How SaaS Companies Should Count RFP Wins in Sales Quotas

Table of Contents

• Why RFP quotas matter in SaaS sales

• Counting RFP wins toward quotas

• Tracking RFP wins separately

• RevOps alignment of quotas and RFPs

• CRM best practices for RFP sales tracking

• FAQ on RFP wins and quotas

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Why RFP quotas matter in SaaS sales

In SaaS, proposals through RFPs frequently unlock enterprise-size opportunities that can define revenue goals for a given quarter. Yet a recurring issue appears: should these wins count directly toward sales quotas, or should they be tracked separately? A quota system that lacks clarity creates friction between sales, RevOps, and leadership. Without alignment, sales performance metrics become distorted, masking whether outbound prospecting or inbound RFPs drive growth. Analysts often point out that large organizations spend over 30% of enterprise sales cycles responding to RFPs, which makes proper enterprise sales process optimization vital.

For SaaS businesses competing in enterprise software, this debate matters because of its effect on motivation and recognition. Sales representatives do not want to feel disadvantaged when they pursue lengthy RFP submissions compared to peers who only chase outbound opportunities. RevOps aims to prevent misalignment by building models that credit effort fairly, ensuring both recurring subscription growth and efficient account expansion.

Counting RFP wins toward quotas

One strong case for recognizing RFP wins in quotas is the similarity of effort compared to outbound prospecting. The RFP response process requires consistent collaboration with product managers, sales engineers, and compliance specialists. For example, a FinTech SaaS that participated in a regional government tender had to allocate weeks of effort from multiple departments using tools like Apollo for prospect research and HubSpot for collaboration tracking. Assignment of quota credit meant that sales reps stayed motivated to drive the process to completion.

Similarly, in an InsurTech SaaS scenario, a team spent six months tailoring responses for a multinational insurer. Without credit toward quotas, the reps involved risked missing quarterly goals despite securing a contract that would generate recurring revenue for years. Their company restructured the plan so RFP-driven deals counted fully toward personal quotas, cementing alignment between individual incentives and strategic growth outcomes.

Recognition of RFP wins in quotas also promotes accountability and encourages higher-quality submissions. By linking quota setting methodologies to enterprise deals, organizations stimulate better RFP submissions and support continuous improvement in win-rate strategies.

Tracking RFP wins separately

The flip side is that giving equal quota credit to RFPs without adjustment could distort fairness. RFPs are often inbound opportunities, meaning less prospecting effort compared to outbound hunting. For companies with heavy reliance on automated proposal platforms such as Pandadocs or DocuSign, the required manual input lowers significantly. If RFPs secure quota awards at the same rate as hunting deals, outbound-focused reps may feel punished for doing the harder prospecting work.

An illustrative example can be seen in a SaaS vendor for B2B insurance marketplaces. The company received dozens of RFPs per quarter from inbound leads generated through SEMrush keyword research. Leadership decided to focus on sales attribution modeling, excluding them from quota counting but analyzing them for forecasting, renewal risk, and expansion potential. This gave more precise sales performance metrics and ensured fairness in territory allocation.

Another analogy is sports: outbound sales resembles active offense while RFP responses are like penalty kicks. Both result in points, but they don’t demand identical preparation. Keeping them separated allows the business to evaluate core sales capabilities apart from structured inbound chances.

RevOps alignment of quotas and RFPs

RevOps leaders often resolve the debate by creating hybrid models. Some organizations adopt blended quotas, in which RFPs contribute 25–40% of credit toward targets, while outbound work makes up the majority. This approach prevents inflated performance while still giving fair recognition. Clear RevOps alignment with sales quotas also relies on consistent metrics, ensuring both pipelines are tracked, measured, and improved through lead scoring optimization.

For instance, a design similar to the Balanced Scorecard can be applied, where RFP win rates, outbound opportunity conversion, and renewal expansion are weighted factors in quota performance. Leveraging CRM automation across HubSpot or Pipedrive ensures consistent tracking. Improved dashboards highlight RFP automation benefits for sales teams alongside quota attainment outcomes, allowing leadership to optimize time allocation.

By aligning numbers in dashboards, SaaS leaders focus not only on quota hits but also on long-term recurring revenue growth using RevOps frameworks. This structure reduces conflict within sales departments and keeps compensation tied to sustainable performance.

CRM best practices for RFP sales tracking

Accurate CRM workflows are critical to draw value from quota models. Best-in-class SaaS teams implement custom fields to differentiate inbound RFP opportunities from outbound pursuits. This level of segmentation prevents confusion for RevOps analytics and enables territory planning. Automating workflows using tools like N8N ensures that sales representatives don’t manually log RFP responses, saving time and preserving data consistency.

Linking RFP performance analysis to renewal forecasting helps leaders evaluate the ROI of RFP-heavy strategies. For example, HubSpot and Pipedrive can be set up with pipeline stages where RFPs are tagged distinctly, improving downstream analytics. Integration with proposal tools like Pandadocs allows for automated completion metrics. By combining win-rate tracking with subscription revenue forecasting, leadership gains clearer insights.

Standardized reporting consolidates RFP contributions into a format that senior executives understand through CRM dashboard optimization. Uniform tracking ensures the debate over quota credit does not obscure broader strategic questions. Instead, executives see whether responding to more RFPs supports net retention and expansion.

Get Started With Equanax

Ready to put these strategies into practice? Get Started with Equanax. We help SaaS companies design sales quota models that align RevOps, CRM, and compensation structures for sustainable growth. By blending advanced forecasting frameworks with practical CRM implementation, we ensure your teams are incentivized fairly whether they pursue outbound deals or RFP-driven opportunities.

FAQ on RFP wins and quotas

Q: Should RFP wins always count toward quotas?
A: Not always-some companies count them fully, others partially, depending on effort.

Q: How do RevOps teams balance quotas fairly?
A: By using hybrid quota models that weigh outbound, inbound, and renewal opportunities.

Q: What CRM setup works best for RFP tracking?
A: Custom fields, automated workflows, and separate pipeline stages for inbound vs outbound RFPs.

Q: How do companies motivate reps working on RFPs?
A: By crediting quota fairly and tying compensation to long-term recurring revenue impact.