Strategies For Winning Government Business

  Presented by:   Jackie Santisteban MBA, CDR, USN (R)

  Government Business Development Consultant

  Government Sales Advisors

Winning Sales Strategies 1. Commitment 2. Patience 3. Perseverance 4. Dedicated Resources—Money, Time, People 5. Have the Right People in the Right Positions 6. Having the Basics in Place****** a. Business Cards b. Differentiators c. Capability Statement d. Sell Sheet e. Web Site with Government Page f. Strategic Plan with Realistic Goals and Execution

Business Cards Use Your Business Cards as Marketing Tool FRONT OF CARD 1. Name of Business/Company 2. Point of Contact Information a. Name b. Title c. Phone Number d. Email Address e. Address of Company or use Home Address 3. Company Logo anywhere on the front

Use Your Business Cards as Marketing Tool BACK OF CARD 1. Name of Business/Company Across the Top 2. DUNS # 3. CAGE CODE 4. GSA # 5. SIN # (list relevant ones) 6. NAIC# (list relevant ones) 7. Company Website URL at the bottom of the card

Business Cards

Define and Clarify Your Differentiators

 Differentiate your company and product or services

 Create a dynamic Winning Capabilities Statement

The Rules of Brand Differentiation

While “breaking all the rules” sounds like something that would set you apart, this is a case where following the rules really distances you from your competitors.

The Rules: 1. Your differentiator must be true. In other words, you can’t just make one up. You have to live it. If you promise a differentiator but fail to deliver, you will damage your brand. 2. It must be important to your client.

3. It must be supportable. Prove it. That is the challenge that every differentiator must overcome.

Finding Your Differentiation

The following five steps will help you find a real differentiator for your business – and not just find it, but own it. 1. Choose an approach to differentiation

There are two basic approaches to identifying your differentiators: Making conscious management decisions that differentiate your firm from the competition. Put another way, you can decide how you will be different. Discovering the existing characteristics that distinguish your firm. This is a process of discovering differences, not creating them.

2. Assess possible differentiators through research

Whether considering new, differentiated directions for your business or trying to understand your existing differentiators, you want to conduct research on yourself and on the marketplace.

Why? Because often times companies misperceive their audiences’/customers priorities, their own relevance to client needs, and even who their competitors are. Research empowers you to base your decisions on facts rather than hunches.

Finding Your Differentiation

3. Using Differentiators to Pursue Government Business

Choose the ones that you will focus on to define your business in the government marketplace.

Consider how you might combine some of the differentiators you’ve identified to craft a unique identity.

Decide which opportunities you want to pursue and carefully select your differentiators accordingly.

Finding Your Differentiation

4. Validating with the marketplace

Once you’ve identified your differentiators it’s important to validate them with the marketplace Verify that it’s relevant and that you can carry it out

Can you back up the claim effectively

Evaluate your proposed differentiators to see whether competitors are taking a similar tack

Make certain that what you’ve identified is true, relevant, and supportable

Finding Your Differentiation

5. Living your differentiators

Once you choose and validate your differentiators, it’s time to live them. You need to prove them every day. Your differentiators must be communicated.

Ensure that your website and marketing materials describe, reflect, and prove your differentiators. When you speak to potential customer you need to speak to your differentiators.

If no one knows it, it’s not a differentiator

Finding Your Differentiation

Examples of Differentiators

1. Specialize in an industry. 2. Specialize in serving a specific role within your client’s organization

3. Specialize in offering a particular service

4. Offer a truly unique technology or process

5. Focus on understanding a particular target audience

6. Specialize in serving clients of a certain size

7. All of your staff shares a specific characteristic or credential 8. Focus on solving a specific business challenge

A Critical and Dynamic Document The Capabilities Statement must be unique to each contracting opportunity it cannot be a template or boiler plate type document. Each time your business submits for a government contracting bid, the capabilities statement must be unique to that potential opportunity.

It is a critical document that if developed correctly, can bring new opportunities in government contracting to your small business.

Capabilities Statement – Your Identity A capability statement is a promotional or marketing statement about your business and its capabilities and skills that advertises who your company is, what it does, and why you are the best company to be hired.

A capability statement is not only required when dealing with the government, but also when seeking to work as a sub-contractor for a company that is the prime contractor on a government contract.

1. Core Competencies Section 2. Past Performance Section

3. Differentiators 4. Corporate Data

5. Contact Information

The words CAPABILITY STATEMENT should be written in Bold Type across the top of the document

Capability Statement - Components

The Core Competencies section is the most important of the entire document.

It essentially answers two questions “Who are you?” and “What do you do?”

It is critically important that all the words are carefully chosen and you do what you say you do.

