Earnest Consulting Group

8 Key Questions to Ask a Contracting Officer

July 23, 2024 | Uncategorized

Navigating the intricacies of government contracting is a complex task. However, armed with the right questions, you can greatly increase your chances of landing that valuable contract. Here are 8 key questions that can make a difference when talking to a contracting officer. Asking these questions could provide you valuable insights helping you build a lasting relationship and position your offer. 1. Do you already have an acquisition strategy for this opportunity? Understanding the contracting officer's acquisition strategy can help you tailor your approach. For example, knowing whether a specific contract vehicle is preferred can help you begin preparing…

Unlock Success: 7 Key Questions to Engage Government Customers and Win Lucrative Opportunities

June 14, 2024 | Uncategorized

Image made in Canva In the world of business, finding new opportunities often comes down to understanding your customers' needs, challenges, and aspirations. By asking the right questions, you can gain insights that not only improve your service but also lead to new paths for growth and collaboration. Let's take a look at seven key questions and see how they can help uncover more opportunities. 1. What are the top 3 biggest challenges your organization is currently facing? Understanding our customer's pain points is absolutely crucial for providing effective solutions. Once we uncover their primary challenges, we can tailor our…

Six Ways to Effectively Run a Sales Meeting

June 7, 2024 | Uncategorized

Image made in Canva When you start as a business owner, you will likely do all sales. You may have administrative support, but the share of prospecting, filling your pipeline, and closing business will be on you. However, as you continue to grow, you will be responsible more for operations, finance, human resources, and sales and will likely be unable to dominate your daily activities. Therefore, you must effectively hire, onboard, and, most importantly, manage a salesperson or sales team. When this happens, running an effective sales meeting is crucial for maintaining motivation, aligning goals, and driving performance within a…

9 Key Elements to Successfully Exhibit at a Tradeshow or Conference

May 30, 2024 | Uncategorized

Image made in Canva Participating in a tradeshow or conference can be a fantastic opportunity to showcase your brand, network with potential clients, and stay up-to-date with industry trends. Here are nine essential tips to ensure your success at the next event: 1. Dress Professionally Yet Comfortably, Including Your Shoes. You will be on your feet all day, so while looking professional is crucial, comfort is equally important. Choose attire that reflects your brand but doesn't leave you regretting your choice by mid-morning. Comfortable, supportive shoes can make a world of difference. 2. Sit Sparingly. If you are given a…

Navigating 8(a) Graduation: 6 Key Sales Strategies

March 21, 2024 | Uncategorized

Image made in Canva As an 8(a) small business, graduation can be challenging. Your current customers likely tend to buy from 8(a) small businesses and don’t want to change that trend. However, with the right strategies, you can position yourself for continued success in the competitive federal marketplace. Here are six key sales strategies to consider as you approach 8(a) graduation: Focus on Sales-Related Activities: Increase your sales resources and focus most of your time on pre-acquisition activities, including making calls and emails, prospect meetings, industry days, conferences, and RFI submissions. Building a strong network will open doors to new…

Earnest Consulting Group Turns 9 Years Old: A Letter from Me to the Me of 2015

March 7, 2024 | Uncategorized

Image made in Canva March 1, 2023, marked the ninth anniversary of Earnest Consulting Group. Having been a successful business owner and government contractor, I thought it would be easy. I was wrong! One big difference is that this gig was my first as a solopreneur. To say I've learned a lot in the past years would be an understatement. To help others avoid some of the mistakes I’ve made, I’ve written a letter to the 2015 version of myself, with a recap of everything I wish I knew when I started. I hope this helps people start a new…

Growing Your Government Sales through Federal Access Advisor Group Coaching

March 1, 2024 | Uncategorized

Image made in Canva For about two years now, I have been a Certified Government Sales Coach through RSM Federal. Collectively, RSM Federal and our team of coaches have helped over 2000 companies win over 14 billion dollars worth of government contracts. I personally have over 20 years of experience in government contracting including spending the first 10 years of that time either owning or working for a company that was a prime contractor. As a team, our coaches at a minimum possess 20 years of government contracting experience. The Difference A main differentiator between us and others that work…

My Top Ten Most Useful Links for Government Sales

February 22, 2024 | Uncategorized

Image made in Canva Here are some important things to understand about this list. One, its not comprehensive. Two, they’re not in any specific order. I put them down as I thought about them. Three, this is my list. I” 'm sure other folks top ten will be different. So here they are: SAM.gov: This is your official gateway to federal contracting opportunities in three ways: Registering of your business is necessary to win a government contract. Use the SAM Databank to review award history. It takes some practice to master but a lot of competitive data can be found…

Millennials: They Want Engagement, Not Entitlement

October 8, 2015 | Uncategorized

Photo by Ted Eytan on Flickr Without completely giving my age away, let's just say that I am slightly removed from the Millennial generation. That is to say, I am at the tail end of Generation X. Given the fact that most of my friendships and professional relationships are with Gen Xer's, I have not had a lot of direct experience with Millennials as it pertains to their professional lives. The complaint I hear from just about everyone including clients is that they have an entitlement problem. They want the top job and top money but don't want to work for it.…

At What Point is the “Human Element” Needed? (Part 3) – Intense Pain

June 22, 2015 | Uncategorized

Photo by Stefson on Flickr Some have told me that real change doesn't happen in someone's life until the pain of keeping the status quo hurts more than the pain of changing ones habits. I am sure we have all experienced this phenomenon at some time. As it relates to the "human element" of ones organization, it is the point where the culture is so broken, so toxic that change must happen immediately and intensely. Not addressing the culture means the company will likely perish. The first "to-do" in this situation is the leader must own the problem. They must address all of their employees…