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GSA Schedules
- About GSA eProducts
Use GSA eProducts to simplify and streamline GSA Schedule proposals, GSA Schedule modifications and GSA Schedule renewals.. - GSA Schedules: The Path to Federal Contract Dollars
A book giving you insights on GSA schedules from a long time player in the federal sales game. - Webinar: GSA Schedules 101 - Demystifying GSA Schedules
What is a GSA schedule and why do I need one? Get your answers here.
Federal Sales Training
- Webinar: GSA Schedules 101 - Demystifying GSA Schedules
What is a GSA schedule and why do I need one? Get your answers here . - Federal Sales 101: Winning Government Business
Fedmarket's most popular course, eight-years in the running. Whether you are new to the marketplace or a seasoned veteran this class will jump start your sales endeavors. - 2-Day Executive Session on Winning Federal Contracts
12 one-hour segments given by experts from the legal and federal contracting community .
Sales Tools
- Industry Specific End User List
Reach those who communicate their needs directly to the buyer. . - Federal Credit Card Holders List
Reach federal employees with the purchasing power to to buy directly from a vendor.. - Federal Opportunties Database: Facilities
Federal Business Opportunities for Design, Build, Energy and Maintenance Companies . - Direct Marketing Services
Develop a strategic marketing plan lead by federal business development professionals. . - Federal Sales Book Series
Get on the "inside" track with the Federal Sales Book Series by Richard White.
Articles
- Does Competition Exist Among GSA Schedule Holders?
Is there competition among GSA schedule holders? Like everything else in federal sales, the answer is yes, no, and maybe depending on who you talk to... - Negotiating GSA Prices
The General Services Administration (GSA) appears to be placing more emphasis on obtaining the lowest possible price when negotiating GSA schedule contracts... - GSA the World's Biggest Customer
The most confusing aspect of a GSA proposal is the requirement to disclose your discounting practices. GSA uses the disclosures to negotiate a discount equal to or better than the best discount you have extended to your commercial customers... - The Similarities and Differences Between Commercial and Government Sales
Most people outside Washington, D.C., view the federal market as strange and unique. The truth is, it is and it isn't. On the sales side, the federal market is identical to the commercial market... - Be Proactive to Win Federal Dollars
Proactive methods have governed sales approaches for products and services since the days of Willy Lowman. The same basic principles remain the keys to success in federal sales... - Closing a Sale Part Two
Companies holding multi-vendor contracts minimize the amount of competition they face since a public bid isn't necessary... - People Buy, Not Agencies
Contrary to popular belief, people buy in the federal market, not agencies. The only way to make a federal sale is to contact a buyer through a direct sales call... - Multi-vendor Contracts Explained
Multi-vendor contracts limit competition and make purchasing faster and cheaper. The government, when using a multi-vendor contract, need only solicit bids from three vendors holding the type of contract in question... - Public Bids are too Late
Bids funded by stimulus dollars are being posted at agencies web sites by federal state, and local agencies. Some public bids are in an Invitation for Bid (IFB) legal format (fixed price, low bidder wins). IFBs are usually used for construction projects... - The New Administration and Federal Sales
These are chaotic times for the federal market; the good, bad, and the ugly of a change in administration amidst an economic crisis. Fortunately most of the developments in the market are good... - Internet Posting of Legislation and Stimulus Projects is a Good Thing But...
The Obama administration is keeping its promise of more transparency in federal contract and grant spending. At the state and local level, grants may become contracts; we hope. The status of stimulus project funding legislation will be posted at recovery... - More Selling Services versus Products
In the products market, end users often are familiar with the products they are buying... - Federal Marketing Activities that Work for Small to Medium Sized Businesses
The previous installment warned that some federal marketing activities can be too expensive for small to medium sized businesses. You probably can't afford to sponsor a golf tournament in Washington, DC... - The Value of Federal Marketing
Some believe that marketing is a critical component to having success in the federal market. Marketing efforts make the public, official buyers and end users aware of your company and your products or services... - Searching for Sales Opportunities
Products, services, and technology-based solutions are sold through relationships in both the commercial and federal sectors... - When the Sale Takes Place
Almost all newcomers to the federal market make the mistake of thinking that a sales opportunity arises when a request for a proposal or bid is published. In reality by the time a bid is published, the sale has probably already been made... - Learn to Play the Federal Sales Game Like an Insider
How do you play a game where the rules are stacked in favor of insiders? Learn to stack the deck for yourself or don't play. Playing in the federal market is a game in the same sense that selling in the commercial market is a game... - Learn to Play in a Recession-Proof Industry
Is the federal market recession proof? Consider the answers to these questions and judge for yourself... - Act Immediately to Add Federal Revenue to Your Company
We have repeatedly stressed in prior newsletters that the federal market is recession proof and an ideal source for additional revenue. Naysayers will although the market may be recession proof, it has a long sales lead time... - Competitiveness of Multi-vendor Contracts
Multi-vendor contracts limit competition and make purchasing faster and cheaper. The government, when using a multi-vendor contract, need only solicit bids from three vendors holding the type of contract in question... - Turn Apprehension About the Economy Into Positive Action
Anyone who reads the business news knows that the economy is slowing down and the probability of a recession is increasing. While we all hope that an economic downturn will not occur, smart business owners should position their companies in case one does... - Multi-vendor Contracts in the Federal Market
The federal government has put an increasing emphasis on a type of pre-negotiated contract that is awarded to a number of vendors before specific purchasing requirements are known (called a "multi-vendor contract")... - Become an Insider in the Federal Market
Consider becoming an insider and share in the fruits of the world's largest market. Remember, the insiders were outsiders at one point in time and the game is not that tough to play once you understand it... - Distinguishing Messages Win in the Federal Market
Everyone thinks their competitors are worthless and that they alone have the best product or service known to man. Federal end users have heard "we are the best" so many times that it makes them scream when they hear it... - Who Sells in the Federal Market?
