Current economic climate is tough on everyone - reduction in workforce means that engineers are buried in work, contractors and manufacturing companies are struggling to make ends meet and competition to win bids is higher than ever.
Winning RFQs (request for quote) and increasing sales needs to be a smart combination of not spending too much time or money on putting the proposal together and standing out from the competition.
It normally takes at least 2 weeks to respond to a new RFQ, especially if any kind of prototype is requested. And the process is taking resources from several teams - the sales guy needs to convince the production team to get some engineering resource to build the prototype and some other project is on hold while the engineer mocks up the initial solution. And this happens again next week, and next week, and next week…
Imagine if your company responded with bids in 2 days instead of 2 weeks and sent not just the price and terms but also a 3D CAD model with the prototype and a few eye-catching rendered images of the product.
A small punch
Your company has demonstrated two very important things to your future client - you can turn orders around very quickly, and you exceed expectations. So instead of waiting another 3 weeks for other bidders they will simply give you a call and sign the contract.
How is this possible without a high price tag? After all you need to cover the cost for engineering and software? Fortunately there's a cost effective approach but let's first look at what's needed to answer the RFQ:
* First, you don't need a detailed 3D model for the bid. There are tools that are perfect for rapid prototyping and conceptual modeling. Spaceclaim is the leader of the pack but other CAD vendors are moving fast to offer competing products.
* Second, a prototype 3D model is just the start. You also want a life-like rendered shot of the model. Current market leader here is definitely KeyShot. It's perfect and easy to use and decently priced.
* The toughest nut to crack is the engineering resource. As I wrote earlier your engineers are already booked for prioritized projects, they might lack prototyping or rendering software and training to use it.
Lunchbox mold
GrabCAD is the answer to winning bids and generating more sales for your company. We understand that reacting fast to RFQs and adding value in the bidding process without adding fixed costs to the clients is a service that is missing from the market.
How do we help? By giving you a concept CAD model and photorealistic renders of the model in 48 hours.
1. You post the order and request for the model and rendered image.
2. We match your order to the best suited engineer in our pool of over 1600 qualified engineers.
3. They return work within 48 hours.
4. GrabCAD checks the quality.
5. Order done and delivered back to you.
6. Prices for 3D model start from $75 and for a rendered image from $49.
You don't need extra investments in manpower, software licenses or training to increase sales by responding to RFQs. You can use GrabCAD instead.
More information available on our CAD services page, by emailing us at info@grabcad.com or calling us at +1 (408) 916 1699.
All rendered images of CAD models in this post are by our member Sebastian Finke.
