Federal Sales
Distinguishing Yourself
By Richard White
Jul 8, 2006, 19:26

You have a great product or service. Your price is where it needs to be. Perhaps you responded to an RFP once or you spent tons of time and money writing a proposal. Why aren't the orders coming in? You are probably are experiencing problems related to the three topics enumerated below:

• Getting in the door
• Distinguishing yourself once in the door
• Leveraging your position once you have a contact

Getting in the Door

To be successful in the federal market, a business must offer more than just a great product or service at a good price. You need an advocate inside the targeted agency who is convinced that buying from you is worth the risk of changing their current buying practices. You need to establish a personal relationship with the right person who can make the decision to use your product or service. Finding the right person to call requires patience and in-depth research. Getting your foot in the door and scheduling an appointment with the person can be even harder. Once you have the appointment, you have to find a way to distinguish yourself, gain his or her trust, and convince this person that you have the solution to their problem.

Distinguishing Yourself Once in the Door

You have connected with the right people. They have asked you for an oral presentation with their key decision makers. You have one chance to impress them and win their business. Do you have what it takes to distinguish yourself and outshine your competitors? Doing so is more an art than a science but, at a minimum, you must answer the target audience's three critical, unspoken questions in order to gain their rust and confidence in you.

Leveraging Your Position Once You Have a Contact You've made your first sale to the federal government. You see opportunities to sell more everywhere you look. You're frustrated because the growth you need isn't happening as quickly as it should. How can you increase your sales? What are the right steps to take to lock in your current position and to start winning more business?

When meeting with potential federal customers, you must make it clear to them that you understand their situation and you must provide them with a solution that they think will work. They don't really want to hear about your in-depth qualifications and top-quality staff. On the other hand, your corporate experience will be of great interest to them if you have solved their specific problem for someone else.

Learn more about getting through the door and distinguishing yourself by attending our new seminar series, the Federal Sales Win-Win-Win Series. This three-day, intensive federal sales camp will answer the following questions:

• How to develop a Value Statement which will result in your getting an appointment with the decision makers
• How to work with, and get through, the gatekeepers
• The three key questions you must answer in the initial sales meeting in order to be treated as more than a "potential vendor"
• The three key questions you must ask in the initial sales meeting that differentiate you from your competitors and establish your position as a trusted advisor.
• When and how to deliver whitepapers, follow-up information, proprietary information, proposals, etc.
• How to establish an initial contact through a prime contractor

Course #1: Tuesday, August 1, 2006

"Winning Your First Federal Contact"

This one-day seminar shows you how to identify the right person or people to meet with and how to run your initial meetings. This seminar is a natural follow up to Federal Sales 101. You will learn how to successfully structure introductory meetings so that these meetings become the foundation for winning business. The seminar includes speaker presentations and role playing exercises in order to maximize the learning experience. Read More...

Course #2: Wednesday, August 2, 2006

"Winning With Oral Presentations"

This one-day seminar uses lectures and practice sessions to build presentation skills, structure a successful presentation, and to teach attendees how to deliver a winning presentation. Participants are encouraged to bring a prepared sales presentation for their corporation which will be evaluated by the instructor. Attendees will then take the instructor's suggestions and modify their presentations as they deem appropriate. All presentations will be recorded and participants will then be able to compare baseline performance, specific skills development, and the final delivery of the modified presentation. Read More...

Course #3: Thursday, August 3, 2006

"Increasing Sales from Your First Contract"

This one-day seminar addresses the critical steps successful sales people make in order to leverage a contact and personal connection in an effort to build a successful federal sales program. Read More...

REGISTER FOR OUR 3-DAY SERIES HERE

About the Instructor: Rob Meldrum is an independent consultant specializing in sales development, selling skills, and successful negotiations. Rob is a founder and former CEO of a software technology company, patent holder, and current consultant to multiple Fortune 100 companies. Rob has studied adult learning theory and couples that knowledge with a lively user-friendly delivery style that maximizes learning in his seminars.

Location: The Federal Sales Academy, Bethesda, Maryland
Time: 9:00 am to 4:30 pm
Cost for Series: $1,500
Cost Per One-day Class: $650

To register by phone or if you need help with any other product sales, call or write as follows: (888) 661-4094 ext 8 for sales@fedmarket.com.