns or risks about this project?
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Why this works
Reveals their main worries and helps you address potential objections proactively in your proposal, building confidence and trust.
8What criteria will you use to evaluate proposals, and what's most important to you?
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What criteria will you use to evaluate proposals, and what's most important to you?
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Why this works
Critical for understanding their evaluation process and ensuring your proposal emphasizes the factors that matter most to them.
9Have you worked with similar vendors before, and what did you like or dislike about those experiences?
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Have you worked with similar vendors before, and what did you like or dislike about those experiences?
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Why this works
Reveals their past experiences and helps you understand what they value and what to avoid, allowing you to position your proposal more effectively.
10What are your expectations for ongoing support and maintenance after implementation?
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What are your expectations for ongoing support and maintenance after implementation?
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Why this works
Important for understanding their long-term needs and ensuring your proposal addresses ongoing support requirements and service expectations.
11What are your compliance and security requirements for this project?
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What are your compliance and security requirements for this project?
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Why this works
Critical for understanding regulatory and security constraints and ensuring your proposal addresses all compliance requirements and security standards.
12What are your thoughts on change management and user adoption for this project?
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What are your thoughts on change management and user adoption for this project?
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Why this works
Reveals their approach to change management and helps you understand how they plan to handle user adoption and training requirements.
13What are your expectations for project communication and reporting?
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What are your expectations for project communication and reporting?
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Why this works
Important for understanding their communication preferences and ensuring your proposal addresses their reporting and communication requirements.
14What are your thoughts on project governance and how do you want to manage the project?
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What are your thoughts on project governance and how do you want to manage the project?
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Why this works
Reveals their approach to project management and helps you understand how they want to structure project governance and oversight.
15What are your expectations for vendor partnership and collaboration?
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What are your expectations for vendor partnership and collaboration?
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Why this works
Important for understanding their partnership philosophy and ensuring your proposal addresses their collaboration and relationship expectations.
16What are your thoughts on innovation and how do you want to approach new technologies or approaches?
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What are your thoughts on innovation and how do you want to approach new technologies or approaches?
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Why this works
Reveals their innovation mindset and helps you understand how they want to approach new technologies and innovative solutions.
17What are your expectations for vendor expertise and how do you want to leverage our knowledge?
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What are your expectations for vendor expertise and how do you want to leverage our knowledge?
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Why this works
Important for understanding their expectations for vendor expertise and ensuring your proposal addresses their knowledge transfer and expertise requirements.
18What are your thoughts on project risk management and how do you want to approach potential risks?
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What are your thoughts on project risk management and how do you want to approach potential risks?
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Why this works
Reveals their risk management approach and helps you understand how they want to identify, assess, and mitigate project risks.
19What are your expectations for vendor accountability and how do you want to measure our performance?
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What are your expectations for vendor accountability and how do you want to measure our performance?
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Why this works
Important for understanding their accountability expectations and ensuring your proposal addresses their performance measurement and vendor management requirements.
20What are your thoughts on the future of this project and how do you want to plan for scalability and growth?
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What are your thoughts on the future of this project and how do you want to plan for scalability and growth?
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Why this works
Reveals their long-term vision and helps you understand how they want to approach scalability, growth, and future project planning.
How to Ask Strategic RFP Questions That Win Deals
Expert tips and techniques for getting the most out of these questions.
Best Practices
Focus on Business Value
Ask questions that reveal the business value and ROI they're seeking. Focus on understanding their business challenges, success metrics, and how they measure value.
Understand Decision-Making Process
Ask about stakeholders, decision criteria, and evaluation process. Understanding who makes decisions and how they evaluate proposals is crucial for crafting winning proposals.
Address Their Concerns
Ask about their concerns, risks, and past experiences. This helps you address potential objections proactively and build confidence in your proposal.
Clarify Requirements
Ask specific questions about requirements, constraints, and expectations. The more you understand their needs, the better you can tailor your proposal to meet them.
Question Sequences
The Business Value Sequence
The Decision-Making Sequence
Common Pitfalls
Don't Ask Generic Questions
Avoid asking generic questions that don't reveal specific insights. Focus on questions that help you understand their unique situation and requirements.
Avoid Making Assumptions
Don't assume you understand their needs or requirements. Ask direct questions and listen to their actual responses to avoid misunderstandings.
Don't Rush the Process
These conversations take time and may need to happen over multiple discussions. Don't try to cover everything in one conversation, and take time to understand their responses.
Avoid Getting Defensive
If you hear answers that concern you, don't get defensive or try to change their mind. Focus on understanding their perspective and discussing how to address their concerns.