Use formal enterprise RFP wins against major incumbents as credibility proof points to land subsequent enterprise deals
Winning a competitive RFP against established players like Nvidia and Ansys at a major enterprise (GM) creates a credibility proof point that de-risks the buying decision for subsequent enterprise prospects. Small startups can punch above their weight by having the best product and using early enterprise wins as reference customers.
When to use
When you are a small startup selling to large enterprises and need to overcome the 'nobody got fired for buying IBM' objection
Don't do this
Trying to land enterprise deals without any reference customers from competitive evaluations -- relying only on startup or SMB references
1 Founder Who Did This
Won GM's competitive RFP in 2018 against 28 companies including Nvidia and Ansys while still a small startup, then used that win as proof to pursue other million-dollar OEM accounts