Presenters: Olessia Smotrova-Taylor, CF.APMP, Fellow David Huff ostglobalsolutions

OST Global Solutions, Inc. and Highlighner Consulting GroupCopyright © 2014www.ostglobalsolutions.com ● Tel. 301-384-3350 ● [email protected]

Presenters: Olessia Smotrova-Taylor, CF.APMP, Fellow

David Huffwww.ostglobalsolutions.com

Paul Johnsonwww.highlinerconsulting.com

Setting Up Your Business Development Organization for

Success

http://www.ostglobalsolutions.com/

http://www.highlinerconsulting.com/


Challenges in Creating Business Development Success

Standing Up a BD Organization Lack of resources Lack of bandwidth because most personnel

are billable Lack of know-how in pipeline development,

capture, and proposal writing Lack of strategic direction Not having the right processes and tools

implemented Substandard marketing collateral String of poor BD hires Only leveraging handful of staff for BD

instead of the whole company Lack of knowledge of the right sequence of

steps to grow your BD organization

Optimizing an Existing BD Organization All the pieces there, but they don’t work

together efficiently or effectively Low number of bids or low win rates No proposal optimization tools such as a

library of reusable materials or collaboration portal

Difficulty transitioning from subbing to priming

Poorly qualified bids Inefficient use of resources Lack of cross-training; single points of

failure Incumbentitis Low-quality or recycled proposals Not using MACs to full extent or at all String of poor BD hires


Steps to Business Development Success

Begin Business Development

Process

Set Up the Company to Do Business with

the Government1.0

Conduct Strategic Business

Development Planning Session

Perform Market Research

Enough Info to Make

Decisions?No

Build the Opportunities

Pipeline

Yes

Stand up Your Marketing Campaign

to the Feds & Partners

Yes

Check for Strategic Fit

Qualify Each Individual

OpportunityConduct CapturePrepare Proposal

Perform Business Development During

Project Execution

End Business Development

Process

2.0 3.0

4.0

5.0

6.07.08.0

9.0


Identify Target Agencies Check on FBO.gov (free) or other

intelligence sources what is being procured in your area of expertise and who buys it

Study agency websites: USA.gov links- Agency mission (check for fit)- Spending forecasts

Research on USAspending.gov and FEDspending.org to see what the agency has procured using your NAICS or search terms, and who are the top companies winning – or –

Narrow down the list of agencies and research (agency websites, GovWin IQ Agency Profiles, BGov Spending -> Agencies) to understand what the agency spends on and via what contract vehicles


How to Identify the Buyers

Identify and attend Vendor Outreach events

Visit OSDBU (OSDBU.gov provides a listing of the contacts) and ask for key contacts for specific contracts in your area of expertise or an agency org chart- You need at least Contracting

Officer AND the Program Manager

Start identifying specific buyers’ contact information: BGov (Calendar & Directories -> Agency Contacts); GovSearch Caroll Publishing directory and org charts, GovWin IQ org charts (not as detailed)


What Collateral You Need For Effective Business Development

Website One-page capability

statement Expanded capability

statement (PowerPoint)

Case studies and white papers

• Corporate profile• D&B and NAICS info• Your core areas of expertise • A slide on growth and stability• Mission, vision, and value statement• Commendations and awards

• Your company’s differentiator – what makes you different• People

• Organizational structure• Workforce skills, education, and certifications• Clearances• Employee retention program and statistics (if they look good)

• Infrastructure• Program management processes (PMI PMBOK practices)• Quality program (ISO, CMMI, other – even if you are earning them) • Recruitment engine and your ability to scale up• Risk management• Contract vehicles• Facilities• Partners• Enterprise systems and tools

• Capabilities• Diverse customer base snapshot• Details on major lines of business, including examples of experience (use

very specific buzz words for that area of expertise)• Strong financial foundation slide (credit, D&B paydex score and risk level)

