February 3, 2012
OPEN Forum Message
Affordably Build Your Brand
FedEx Global Brand Management Director Monica Skipper shares a cost-effective way to build a bigger brand for your small business.
Learn more
The landscape of government contracting can appear impenetrable at first: The acronyms are numerous, the paperwork is voluminous, and the procedures seem lengthy. As a result, it can be easy to forget that you’re not doing business with a faceless bureaucracy, you’re working with people. And that means relationships—with procurement officers and other decision makers—are key.
“The government wants to feel good about who they’re doing business with,” says Bill Gormley, a former senior federal executive who now serves as president and CEO of Washington Management Group, a consulting firm. “When it comes to the human side of selling, there’s not much difference between the private sector and the government.”
No matter the audience, Gormley suggests that you stick to the 80/20 rule when speaking with prospects: Listen to your potential customer 80 percent of the time, and spend just 20 percent talking about your products or services. By devoting most of your time to listening, you can get a good handle on your prospect’s pain points. Then, when it’s your turn to talk, “Focus on the places where your offering aligns with their needs,” Gormley says. “Prospects don’t really want to listen to you talk about everything your company does.”
Getting face time with government contracting officials can be difficult if you don’t already have a contract. Gormley suggests the following ways to meet the right people:
Join an association. Specifically, look for the nonprofit organization that best represents your product and services, and become an active member by attending meetings, joining a committee or even starting a new committee. “As a private contractor it can be difficult to get in to meet federal officials,” says Gormley. “But when you’re associated with a dot-org, you’ll get more opportunity for face time.” An example of such an organization is Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), a partner of American Express OPEN, which is an association for women that can help with government contracting and networking opportunities with procurement officials.
Build on your existing relationships. Talk to your customers—they may already do business with the government and may be able to help you make connections. What’s more, simply talking to them about your desire to get into government contracting may strengthen your existing relationship.
Take advantage of social media. Tools such as LinkedIn and Facebook can help you uncover connections between your professional contacts and relevant government employees. You can then ask for introductions as appropriate. Meanwhile, use Twitter to get a feel for the hot issues within the federal agency you’re targeting. If you hope to get a contract with the National Institutes of Health, for example, search for the hashtag #NIH to see what agency stakeholders are discussing. “We’re seeing a fairly significant increase in government employees’ usage of social media sites,” says Gormley. “You can harvest a lot of good information that way.”
Attend events. Agencies hold networking breakfasts and industry days specifically to meet prospective contractors. But federal procurement officials attend many events beyond the ones they themselves sponsor. That association you joined may hold events ranging from intimate to massive. And government-focused trade magazines also sponsor frequent events, many of which can provide great opportunities for networking with potential partners as well as relevant government officials. American Express OPEN’s partner, Business Matchmaking, hosts many procurement matchmaking events.
Do your homework. Before attending any event—particularly the small ones—be sure you know which agencies will be there and, if possible, which individuals from those agencies will attend. Check with the event sponsor for information on who’s coming. “Make it your business to know everything you can about an official’s roles and responsibilities,” says Gormley, who notes that the information you glean can help you target your questions more effectively.
Establishing relationships and breaking into government contracting takes time and dedication. But the payoff can be significant for companies that make it through the process. “Government is looking to establish long-term relationships and multi-year contracts with companies it can trust,” says Gormley. “Once you’re in the door, you’ll find a world of other opportunities.”
Image credit: Thinkstock
Check your balance, review recent transactions and pay your bill on the go.