Visiting your existing Mission Statement or Vision Statement is a good first step

Capability Statement - Core Competences

The Past Performance section should be included if the experience is relevant to the project. Past Performance Data Points:

1. Client/Customer Name

2. Prime’s Name

3. Project Name

4. Project Description

5. Location of Project 6. Dollar Value of Project 7. Year Completed or Dates of Project 8. Federal Contract Number 9. Points of Contacts for Reference with email and phone number

Capability Statement - Past Performance

Capability Statement - Differentiators  The DIFFERENTIATOR SECTION is your opportunity to Communicate what sets you apart.

  It should send a clear message to your Government Customer/Contracting Officer or Others

  1. Why Choose Us

  2. What Sets Us Apart from the Competition

  3. What Results You Deliver

  4. Are You Trustworthy/How Do You Show It

  5. Include Good Things a Customer Has Said About You

The Corporate/Company Profile Section should include: 1. Name of Founder 2. Number of Years in Business 3. Legal Structure (LLC etc) 4. Purpose of the Company 5. Company website URL 6. Company address 7. DUNS Number and CAGE code 8. Certifications – 8a, Hubzone, ISO 9001, etc. 9. NAICS Codes 10.GSA Schedule and/or other Contract numbers

Capability Statement - Corporate/Company Profile

The Contact Section:

1. Be sure to list the correct person as the point of contact

2. It can be boxed or simply across the bottom of the page

3. It can read Contact Us or Contact 4. Include the Point of Contact’s Title, Name, Phone, Email

Capability Statement - Contact

Tips for your Capabilities Statement

Use a Proof Reader Whenever Possible Or Use an Online Proof Reader such as www.grammarly.com Pay Attention to Punctuation A Professor Wrote a Statement on the Board and asked his Students to Rewrite it Using Punctuation. Some students wrote “A woman, without her man, is nothing” Some students wrote: “A woman, without her, man is nothing”

Tips for your Capabilities Statement

• Makeiteasilyiden.fiableasbeingfromyourcompany

• Usecolororothersimplemethodstodrawa<en.on

• Makeiteasytonavigate

• Onepagepreferred,buttwoismax

• Includethoroughlis.ngofyourproductsonthebackiftwo• IfyouhavealonglistofNAICScodes,includeonback• Maintaininaformthatcanreadilybemodifiedandthenconvertedtoapdffile

• CREATEA“WOW”FACTOR

Tailor each Capability Statement to the Agency Mission or to the Specific Opportunity 1. No long paragraphs 2. Use short sentences or bullet point which include key words in Bold Type 3. Use it to grab customer’s attention 4. Keep the file small….keep it under 1MB 5. Keep the margins small use the whole page

TIPS FOR YOUR CAPABILITY STATEMENT

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Example

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Example

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Example

1. One page document ——-Can Use Front and Back 2. Similar format to your Cap Statement

3. Use pictures that are new and relevant to the Government audience

4. Make it easy to read/may require larger print 5. Have it professionally printed/use high quality card stock or glossy

6. If you have a long list of NAICS codes, include on back

7. Make sure you include a specific point of contact 8. Maintain in a pdf form that can readily be modified and/or emailed to your Government or other potential customer

9. Make sure you include information pertinent to the Government a. If you have Government projects include them, be specific b. Gear it toward the Government

Sell Sheet

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Sell Sheet

1.Haveitprofessionallydone/itisyourfacetothecustomer2.BesureyouhaveatabforGovernment3.BeveryspecificaboutyoursuccessesinGovernment ListProjectsetc.

ListProductsandSolu.onsforyourGovernmentCustomer4.MakeiteasyfortheGovernmenttoBuyfromyo

ListyourGSAschedulenumberListNAICScodesListSINnumbers

5.Havetherightpointsofcontact….makeiteasyforthemtogetaholdofyou6.Knowwhoyouwanttoselltoandgearittowardthatagency7.IncludeyourCapabilityStatementinPDFform8.Havethecolorschemeetc.matchyourSellSheetandCapabili.esStatement

WEB SITE

Winning Strategies for Selling to the Government Recap

•  Do your homework/research before your meeting •  Don’t rely solely on your status such as 8A, WOSB etc to get the

business •  Be patient and persistent. It is a 2 to 4 year sales cycle..keep at it. •  Get help when you need it and be willing to pay for it •  Have Realistic and Reasonable expectations and goals •  Be Passionate •  Know and Understand Your Competition •  Listen to your customer, ask questions* •  Follow Up Follow Up Follow Up* •  Join associations, go to the right trade shows, speak at

conferences, write articles •  Attend Government Industry Days

Jackie Santisteban MBA, CDR, USNR Government Business Development Consultant

The Government Sales Advisors

http:/www.thegovernmentsalesadvisors.com Cell 703-992-5460

Email: jackie@thegovernmentsalesadvisors.com