The person who sells products and services in the federal market depends on the type of product or service being sold, the size of the company, and the dollar value of the procurement... - Federal Sales and Self Interest, the Federal End User
The next four installments discuss how self interest impacts people involved in the federal buying process. Buyers in the commercial and federal sectors behave in the same manner... - The Role of Best Value in Federal Purchasing
What does the term "Best Value" mean to a sales person selling in the federal market? In short, it means that federal buyers do not have to select the vendor with the lowest price... - Guidelines for Companies New to Government Contracting
Sales people take note. You are free to meet with and sell federal end users. Federal purchasing rules not only allow it but encourage it... - Become an Incumbent Contractor and Get Paid to Sell
In a previous installment we discussed the need for direct sales and using best value to win a federal contract. Once you make a federal sale, you can use your company's stellar performance on a federal project to leverage more sales... - Go After Small Opportunities in Your Locale
Small businesses do reasonably well within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area because of the vast amounts of contract dollars set aside for the region. However, the abundance of contract opportunities is offset by the level of competition... - Can Others Help You Win Contracts?
Winning federal contracts is an expensive and arduous process. It helps if you can find someone to pave the way. The best candidate would be someone, such as a business partner or personal friend, who has a federal customer... - Are Federal Bids Wired?
A common perception about federal public bids is that they are "wired," implying that the bid is set up or rigged to favor a particular company... - Pre-selling and Competition
In buying services and solutions federal buyers need to meet with vendors to determine the intangible aspects of what they are buying including feature, benefit, and risks... - Is the Federal Playing Field Level?
During our federal sales seminars a predominant question from attendees is: "Is the federal playing field level?" The answer to this question is yes, in theory, but no in practice... - Who Makes a Federal Sale?
A general perception of companies outside the federal market is that the market is unique or special because the public's money is being spent... - The Best Closing Mechanism
GSA Schedule contracts are the best closing mechanisms for small and medium-sized businesses that cannot afford to hold several multi-vendor contracts... - More on Closing Federal Sales
The last installment discussed various ways to close federal sales. Among all closing mechanisms, multi-vendor contracts are becoming the favored way to close federal sales if you are lucky enough to have one... - Public Bids as a Closing Procedure
Why would the federal government select a public bid as the closing procedure of choice given the horrendous lead time and cost involved? Federal contracting officers do their very best to avoid them... - How to Close a Federal Sale
Making sales in the commercial sector can be difficult but closing a sale usually isn't... - People Buy Not Agencies
Contrary to popular belief, people buy in the federal market, not agencies. The only way to make a federal sale is to contact a buyer through a direct sales call... - Playing the Federal Sales Game
The federal market can be an alien and confusing world. Many would-be contractors firmly believe that federal bureaucracies are governed by strange and convoluted procurement rules designed to confuse and even intimidate... - Play by the Federal Purchasing Rules
There is no getting around it. The federal government is a monstrous bureaucracy. The federal rules concerning competition for contracts and how the federal government buys have changed significantly over the past ten years... - Should We or Shouldn't We
Should you join the parade to grab some of endless flow of federal contracting opportunities? The federal government has always been an extremely lucrative market; world events are just making it more visible... - The World's Biggest Customer
The federal government is the world's biggest customer; currently spending nearly $ 400 billion a year. Companies outside the market often have the misconception that the federal market exists only within the boundaries of the Capitol's Beltway... - Who Will Assist Me in Making a Federal Sale?
