From Checkboxes to Contracts: How to Win Without Relying on Set-Asides

July 30, 2025 | Government

Let’s be honest, most companies in this market are still leading with status.

But the numbers are clear: around 3% of federal dollars went to socioeconomic set-asides last year. And with changes coming, that percentage isn’t going up.

This isn’t just about policy. It’s about mindset. Confidence in your offer doesn’t come from the checkbox, it comes from how you show up, how you communicate value, and how you execute your outreach.

Here are five tactical ways to shift from status-first to value-first:

1. Map Your Metrics
   Before you touch your messaging, get your numbers straight.
   How many users do you support? What results have your clients seen? Where have you made an impact?
   You can’t claim maturity if you can’t back it up. Metrics give you credibility.
2. Build a Targeted Buyer List
   Pull agency spend data from USA Spending, FPDS, or SAM’s Data Bank.
   You don’t need a list of 500. You need 25 buyers who actually purchase what you offer.
   Sort them by volume, contract method, and recent activity. That’s your hit list.
3. Write a Real Outreach Script
   Lose the “We’re an SDVOSB” opener. That’s not value, it’s a status.
   Lead with results:
   “We’ve helped 6 agencies and 55,000 users increase efficiency by 350%.” End with a direct ask and proposed time for a capabilities brief. No vague “let me know if you’re interested.”
4. Audit Your Messaging
   Open up your capabilities statement and scrub it.
   Does it scream phrases like “customer focused” or “high-quality”? Or does it clearly map your value to the mission?
   Buyers aren’t impressed by unsupported assertions. They want proof that you help them hit their goals.
5. Follow the Spend, Not the Status
   $4.3B in micro-purchases happened off contract last year.
   That’s money moving through P-Cards, and while they aren’t used as much as they used to be, they’re still being used. You won’t find that on SAM. You find it by building relationships with the people who can buy now.

Here’s the bottom line:
Confidence isn’t about being perfect. It’s about showing up, going all in, and risking a little discomfort to make the play.

Let’s stop playing safe. Let’s start building a sales strategy that doesn’t rely on being “picked”.

If you like what you see in this article and are ready to get to work on increasing your product sales margins, click here to schedule a call with me. Let’s put together a plan that works

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