• Summary statement• Your contact information

What to include in the Capabilities

Statement


Capability Statement Before and After

Original slide with a confusing message

Updated clear value proposition


Pipelines are the engine of business growth

Lack of a pipeline equals sluggish performance and high risk of extinction

But Too Many Companies… Operate in a reactive mode

Get opportunities on FBO, pay occasional customer visits, and pray for a BD Fairy

Explosive Growth Starts with Quality PipelineNo matter whether in an Excel spreadsheet or a custom CRM tool, the pipeline has to be updated weekly with quality opportunities custom-fit for your company


1. Identify opportunities and customers

2. Avoid competition altogether by adding scope to an existing vehicle, or getting a sole source award

3. Reduce competitor pool by:- Type of competition - 8(a)

- Invoking NAICS small business size limits

- Driving an opportunity to a specific MAC vehicle or Federal Supply Schedule

4. Get the customer EXCITED, looking forward to receive your proposal and award the contract to you

5. Make EVERY preparation step serve the purpose of writing a highly compelling proposal

Goals of Business Development and CaptureOne of the many modules from the Foundations of Federal Business Development Course

BD

Capture


Use more than 2-3 methods to find early opportunities

Leverage “rolodex gurus” in conjunction with a trained Business Developer

If you are not bidding monthly on at least two projects that are perfect for you, you are not growing fast enough

Commit to a “blitz” campaign to build or revamp your pipeline

Use an Integrated, Multifaceted ApproachABB = Always Be Bidding!


Learn about opportunities from online sources and databases

Do it early to leave time for Capture◦ GovWin IQ◦ Bloomberg Government◦ Onvia◦ ePipeline◦ Govini◦ Small Business Set Aside Alert◦ FedBizOpps*

Each database is known for different things

*FBO is good only if you catch it early and combine it with other methods

Technique 1 – Research in an Online DatabaseUse a combination of databases and dedicated researcher time instead of only passive automatic keyword searches


Register with Customer Procurement Websites

Many agencies lag posting on FBO- Example: Army Single Face to

Industry (ASFI)- https://acquisition.army.mil/

Some never post on FBO- Example: NSA – ARC

http://www.nsaarc.net

Sandia National Laboratories- http://supplier.sandia.gov/opportuniti

es/selection.aspx

Technique 2 – Register Where Your Customers Post OpportunitiesExamine Federal Acquisition Jumpstation to find out about your prospective customers: http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/fedproc/home.html

https://acquisition.army.mil/

http://www.nsaarc.net/

http://supplier.sandia.gov/opportunities/selection.aspx

http://supplier.sandia.gov/opportunities/selection.aspx

http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/fedproc/home.html


Pay regular visits to the customer Build a trusted advisor

relationship Leverage the relationship to find

out:- Problem areas- Hot buttons- True care-abouts

Shape requirements Vet your solutions

Technique 3 – Get Face Time with the CustomerThe “legwork” part of business development simply has to take place in order for you to be successful; but research comes first for it to be meaningful


Train your workforce to become your sales force

Establish a procedure to notify BD when an opportunity emerges Onsite personnel notifies BD organization BD meets customer together with technical

personnel to discuss problem and solution BD identifies a contract with similar tasks

where the scope could be added A contract is modified to add scope and funding An unsolicited proposal may be submitted An 8(a) sole source procedure is initiated

Technique 4 – Leverage Your Workforce and Partners

Helpful Resource: OST’s course – Business Development for Project Personnel


Technique 5 – Get Sole Source Awards

Sole source award up to $4 Million in Services- Up to $6.5 Million in Manufacturing

Super 8(a)s- An 8(a) Alaskan Native firm, an 8(a) tribally-owned

Native American firm, or an 8(a) firm owned by a Native Hawaiian Organization

- Unlimited contract value, no protests allowed [13 CFR 124.506(b)]

- Written J&A required for awards over $20 Million by the Section 811 of the fiscal 2010 National Defense Authorization Act; must be approved by an appropriate official and made public after award

- Some agencies require J&A for anything over $4 Million (incorrectly)

