{"id":2221,"date":"2014-05-27T14:33:00","date_gmt":"2014-05-27T18:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/brickstreetsoftware.com\/content\/?p=2221"},"modified":"2014-05-28T16:41:07","modified_gmt":"2014-05-28T20:41:07","slug":"esp-vendor-selection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brickstreetsoftware.com\/content\/posts\/esp-vendor-selection\/","title":{"rendered":"Making the ESP vendor selection process smooth sailing for your business"},"content":{"rendered":"

Marketing Tech Talk #8<\/span><\/h2>\n

Today\u2019s Marketing Tech Talk podcast<\/a> will discuss a universally dreaded email marketing responsibility- the ESP vendor selection process. Your search for a new ESP may come from a new initiative to lower costs, reduce resources, or make integration improvements with your existing\u00a0data warehouses. Don’t underestimate the arduousness of this project. Change is difficult for many, and any time you move from one technology’s UI\u00a0to another, there is a\u00a0learning curve and time needed for acclimation. The first step is writing a RFP.<\/p>\n

What is a RFP?<\/span><\/h4>\n

A request for proposal\/information (RFP or RFI) is a document issued by a business or an organization to request vendor bids for email software and services. The RFP provides a procurement framework to streamline the initial stages of contractor solicitation.<\/p>\n

A well written RFP demands attention<\/span><\/h4>\n

Both the email vendor and the organization writing the RFP find the ESP vendor selection\u00a0process challenging. For the initiator of an RFP, it can be like walking a political tightrope, asking for input from stakeholders and then narrowing the feedback into priorities. Even from the vendor\u2019s perspective (although grateful for the opportunity), it can be time-consuming and tedious to communicate effectively with the prospective business’ decision makers and influencers.<\/p>\n

Consider your team’s time<\/span><\/h4>\n

An organization will schedule meetings with various stakeholders to determine the RFP\u2019s criteria. Once needs and wants are established, these same stakeholders (usually made up of middle management and the C-Suite) will be asked to sit through 3-5 vendor presentations.<\/p>\n

If you have been involved in\u00a0an ESP vendor selection\u00a0project, you probably have thought to yourself during one PowerPoint presentation or another, \u201cHow much time and money are we spending on deciding on an ESP, never mind the purchase price!\u201d<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s do some quick math based on these assumptions:<\/p>\n