Most naive salespeople would complain about it and point out how ethics rules prevented vendors from writing RFPs. I'd then point out the similarities in the RFP to the competitors product descriptions on their websites and documentation.
I'm not sure I 100% agree with the rule, but sales teams should definitely consider it deeply.
It's worth the money for a sales team that understands this process. If your team isn't influencing the RFP, that means they have no real relationship with the client and relevant stakeholders. You'll likely just pull in cost-conscious or high-maintenance clients.
As with most absolutes I'm not sure I could agree with this being a never thing over a "make sure you're really weighing the value of the attempt instead of drinking too much of your own kool-aid" thing. Even if you think it's impossible to sway anyone predisposed to a particular vendor's solution because you can't match the RFP to the word sometimes even just answering the RFP as if it weren't written for a specific vendor can cause the customer to think "Hey, maybe it's worth trying a real RFP next time... or at least reach out to these guys and seeing what they have before I write it" which can be a way better relationship starter than a cold call/email.
The only exception I've seen is commodity RFPs. I.e. 100 model aasi392-g widgets. Those are won or lost on price and availability and most companies doing those purchases use reverse auction models anyway...
This is 100% valid. Unless you personally influenced the RFP and have a champion who has told you you’re the preferred vendor, it is a guaranteed waste of time.
Never respond to an RFP you did not write.
Most naive salespeople would complain about it and point out how ethics rules prevented vendors from writing RFPs. I'd then point out the similarities in the RFP to the competitors product descriptions on their websites and documentation.