- Don’t have to justify your uniqueness, but have to document why sole source

Sole Source eliminates time consuming process of RFP development, waiting for contractor responses, evaluating all submissions; it also mitigates potential protests

Minimum J&A requirements for contracts over $20 million:

(1) A description of the needs of the agency concerned for the matters covered by the contract

(2) A specification of the statutory provision providing the exception from the requirement to use competitive procedures in entering into the contract (see 19.805-1)

(3) A determination that the use of a sole-source contract is in the best interest of the agency concerned

(4) A determination that the anticipated cost of the contract will be fair and reasonable

(5) Such other matters as the head of the agency concerned shall specify for purposes of this section


8(a) Sole Source Process1. The Government ID’s requirements, decides to sole source, develops a SOW, prepares a government estimate, and obtains funding

2. The Government program manager or interested party chooses your 8(a) business to perform the work and submits a procurement request to the agency contracting officer

3. The agency contracting officer prepares and submits an “Offer Letter” to your designated SBA Business Development Specialist

4. SBA processes the Offer Letter and returns it to the agency contracting officer who submits the SOW and RFP or RFQ to your company

5. Negotiate and plan the project scope with your company

BDer helps develop the SOW and provide inputs (LOE, time frame, requirements) to develop an estimate

Your company submits the proposal (tech and cost) or quote (cost only below SAT)

Contract Award

The entire process takes less than 2 weeks

BDer helps prepare package with requirements description, estimated period of performance, applicable NAICS code, anticipated dollar value, etc. IAW FAR19.804-2 “Agency Offering”


Find out who has discretional funding (hard in current economic reality and requires high-level contacts)

Present solutions to customer’s problems Write white papers about innovative and

unique products or services Write unsolicited proposals Leverage congressional earmarks when they

are allowed again Beware of creating opportunities for

competitors

Technique 6 – Create OpportunitiesThis is the longest-lead technique for the pipeline creation – but it makes it easier to win the game if you had created the rules


Find a prime that’s going after a contract you couldn’t prime yet but could execute some part of

Create a value proposition to them:- Showcase your customer relationship- Show why you want to team with them- Advertise what you could bring to the table

- Your 8(a) status and associated abilities- Ability to write proposals well or pay for

proposal development- A quid-pro-quo

Negotiate an iron-clad teaming agreement

Technique 7 – Target a Hunting PrimeEffectively, this is pipeline creation for potential primes where you conduct competitive analysis, bring up an opportunity, and create a pitch to get on the team


Find a prime within the agency that’s performing a large services contract and is advertising for positions

Determine pain points- Review FOIA’ed contract (check GovWin

IQ) for performance metrics for staffing personnel

- Are they at 80% when they should be at a 95%?

- Did they under-bid salaries?

Place your FTEs on their workforce Expand your footprint in the agency

and build relationships with the customer

Technique 8 – Find a Hurting PrimeNumerous companies get in trouble by bidding the rates they cannot support, and fail to retain staff; you could save the day with your lower rates and better recruiting abilities


Technique 9 – Maintain Pipeline Subsections for Multiple Award Contracts

Each IDIQ should have its own pipeline

Create a Task Order Manual for each IDIQ, including the rules of who will be able to ID opportunities and how, and vehicle’s patterns

Establish separate business development procedures for each vehicle

Set up your GSA schedule search procedures (who checks the eBuy?)

Helpful Resource: OST’s IDIQ Task Order Manual Template

More than 25% of all contracting dollars (and growing) are awarded under MACs; they deserve their own systematic pipeline treatment


If you are a small business:- Register with large government primes

in their website procurement sections- Follow up with the procurement person- Get BD personnel names from FBO or

GovWin IQ and schedule appointments- Actively pursue being added to the team

on opportunities that they chase- Don’t forget to create value proposition

If you are a large business:- Find out if you have this website section

– and if not, add- Actively build relationships with small

businesses

Technique 10 – Register with Large PrimesAlthough by itself a registration is not enough, you should take care of the mechanism to engage you, and then focus on business-to-business marketing


