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Reach Your Goals with a 90-Day Blitz
January 11, 2023 | Business Development, Government
Photo by Ronnie Overgoor on Unsplash How many times, whether in your career, business, or domestic situation, have you asked yourself, “What the hell do I do next?” Let’s use your small business as an example. Each of your team members has ideas about what priorities you should focus on. Operations wants to initiate new processes and look at new software systems to increase efficiencies. HR wants to overhaul its interviewing and onboarding process and address the most recent employee opinion survey. Each person or group has their own pet project and isn’t interested in their coworkers' ideas. And you,…
Starting Your Own Business in the New Year? Here’s What to Consider.
January 5, 2023 | Business Development, Government
Photo by Christina Morillo: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-wearing-blue-dress-shirt-facing-whiteboard-1181343/ It’s the New Year—and that might have you thinking of big goals, like starting your own business. As someone who has made that leap, I’ve learned what to do – and what not to do. Here are a few things to consider. Start by doing your homework and getting established, as follows: Conduct market research. I tell my government sales clients the first step to a successful strategy is to find out who buys what you sell. However, this first step is not only for government business. It is actually industry agnostic. Even McDonalds knows…
Why New Year’s Resolutions Fail–and What To Do About It
December 28, 2022 | Leadership
Photo by Engin Akyurt: https://www.pexels.com/photo/writing-2023-on-sand-beach-13088176/ If you’re like most people, you’re thinking ahead to the new year. And if those thoughts include new year’s resolutions, you likely know that the majority of people--at least 80 percent, according to even the most conservative estimates--fail at turning those goals into reality. The key to making your resolutions stick is to learn from those who buck the trend and finish what they start--those, to put it another way, who don’t do what most people do. Here are three keys to success. 1. Start small. Trying to do too much too soon is a…
Video: Another Year Without a Fed’ral Contract
December 21, 2022 | Business Development, Government
Apologies to Elmo and Patsy [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="http://earnestconsultinggroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Another-Year-Complete.mp4"][/video]
Bid-Winning Price Strategies
December 14, 2022 | Business Development, Government
Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/advertising-business-calculator-commercial-262470/ There are three primary ways to position yourself to win bids with the federal government. Here’s an overview of each. 1. Do Your Research. Before finalizing your bid, benchmark your offer against publicly-available pricing data. A few of these sites include: GSAAdvantage: This site allows you to compare your pricing against those who sell similar products. In my experience, the best strategy is to apply further discounting to your competitors’ pricing. GSA eLibrary: When you can’t find information on GSAAdvantage, GSA eLibrary is a good alternative--especially when you want to compare pricing for multiple products to…
How To Find Out About Industry Days
December 7, 2022 | Business Development, Government
Photo by Jose Vazquez on Unsplash One tactic to meet government buyers and learn about the agency they serve is to attend industry days. Industry days are organized by government agencies, and they often include discussion about business opportunities and more information about the agency as a whole. Agencies also use industry days to solicit feedback from experts in the areas in which they are looking for products or services. It takes some searching to find when these events are being held and it’s rare that your company would receive a personal invitation to an industry day. Therefore, it is imperative for government…
Free Webinar TOMORROW: Selling on a GSA Schedule
November 30, 2022 | Business Development, Government
In my early years as a government contractor, my company was continually contacted by businesses wanting me to hire them to obtain a GSA Contract Schedule. We chose not to because our line of business kept us very busy. These sales pitches always included the following: Over X amount of dollars (in the billions) are bought on a GSA Schedule every year! Having a GSA Schedule will allow buyers to come to you since you will be listed on GSAAdvantage and GSAElibrary. The only thing standing between you and ultimate government contracting success is a GSA Schedule. See a theme…
When’s The Best Time To Start Your Government Business Strategy?
November 23, 2022 | Business Development, Government
Photo by Jess Bailey Designs: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-yearly-planner-beside-a-pen-1558691/ People have often asked me when is the best time to begin your government business strategy. My answer is always, "yesterday." They often get annoyed with this answer–and I understand why. It’s annoying and unhelpful–even if it is true! So, instead of giving you a sarcastic answer, I’ll share some data: Almost $4.5T in federal government spending was obligated in 2022 The most (27.1% of what was spent in FY22) was spent in the 4th quarter (July-Sep) The quarter with the least amount (23.9%) of activity was Q2 (January - March) This seems to…
RFQ’s and RFP’s : The First Steps to Ensuring Success
November 17, 2022 | Business Development, Government
Photo by Christina Morillo: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-typing-on-a-laptop-1181208/ If you want to do business with the federal government, it's critical to understand the ins and outs of RFPs. In my work with my clients, I have learned tips to make the process more efficient and effective while also learning a bit about what doesn't work. This article will share a few of these and will especially help people who have very little experience reading or responding to an RFQ/RFP Here are a few of the most important considerations. First Things First When I receive an RFP, I first search the document for two…
Determination Beats Motivation
October 26, 2022 | Business Development, Government
Photo by cottonbro: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-pen-and-checking-calendar-on-tablet-5053733/ “It never gets easier. What happens is you become someone that handles hard stuff better.” - Duke Women’s Basketball Coach Kara Lawson If there were one thing I could tell my 20-year-old self, it would be this: things will never get easier, so you need to work harder at dealing with difficult things. Some people have passion and drive that are strong enough to continually motivate them to work toward their goals. Most of us, however, face challenges in staying focused--and if we want to reach our goals, we need to guard against the times when…
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MYTH: Since the amount of goods and services the government buys is not affected by a economic downturn as private industry, the best time to begin selling to the government is during a recession.
FACT: Developing an effective government business development strategy usually takes years. Waiting until the economy is in recession to pull the trigger on a plan can doom it from the start as this strategy takes time and resources to develop….items that seem to be more scarce when the economy is in a downturn.
