[RBM+E] "I" - Using vendors as source of inspiration.

Leveraging Vendor Expertise: An Untapped Resource for Innovation

In this post (partially free), I'll explore how vendors can serve as invaluable sources of inspiration and knowledge for your organization, regardless of your company's stance on internal versus external resourcing. Many companies, especially larger ones, default to handling everything in-house, but there's tremendous value in strategically peering into vendor expertise.

Through my work with numerous organizations, I've found that vendors offer unique perspectives that can transform your approach to problem-solving. They work across multiple industries and companies, giving them visibility into emerging trends and best practices you might otherwise miss.

In the free sections of this article, I'll cover:

• Understanding the value of vendor insights regardless of your sourcing strategy

• How to effectively use Requests for Information (RFIs) as a flexible tool for gathering vendor intelligence

For my premium subscribers, I'll dive deeper into:

• 🔐 Advanced RFI strategies: Creating templates that extract maximum value from vendor responses

• 🔐 Beyond RFIs: Alternative methods for harvesting vendor knowledge without formal processes

• 🔐 Comparative analysis: How to evaluate competing vendor approaches to identify the optimal solution for your specific needs

Let's begin with why vendors should be part of your information-gathering strategy, even if you ultimately build solutions in-house.

The Value of Vendor Perspectives

I've noticed something fascinating in my years working with both internal teams and external partners: vendors bring a perspective to the table that's nearly impossible to replicate in-house. Think about it—while your team is (rightfully) focused on your specific business challenges, vendors are out there swimming in a sea of diverse problems across multiple industries.

Photo by Matthieu Beaumont on Unsplash

This isn't just theoretical. I remember working with a financial services client who was struggling with a data integration challenge related to collecting data from Mainframes (We really don't want to write integrations to it manually). They'd been banging their heads against the wall for months. When we brought in a vendor for an exploratory conversation—not even with the intent to hire them—they immediately identified three alternative approaches that the internal team hadn't considered. Why? Because they'd solved similar problems in healthcare and manufacturing contexts, and those solutions translated perfectly.

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to get tunnel vision when you're deep in your organization's way of thinking? It's not a weakness—it's just human nature. We all develop certain patterns of problem-solving based on our environment. A corporate career and 20 years in one organization are maybe good for your stability, etc., but never for the amount of knowledge you can learn. I'm not trying to sell your idea of job hopping, 20 years of stability can be anything you want. But consider it when looking for new solutions.

Vendors, on the other hand, have a few unique advantages:

• They've seen your problem before (probably dozens of times): I've watched vendors identify issues in minutes that would have taken internal teams weeks to uncover, as consultant have also a couple of that let's say the brightest moments. When you've implemented similar solutions across a couple of different companies, you develop a sixth sense for potential pitfalls.

• They cross-pollinate ideas between industries: One of the most valuable things I've observed is how vendors can say, "You know, we tried something similar with a client in an entirely different sector, and here's what worked." These cross-industry insights are gold—and they're something most internal teams simply don't have access to.

• They're deeply specialized: Let's be honest—most organizations can't justify having full-time experts in every niche technology or methodology. (This is why I help in technology consolidation and building centers of excellence) Vendors live and breathe their specialties every day.

• They see the future coming: Because they work with early adopters and innovators across industries, vendors often have visibility into emerging trends long before they hit the mainstream. I've had vendors give me previews of technology shifts that didn't become common knowledge for another 18–24 months.

Now, I'm not suggesting you should outsource everything—far from it, even as a consultant I will make money on this, or at least my partners. Many organizations have good reasons for building capabilities in-house. But even if you're committed to internal development, wouldn't you want to at least understand how the best specialists in the field are approaching similar problems?

I've found that the most successful teams use vendor insights as a form of "intellectual insurance"—a way to validate their thinking, expand their horizons, and avoid reinventing wheels that others have already perfected. The trick is knowing how to extract this intelligence without becoming dependent on it.

What about your team? Have you ever had an "aha moment" after speaking with a vendor that completely changed your approach to a problem?

Using RFIs as Intelligence-Gathering Tools

One of the most underutilized approaches I've seen is the strategic use of Requests for Information (RFIs). Many organizations view RFIs as merely the first step in a procurement process, but they're actually powerful intelligence-gathering mechanisms that can be deployed independently of any purchasing decision.

Here's what makes RFIs so valuable:

• They're low-commitment: Unlike RFPs (Requests for Proposal), RFIs don't create an expectation that you'll move forward with a purchase. They're explicitly designed for information gathering.

• They're structured: A well-crafted RFI can help you compare approaches across multiple vendors using consistent criteria and teach you which criteria matter.

• They're efficient: Rather than scheduling dozens of sales calls, you can gather detailed information from multiple sources simultaneously.

I've worked with clients who use "perpetual RFIs" in fast-moving technology areas—essentially, maintaining ongoing dialogues with key vendors to stay current on evolving capabilities without any immediate purchase intent. They collect knowledge and implement it on their own, supporting their needs when struggle with issues with well-known at this moment vendors.

Photo by Bernd Klutsch on Unsplash

The key is being transparent about your intentions. Most vendors are happy to participate in RFIs even when there's no guaranteed business outcome, as long as you're upfront about your objectives, and they have seen potential business from this. In fact, I've found that being clear that you're using the RFI primarily for learning often results in more candid, less sales-driven responses, with a large plan of potential actions to make the customer curious.

What should you ask in these intelligence-gathering RFIs? I recommend focusing on:

• Current approaches to solving specific problems (rather than generic capability overviews)

  • Ask for concrete examples of how they've addressed challenges similar to yours

  • Request detailed workflows and methodologies they employ

  • Inquire about their technology stack and integration approaches

  • Seek information on implementation timelines and resource requirements

• Emerging trends they're seeing across their client base

  • What new challenges are their clients facing in the last 6-12 months?

  • How are regulatory or market changes impacting solution approaches?

  • What technological innovations are they incorporating into their offerings?

  • Which outdated practices are clients moving away from?

• Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

  • What implementation challenges should you anticipate?

  • Where do most organizations struggle when adopting these solutions?

  • What change management issues typically arise?

  • What hidden costs or resource demands regularly surprise new clients?

• Alternative approaches they've seen succeed or fail

  • Ask about different methodologies they've observed

  • Request insights on competing technologies or solutions

  • Inquire about the pros and cons of various implementation strategies

  • Seek their honest assessment of when their solution might NOT be the best fit

Remember, the goal isn't just to understand what vendors can offer you—it's to understand how they think about the problem space. That's where the real value lies. It's also to think where you will struggle and vendor really can help you and when your company feels comfortable.