Greg Head

Fake RFPs are the dirtiest secret in enterprise SaaS. You think you’re competing. In reality, the decision was made weeks ago. Every rep/leader knows the story: Custom demo environment, 18-page technical doc, 127 security questions answered, 4 pricing scenarios, References lined up. Hundreds of hours invested. And then: “We’ve decided to move forward with another vendor.” Not because the company isn’t buying. Because the RFP was theater. Why do reps still chase them? It’s not ignorance. It’s hope. The big logo. The big number. The career-making deal. It’s intoxicating. And that’s what makes fake RFPs so dangerous. What the Research Shows: This isn’t paranoia, it’s documented. - The IACRC lists rigged specifications and sham bidding as some of the most common procurement fraud schemes worldwide. - The OECD warns that restrictive tender specs can effectively pre-select winners and block fair competition. - A GAO review found that many “competitions” attract only a single offer, often because requirements were written to favor incumbents. Enterprise SaaS isn’t audited the same way. But the mechanics are identical. And that’s exactly why leaders and reps need to be more deliberate. Before you chase an RFP, ask these 5 questions: 1. Access: Can we meet the economic buyer? If no → column fodder. 2. Authorship: Do requirements read like a competitor’s data sheet? If yes → walk away. 3. Urgency: What breaks if this slips a quarter? No consequence = no deal. 4. Discovery: Will we get to validate pain and outcomes? If no → policy, no pain. 5. Opportunity Cost: What live deals will suffer if we chase this? Red Flags That Scream “Theater”: Suspiciously specific requirements only one vendor can satisfy. Procurement-only access, no business decision-makers. “Top priority”, but with a 10-week decision gap and no milestones. Vague or undefined success metrics (“ROI framework”). Fake RFPs waste hours and drain morale. They bloat your pipeline with ghosts. And they make you walk into a board meeting forecasting numbers that were never real. That’s why I always coach my reps on this: I don’t ask about the response. I ask: Who’s the buyer? What happens if this slips? Why do you believe we can win? If they can’t answer, we pull out. Because the truth is: If reps get burned enough times, they stop believing in every RFP, even the real ones. And that’s a culture killer. The job of leadership isn’t to celebrate activity. It’s to protect your team’s time, focus, and belief, so they fight where they can actually win. Sales leaders: what’s in your RFP go/no-go filter?

2,990

309 Comments

Organizational ReWild’s Stages of Growth: A GPS for SMB Leaders Run your company with intention, not intuition. The Stages of Growth Methodology reveals unseen challenges in your organization, pinpoints friction, blind spots, and misalignment, and highlights stress points at each stage. It's Diagnostic: - Reveals unseen challenges in your organization - Pinpoints friction, blind spots, misalignment - Highlights stress points at each stage It's Prescriptive: - Maps your best options to resolve issues - Aligns leadership focus with business needs - Clarifies how to grow with fewer bottlenecks It's Predictive: - Prepares you for what’s coming next - Forecasts your team’s likely pain points - Removes the mystery from growth transitions Classic Challenges & Rules: - Every stage has its non-negotiable rules - Ignore them, and your growth will stall - Follow them, and scale becomes sustainable From Owner-Centric to Enterprise-Centric: - The biggest leap? Between Stage 2 and 3 - From 20 to 35–40 employees - Span of control, process, and people become key What Leaders Learn: - Where to focus time and energy - How to grow people before process - When to shift roles vs. scale structure What ReWild's Stages of Growth Focuses On: - Critical thinking & decision discipline - Leadership development at all levels - 1:1 coaching & manager enablement - Customer & market intelligence - A strong value prop + brand clarity - Financial fluency: P&L, cash flow, drivers The Bottom Line: Stages of Growth = clarity, not chaos. It’s GPS for serious business builders. Let’s Talk. Are you stuck, not growing? Not growing fast enough? Do you know what Stage you are in currently—and what to expect next? Put “Stages of Growth” in the comment section to learn more. #becauseworkmatters #CEO #Leadership

4

1 Comment

Corporate finance is the hard science of business. It’s the part most sellers were never taught and it’s why pipeline is thin, weak and many deals don’t cross the finish line. Let’s keep it simple. We’re in enterprise sales. 
 We sell software to corporations. 
 Corporations buy software (assets) to improve operations and generate returns. This is business. Ultimately they make financial decisions. If we can’t clearly explain how our software drives operational efficiency and produces financial returns… P&L leaders or the CFO will kill it. Not because it’s a bad product, because it doesn’t pencil out. They’ve got lots projects on their desk and choosing which assets get capital. This is business. So why are we offering demos talking about functionality before even talking about the “output required” to be funded by leadership. Or even if there is a project?? Just to get or stay on their radar? That’s hope, not a sales motion. A demo is marketing. “Selling is about justifying the investment.” And if we get the functional leaders or the CFO’s attention and can’t speak to IRR or hurdle rates? 
 We’re gambling. I didn’t know what those were either at one point. But I learned because real decision makers use them. This is how capital allocation works. If our deal doesn’t meet the financial thresholds of IRR, for example, it dies. If it does meet IRR, it moves forward with the right team and due diligence. We’re the CEO of our territory. This isn’t about memorizing finance terms. It’s about being able to think and speak like the people who actually say yes. Executives know the difference between a vendor and a peer. 
 Let’s stop selling like it’s 2013. Want help building this muscle? DM me. Ps. I’m working 1:1 with sellers ready to use the hard science of business. DM me "CHANGE". ...and let me know where you are stuck. #ERP #SupplyChain #Procurement #FinanceSelling