95% of all adults with Internet check the web first when they need a solution, while most websites are impossible to find

Post collateral, perform SEO Drive government, partner, and talent traffic

through social networks and blogs Make sure your SAM.gov data accurately

reflects who you are Update your D&B information Update your data with GovWin IQ Write RFI responses even if only able to sub Join professional associations

Technique 11 – Attract Customers and PartnersGet passive marketing working for you and make yourself easy to find so that partners and customers bring opportunities to you


Attend trade shows and schedule a number of appointments with customers and partners- Good source: www.govevents.com - Search Small Business Events and Vendor

Collaboration buttons on FBO

Attend networking breakfasts, roundtables, conferences, and other formal and informal events and social clubs with target customers- Check what events your customer attends and

follow them

AFCEA, Chambers of Commerce, SECAF, ACT-IAC, APMP, NCMA, NDIA, the Coalition for Government Procurement, military organizations, and others are good to join

Secret is to target specific attendees and follow up relentlessly

Participate in LinkedIn Groups

Technique 12 – Network

http://www.govevents.com/


Smart Growth Approaches

Train operations personnel in business development

Staff BD organization at 75 % of throughput to avoid resource waste

Cross-train your personnel in pipeline development, capture, proposal management, and writing- People can still specialize but they

become better in their field of focus- Burn-out is reduced- Fewer single points of failure

Invest in obtaining capital for growth


Business Development Knowledge ManagementNetworking, Lead Generation, & Opportunity Identification- Networking, Lead Generation & Opportunity Identification- Marketing & Advertising Strategy Development & Implementation- Coordinating and Formalizing Business Intelligence- Proposal Development- Meeting Facilitations

NETWORKING IS KEY FOR ALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES AND “PERSON-TO-PERSON” INTERACTION IS THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE APPROACH. GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING COMPANIES NEED TO HAVE CONNECTIONS & PRESENCE TO THE FOLLOWING:- Federal, Tribal, State & Municipal contracting & procurement officials- Key Business-To-Business events, trade shows, conferences, & events- Membership to key organizations which promote & facilitate business with 8(a),

HUBZone and DBE companies- Key subcontractors, vendors, project owners and industry participants- Key political, economic and business leaders.- Local presence where Federal contract dollars are spent.


Networking, Lead Generation & Opportunity Identification

LEAD GENERATION & OPPORTUNITY IDENTIFICATION IS IMPORTANT TO TAKE IT FROM THE “MEET & GREET” TO ACTUAL TANGIBLE OPPORTUNITIES AND ULTIMATELY A CONTRACT:

How it is currently done:- Searches are performed on project boards (business intelligence websites) to

scan for work utilizing NAICS codes.- Identification of key organizations and events which should be met or

attended.- Face-to-Face discussions, follow-ups and maintaining contacts to track

opportunities.- Scope is limited to limitation of personnel and focus of current companies

represented- Only attending one event at a time – can be “hit or miss”.


Key Knowledge Management Components for Business Development

Contact Management: - Customer Resource Management (CRM)- Contact Capture (Card Scanning)

Business Intelligence:- Dynamic Search Engines – subscription services- B2G/B2B Conferences & Networking

Capture Management- Pipeline Management- Collaborative Workspaces

Collateral Management Systems- Statement of Qualifications (SOQ)/Line cards- Proposals and previous responses- Resumes (individual & corporate)


Opportunity

Business Development Knowledge Management Cycle


Keys to a Successful Contact Management System (CRM) Program

CRM- Is your CRM compatible with your e-mail client?- Do you have a central repository of corporate contacts?- Is there a written policy regarding contact retention?- Pros/Cons of not providing company e-mails/cell phones- Does your IT staff have a clear understanding of your intended

use, output and the basic compatibilities of the program?

Popular Commercial Options- Salesforce- SugarCRM- Microsoft Dynamics


Keys to a Successful Contact Management System (CRM) Program

Contact Capture- Is your CRM compatible with your card scanning application?- Does your card scanning application allow you to make notes?- Does your card scanning application allow you to connect with

your e-mail client?- Does your card scanning application allow you to connect social

media applications such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter?- Does your card scanning application have an “enterprise” offering?

