Insight
Sales Training RFPs
The Top 7 Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
Sales training RFPs are designed to mitigate risk in investment decisions for enterprise organizations. However, too often they are optimized for what’s easiest to compare, rather than what really changes seller behavior, and, as a result, lead to an increased risk of limited behavioral change and a weak training ROI.
Below, we outline the seven most common pitfalls when designing sales training RFPs, so procurement, enablement, and L&D teams can select partners that deliver measurable, enduring impact.
This article has been adapted from Imparta’s The Ultimate RFP Guide for Sales Transformation whitepaper, where we share our expert tips, tricks and best practices for putting out your next sales training tender.
Several recent studies have been performed that reinforce the negative impact of overreliance on AI:
Sales Training RFP Pitfall #1
Focusing on Content Over Behavior
Why it happens: Organizations default to tangible deliverables (i.e. decks, videos, modules), because they’re easy to list, price, and compare.
Why it matters: According to Gartner, 70% of training initiatives fail to drive long-term behavior change, not because of poor content, but because of weak reinforcement strategies.
How to avoid it in Sales Training RFPs: Replace “What content do you provide?” with “How do you ensure behavior change six months post‑training?”. Prioritize programs that embed coaching, simulations, and structured feedback into the flow of work, and weight your scorecard towards evidence of sustained application.
Sales Training RFP Pitfall #2
Assuming Global Delivery Means Global Consistency
Why it happens: Vendors cite global reach but rarely disclose delivery quality across different markets. Buyers assume “global presence” equates to uniform delivery standards.
Why it matters: Training Industry found 62% of global L&D leaders experience inconsistent delivery in multi-region rollouts, especially across EMEA and APAC. Catching this in the RFP prevents rework, rescopes, and credibility dips with regional leaders, preserving momentum and adoption.
How to avoid it in Sales Training RFPs: Ask for region‑specific delivery metrics, localization/translation quality processes, and local facilitator credentials. Require a pilot in at least two contrasting geographies to validate consistency before full rollout.
Sales Training RFP Pitfall #3
Equating LMS Completion with Capability
Why it happens: Learning Management Systems are often used to track training participation, and procurement teams mistakenly use completion data as proof of learning.
Why it matters: Research from ATD shows that while 83% of learners complete online training, only 32% can demonstrate consistent behavioral application in real-world settings.
How to avoid it in Sales Training RFPs: Look for vendors that measure real-world behavior through CRM data, observation, or AI-driven simulations. Include metrics like skill adoption or peer-to-peer coaching frequency in your RFP.
Sales Training RFP Pitfall #4
Mistaking Automation for Intelligent AI
Why it happens: Vendors use the term “AI” loosely, referring to dashboards or simple rule-based reminders as artificial intelligence.
Why it matters: According to Forrester, 56% of companies investing in AI-powered sales tools fail to see ROI due to misalignment between AI design and human workflows.
How to avoid it in Sales Training RFPs: Ask whether the AI adapts to the role, region, and behavior; whether it coaches in real-time; and whether it analyses call data or simulates interactions. True AI is contextual, behavioral, and embedded.
Sales Training RFP Pitfall #5
Leaving Managers Out of the Equation
Why it happens: Vendors use the term “AI” loosely, referring to dashboards or simple rule-based reminders as artificial intelligence.
Why it matters: According to Forrester, 56% of companies investing in AI-powered sales tools fail to see ROI due to misalignment between AI design and human workflows.
How to avoid it in Sales Training RFPs: Ask whether the AI adapts to the role, region, and behavior; whether it coaches in real-time; and whether it analyses call data or simulates interactions. True AI is contextual, behavioral, and embedded.
Sales Training RFP Pitfall #6
Treating Change Management as Optional
Why it happens: Enablement is often viewed as a tactical initiative, not an organizational change. Vendors may omit structured change support to keep costs low.
Why it matters: Prosci’s Benchmarking Report shows projects with effective change management are 6x more likely to meet or exceed objectives.
How to avoid it in Sales Training RFPs: Ask vendors for their change management plan. Look for stakeholder alignment strategies, internal communication guides, and adoption measurement frameworks.
Sales Training RFP Pitfall #7
Treating Change Management as Optional
Why it happens: Procurement processes often require weighted price scoring, leading buyers to over-index on short-term cost.
Why it matters: Harvard Business Review notes that training programs selected primarily on cost are 3x more likely to be replaced within 18 months due to poor outcomes.
How to avoid it in Sales Training RFPs: Shift your evaluation toward ROI, behavior change metrics, and long-term outcomes. Use a weighted scorecard that gives price no more than 5% of the total score.
To convert training spend into sustained behavior change and measurable commercial outcomes, it is imperative that procurement teams proactively surface and address these seven pitfalls when designing Sales Training RFPs. The payoff is fewer false starts, faster adoption, greater global consistency, and a clear ROI that stands up to executive scrutiny. Make impact, not inputs, the organizing principle of your selection process.
Download the full whitepaper for the full practical toolkit to help procurement, enablement, and L&D teams select training sales training partners who drive measurable impact.
FAQ’s
What should be included in a sales training RFP?
Business outcomes, target behaviors, global delivery requirements, manager enablement, change management, measurement/ROI plan, security/compliance, and commercial terms.
How do I evaluate global sales training vendors?
Pilot in at least two regions, review localization quality and facilitator credentials, and compare behavior‑change evidence not just content and LMS catalogues.
What makes a sales training programme effective?
A design that embeds experiential learning, coaching, simulations, and reinforcement in the flow of work, with managers equipped to sustain new habits and analytics to verify impact.
Sources
- Gartner (2022). “Creating a Learning Culture That Lasts.” https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/4012528
- Training Industry (2023). “Global Sales Training Effectiveness Report.” https://trainingindustry.com/research/
- ATD (Association for Talent Development) (2022). “Bridging the Learning-Doing Gap.” https://www.td.org/research-reports
- Forrester (2023). “The State of AI in B2B Sales Enablement.” https://go.forrester.com/blogs/category/artificial-intelligence/
- McKinsey & Company (2022). “Unlocking Behavior Change in Sales.” https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights
- Prosci (2022). “Best Practices in Change Management Benchmarking Report.” https://www.prosci.com/resources/research
- Harvard Business Review (2021). “Why So Many High-Performing Training Programs Fail.” https://hbr.org/2021/01/why-so-many-high-performing-training-programs-fail