14

2 Comments

That is two nine-figure acquisitions in two weeks for Reggie Aggarwal and the Cvent team. It appears that ON24's impressive list of enterprise clients and proven online webinar platform was a perfect fit for Cvent, hot on the heels of acquiring Goldcast just two weeks ago. This level of consolidation is unheard of. At the peak of the Covid-driven rush to virtual event platforms there were a few notable of nine-figure funding rounds, but we may have just entered the next era for event tech. As Matthew Donegan-Ryan and Bob Vaez have noted, this could signal a push from owners Blackstone to go public once again with Cvent, or sell the company on. Definitely an interesting way to end to 2025 in event tech.

55

1 Comment

B2B Sales Tips: Quantify the Value (vol. 1) Want to close more B2B deals? Watch my new video series on B2B Sales Tips! Learn why you should quantify the benefits of your solution, qualify opportunities, identify and use best practices, and learn storytelling keys that win more clients. Watch now and level up your sales game! Each video is under 1 minute, and we focus on an actionable strategy that helps you connect with decision-makers and prove the worth of your solution. Let’s tackle this together! www.ROI-Calc.com or glenn@ROI-Calc.com #B2BSales #SalesTips #GTMStrategy #B2BSaaS

1

1 Comment

What makes your solution essential? Great insight into the shifting SaaS marketplace from Kyle James with 3Sixty Insights. SaaS isn't dying. Buyers are demanding more - measurable impact, tighter integrations, mission-critical solutions. Companies need agile systems, not loose collections of features. A great read for anyone building or launching tech 👉 https://lnkd.in/e4DAeAsu

6

1 Comment

⚠️ CHIEF MARKETING OFFICERS ⚠️ AVOID IN 2026 ⚠️ THE BLAME GAME A competitor just acquired the definitive domain asset in the category your company has invested $100M+. Through a simple asset purchase via “Buy it Now”, their business is now directly associated with category ownership every time the exact match asset is viewed by your target market. Exact match domains follow the timeless formula: when a user’s intent is “I NEED X,” the very first company they should think of is “YOURS”. There is no other business asset that instantly and effectively addresses this challenge. Understandably, only industry leaders are astute enough to own digital assets that define the category competing in as is consistently demonstrated by leading market-driven organizations. It’s too late to tell the C-Suite that you have been unaware of the relevance of category defining, exact match domain names. That you did not understand the advantages specific to brand protection, brand augmentation, and industry leadership. That you were unaware of the availability of digital assets definitive of the category competing in. Or that you let a competitor acquire some, or all, of the most relevant assets, leaving your employer exposed to great financial risk. Leveraging category-defining, exact-match domain assets is non-negotiable. They drive brand recognition, build trust, and directly shape how customers perceive your business. If you don’t, a competitor whose singular focus is to be category leader will. To think otherwise is strategically misguided. Domain names are the critical first point of contact between customers and your brand online. As your business’s address, domain names are the epicenter of marketing and the foundation of your brand’s value. Clear and concise messaging is essential in defining your brand identity and delivering a powerful first impression. #CMO #ChiefMarketingOfficer #Founder #COO #ChiefOperatingOfficer #Csuite #Brand #Branding #BrandIdentity #BrandStrategy #ThoughtLeader #CategoryKiller #CorporateFlex #GrowthStrategy #BusinessGrowth #Innovation #Disruption #CompetitiveAdvantage #VC #VentureCapital #Tech #TechStartup #TechInvestor #Domains #DomainNames #DomainBrand #DomainStrategy #DomainForSale #DigitalAssets #BlameGame

5

Boosting Sales Productivity with Agentforce-powered Voice-to-Text Innovation at IFP Motion Solutions 🚀 Proud to share how IFP Motion Solutions Inc. — a full-service motion control and automation provider — empowered its field sales teams to focus more on customers and less on data entry. By deploying an Internal Employee Agent leveraging Agentic AI powered by Agentforce, IFP introduced voice-to-text data entry, conversational updates, and quick creation and updation of Opportunities, Contacts, and Tasks — all from a single interface. The result: higher Salesforce adoption, faster updates, and significantly improved sales productivity in the field. Grateful to the IFP team and Salesforce for the collaboration and shared commitment to innovation in manufacturing. Greg Ervin | Jake Shifrin | Kelly Gallagher | Kyle Flaherty | Sarah Paulsen | Andrew Clemens #Agentforce #AgenticAI #Salesforce #SaasWorx #Manufacturing #VoiceToText #SalesProductivity #AI #CustomerSuccess

26

2 Comments