The Speed Paradox: Why Faster RFQs Win, Even When Prices Aren’t the Lowest

A supplier once told me a story that stuck with me.

He had everything lined up—a competitive price, solid margins, and the part in stock, ready to ship. He was confident he’d win the deal. But when he followed up, the buyer had already placed the order.

Not with the cheapest supplier. Not with the one who had the highest stock.

But with the first one who responded.

That realization hit hard. Not just for him but for so many in aviation supply chains. Suppliers battle over pricing, fine-tune their margins, and fight for every advantage—yet the one thing that wins more deals than price is often overlooked.

Speed.

The ability to respond first, provide certainty, and eliminate hesitation is the ultimate competitive edge. And yet, most suppliers are unknowingly losing business before they even get a chance to compete—simply because they don’t respond fast enough.

The Speed Blind Spot: What Most Suppliers Get Wrong About RFQs

It’s a common assumption—buyers wait for the best price before making a decision. If your offer is the most competitive, you’ll win. That’s the way it’s supposed to work, right?

Except that’s not how purchasing actually happens.

Buyers in aviation operate under constant pressure. Maintenance schedules are tight, penalties for delays are severe, and the people responsible for procurement aren’t just comparing numbers on a spreadsheet—they’re solving problems under deadline pressure.

They send out RFQs, not as a leisurely exercise in cost comparison, but because they need certainty fast.

I once watched this unfold in real-time. Someone I was visiting urgently needed a part to complete an aircraft repair. They sent RFQs to multiple suppliers. Within two hours, one supplier responded—not the cheapest, not even the one with the largest stock. But they had a clear quote, a firm confirmation of availability, and a guarantee of immediate shipment.

The buyer placed the order on the spot.

By the time the other suppliers responded, the deal was already done.

They weren’t ignored because of price or product quality. They were ignored because the buyer’s problem had already been solved.

That’s the paradox. The best price doesn’t always win. The first credible answer does.

The Hidden Cost of Slow RFQs: How Delayed Responses Quietly Kill Business

Suppliers rarely see the deals they lose.

Unlike a price negotiation where you know if you’ve been undercut, slow RFQs don’t come with rejection emails. Buyers don’t send messages saying, “You were too late.” They just move on to the supplier who answered first.

This creates a silent revenue leak. A slow RFQ isn’t just a delay—it’s a direct risk to every open opportunity.

And the worst part? The suppliers losing deals to speed don’t even realize it’s happening.

A sales manager once told me about a $50,000 order they assumed was in progress. The RFQ had been received, pricing was calculated, and stock was checked. But before they could finalize and send their quote, the customer had already purchased elsewhere.

That’s the hidden cost of slow response times. Not just lost revenue, but lost credibility, trust, and future opportunities.

Buyers don’t have time to chase down responses. They remember who made their life easier. And just as importantly, they remember who didn’t.

What Fast Suppliers Do Differently

Speed isn’t luck. The fastest suppliers aren’t working harder—they’re working smarter.

The difference between a supplier who wins and one who constantly loses to competitors isn’t effort. It’s efficiency.

The suppliers who dominate RFQ response times aren’t wasting time manually checking stock across multiple systems. They’re not waiting for multiple approvals before sending a quote. They’re not copying and pasting details between spreadsheets and emails.

They have real-time visibility. They prioritize RFQs by value. They automate repetitive tasks so that responses are accurate, immediate, and effortless.

One supplier shared how, after making speed their top priority, their win rate increased by over 60%—not by lowering prices but by ensuring they were always the first to respond. (Read the Case Study).

And the result? They don’t just win one deal. They become the preferred supplier.

Because buyers don’t just remember who was fast today—they remember who they can count on every time.

The ERP.Aero Advantage: Turning Speed into a Competitive Edge

If speed wins, but outdated processes slow you down, what’s the fix? The answer isn’t working harder—it’s working smarter. And that’s where ERP.Aero changes the game.

Most RFQ processes are still manual, fragmented, and slow. Even with the best team and intentions, outdated workflows hold suppliers back.

ERP.Aero eliminates friction at every stage of the RFQ process.

RFQs are automatically imported from Inventory Locator Service,® LLC , PartsBase Inc. , and Locatory.com —so no RFQ sits idle, waiting for someone to manually enter it. Real-time inventory tracking ensures that availability can be confirmed instantly. AI-powered RFQ prioritization means that high-value opportunities don’t get buried under lower-priority requests. And automated quote generation ensures that responses go out in minutes, not hours.

One supplier who implemented ERP.Aero saw their RFQ response time drop from 24 hours to under 4.

Their win rate? It jumped immediately. Not because they changed pricing. Not because they had more stock than competitors. But because they were always the first to respond.

That’s the advantage of automation—it doesn’t just save time. It wins business.

The Industry is Speeding Up—Will You Keep Up or Fall Behind?

Aviation procurement is changing. The expectation of faster response times isn’t a trend—it’s the new standard.

The suppliers who understand this will capture more deals, build stronger relationships, and grow without slashing their margins. The ones who don’t? They’ll continue losing business quietly, without even realizing it.

I recently spoke to a procurement officer who summed it up perfectly:

"When we need a part, we need answers now. If we have to follow up, it’s already too late. We go with whoever responds first—period.”

If you’re reading this, you already know speed matters. But knowing isn’t enough.

Right now, your competitors are responding faster, closing more deals, and positioning themselves as the go-to supplier—simply because they’ve removed the friction from their RFQ process.

Are you keeping up? Or are you losing business before you even get a chance to compete?

Schedule a demo today and see what a real solution should do for you.

📩 Let’s fix it. Contact us at: [email protected] 
🌐 Visit us at: erp.aero 
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📅 Schedule a free demo today and see how ERP.Aero turns speed into your biggest advantage.