Federal Sales 101: Contents Covered

Contents Covered:

Back to main page

The Difficulties Associated with Market Entry

  • Competition - Is it truly "fair and open?" Why not?
  • Why do the prime contractors and incumbents always win?

Types of Contracting Vehicles

  • What are IDIQ, BPA and GSA Schedule contracts?
  • What are contract bundling and teaming arrangements?
  • GSA Schedules - Why should I get one? We have one, what's next?

Commitment to Sales

  • How many resources do I need to commit to the marketplace?
  • The Sales Call - What do I say? How can I get them to let me in?
  • Creating your own sales opportunity
  • What is meant by "under the radar" opportunities?
  • The government is made up of people who buy - - the keys to developing relationships
  • Targeting the right contacts
  • Sifting through the unlimited amount of information on the web
  • There are 3 million federal civilian employees - Whom do I call first?
  • The role of the Contracting Officer
  • The role of the SADBU/OSDBU/Small Business Specialist
  • Can the PR/FOIA officer help?
  • Identifying the end users of my product or service
  • Utilizing data from awarded contracts

Uncovering Opportunities

  • Leveraging your current federal relationships
  • The difference between the cold call and the warm call
  • What is a blind bid? September bidding?
  • Staying on top of future opportunities
  • The value of contact data lists
  • Federal purchasing thresholds
  • How do I develop my own opportunities with the federal government?

Lost Bids

  • I lost a proposal - now what?
  • What is a "debriefing?"
  • Can I use a "debriefing" to sell?
  • Should I protest a lost bid?

Winning Government Business

  • Best Values - How can I use them to win business?
  • What are "advance sales" and "pre-selling"?
  • The Bid/No Bid Decision - How do I know I'm the winner before I write the bid?
  • Quick tips to proposal writing