Popular Commercial Options- CardMunch- PowerContacts - ScanBizCard- Neat


Keys to a Successful Business Intelligence (BI) Program

Strategic Capabilities- Can research buying habits of your or see agency forecasts?- Can you identify the contract vehicles utilized by buyers? - Does it have micro & macro research capabilities?- Does it provide the necessary level of detail to develop an effective pipeline

management program within your organization?- Does it allow for key contact export and is that format compatible with your

CRM?- Does it allow for dynamic updates to key contacts, opportunity and award

statuses?- Build in a method and approach to tie in B2G/B2B conference &

networking contacts.

Popular Commercial Options- GovWinIQ- EZGovOpps- BidSpeed


Keys to a Successful Capture Management ProgramStrategic Capabilities- Does your capture management strategy balance risk/reward and reflect your

corporate risk tolerance?- Have you identified your “Go/No-Go” strategies?- Are you too reliant upon a single capture management approach or do you

blend both human intelligence with business intelligence from subscriptions services?

- Have you identified a corporate strategy towards balancing your marketing strategies?

- Have you put your organization in the strongest and strategically advantageous position?

- Do you have a “lessons learned “ methodology and approach for evaluating both wins and losses?

- Does your system allow for collaborative workspaces in a corporate intranet space?

Popular Commercial Options- GovWinIQ- EZGovOpps- Domo


Keys to a Successful Collateral Management SystemStrategic Capabilities- Is your collateral management system dynamic? Does it allow

search ability?- Does your collateral management system have version control?- Does your collateral management system allow for collaboration?- Is your collateral readily available?- Do you have an internal process to create buyer specific collateral?- What do you consider collateral? (SOQs, proposals, resumes,

graphics, etc.)- Is your collateral management system compatible with your

capture management , business intelligence and contact management systems?

Popular Commercial Options (mobile portability)- Knowledge Tree- Box- DropBox


Networking, Lead Generation & Opportunity Identification

What a Knowledge Management System will do:- Expand the scope of identifying key organizations and events which should be

met or attended and provide enough man-power to effectively track each event.- Enhance Face-to-Face discussions by knowing your customer, follow-ups and

maintaining contacts to track opportunities – incorporate current - Properly record, track and sort “leads vs. opportunities” and build in a effective

“lessons learned” method and approach.- Broaden the scope for all federal and tribal contracting opportunities and know

where the federal and tribal dollars are being spent.


Coordinating and Formalizing Business Intelligence

Companies typically pay considerable membership fees for business intelligence tools, but most don’t know how to get the full benefits of the system. In addition, there are several sources (which are free) which provide additional information on “What is out there and what is coming up?” but lack forecasting ability, as well as contact and collateral management capabilities.

What a Knowledge Management System will do: A coordinated effort to effectively track all opportunities and develop “Opportunity

Lists” and hold bi-weekly or monthly Go/No-Go meetings Develop a system to effectively document, organize/sort and direct key contacts,

opportunities, and establish effective “follow-up” procedures. Develop a running “Key Contact List” of all business contacts/opportunities for all

subsidiaries and not rely to heavily upon “personal relationships” of individuals. Utilize a CRM tool to allow you track ROI and build a contact database.


Contact Information

Olessia Smotrova-Taylor, CF.APMP, FellowPresident & CEO, OST Global Solutions, Inc.

Office 301.384.3350Cell 240.246.5305

[email protected]

Thank you for attending!

David HuffBD and Operations Manager, OST Global Solutions, Inc.

Office 301.384.3350Cell 513.216.0993

[email protected]

Paul JohnsonPresident/CEO

Highliner Consulting Group, LLCOffice: 206.388.2300 Ext. 501

Cell: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



Presenters: Olessia Smotrova-Taylor, CF.APMP, Fellow David Huff ostglobalsolutions

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