A general misconception is that the federal market is unique or special because taxpayer dollars are being spent... - Finding Federal Buyers
A huge problem that newcomers face when trying to enter the federal market place is that it is enormously difficult to find end users... - Let the Light Shine In
A huge problem that newcomers face when trying to enter the federal market place is that it is enormously difficult to find end users (the person with money who needs what a company is selling)... - Small Businesses and the Federal Market
Knowing your customers is the key to sales success. This is true whether you're selling to public or private organizations... - Distinguishing Yourself
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... - Shoot the Messenger
Fedmarket's Federal Sales Academy was prominently featured in the April 15, 2006 issue of Government Executive Magazine in an article entitled, "Contracting 101" by Kimberly Palmer... - Developing a Federal Sales Plan
How early should you identify a sales opportunity in the federal market? The answer is that an opportunity must be identified before anyone, including the customer, knows that an opportunity exists... - Insights on Closing a Federal Sales
The commercial and federal markets are basically identical in that you have to make one-on-one sales calls to end users in order to sell your product or service... - Entering the Federal Market
You are a small to medium sized business located outside the Washington, DC area and you have decided that you want to enter the federal market. What should you do? 1... - Small Businesses and Federal Sales
The following question often surfaces at our seminars, "What procedures should be followed by small businesses eager to participate in the federal market?" The answer to this question is that a small business should implement an aggressive federal s... - Can Your Congressperson Help?
Making direct sales calls, particularly cold calls, is a chore for most people. Only the exceptionally extroverted sales person says, "Give me some names and numbers - I thrive on rejection... - Selling Services to Federal Agencies
Our newsletters repeatedly emphasize the need to establish a relationship with end users when selling in the federal market... - Keys to Success in Federal Sales
Attendees at our federal sales seminars frequently ask us to summarize the keys to success in federal sales. Successful federal contractors all possess the following traits: * A willingness to invest in direct sales (i.e... - Improve Your Proposals: First, Deconstruct the RFP
The proposal writing process starts with the Bid/No Bid decision. Ideally, a yes decision will be based on what you know about the customer from sales efforts carried out well before the Request for Proposal (RFP) is published... - Why a Federal Proposal is Different?
Federal Requests for Proposals (RFPs) are unique... - Does a Relationship with the Customer Guarantee a Win?
In our previous proposal writing installments we have stated over and over that building a customer relationship is the key to a successful proposal... - The Customer is the Key to Winning Proposals
Most successful federal contractors understand relationship sales and sell the customer before writing customer driven, defensive proposals. Yet we hear over and over: "we are new and they won't meet with us"... - What is a Defensive Proposal?
Most authors on federal proposal writing define a defensive proposal as follows: Is written not to be eliminated; to be the last proposal standing Presents a practical solution from a customer perspective Gives the customer what they want; no more ... - Integration of Sales and Proposal Writing
Our last installment discussed the concrete steps that should be taken to minimize haphazard and disjointed efforts to write federal proposals... - Don't Waste Your Precious Proposal Resources
Your most precious proposal resource is your technical staff. Their morale and attitude is critical to contract performance and the production of high-quality proposals. Don't waste this resource by losing proposals... - In Proposal Writing Second is the Same as Last
In many ways, writing a federal proposal is like writing a college term paper. However, the similarities end with the results. In college, you may have been reasonably happy to accept a B... - You Can't Learn Proposal Writing from a Book
Crafting a well written and compelling proposal is a complex and difficult task... - Should You Have a GSA Schedule?
A common comment from attendees at Fedmarket's Federal Sales Academy seminars is: "Long time federal customers are now telling us we need a GSA schedule to do business with them... - Get a GSA Schedule Contract or Stay Away
In our previous installments, we have repeatedly stated that small- to medium- sized businesses must have a GSA Schedule (pre-approved price list) to sell in the federal market... - GSA Visits Contractor Sites
GSA will visit you to make sure you're tracking your GSA sales properly. GSA's auditors will also pay close attention to whether you have offered better pricing to the "basis of award group" defined under your GSA Schedule contract... - Is There a Magic Bullet?
We recently received a call from an engineering company that hasn't entered the federal sales market... - GSA Schedule Rejections
The task of preparing proposals for submittal to the General Services Administration (GSA) has always been a difficult one for those unfamiliar with government contracting... - GSA Schedules and Small Businesses
As reported in earlier installments, the federal government's use of multi-vendor contracts to buy products and services is steadily increasing... - Why Are GSA Schedule Offers So Difficult to Write?
In previous installments, we have emphasized that GSA Schedule contracts are the closing vehicle of choice for small to medium-sized businesses... - GSA Schedule Competition in Real Life
For political reasons the federal government takes the position that competition for federal contracts is 'full and open"... - Is Your GSA schedule Contract in Danger of Cancellation?
The following clause is contained in every GSA Schedule contract in one form or another: A contract will not be awarded unless anticipated sales are expected to exceed at least $25,000 within the first 24 months following contract award, and are e... - GSA Says it All in Using Schedules for Stimulus Contracting
GSA recently published the following information at GSA.gov: The GSA Schedules program can help federal agencies meet their economic recovery goals... - What Drives Companies to Pursue GSA Schedules?
Sales numbers for a particular Schedule may be interesting to look at, but the numbers are all large and not particularly useful to individual companies... - What Drives Companies to Pursue GSA Schedules Part II
It's not just size of market that drives a company to pursue a GSA Schedule... - What Drives Companies to Pursue GSA Schedules Part III
When companies ask us if we think they need a Schedule, we ask the following questions: Are you currently doing business with the feds? Has your contracting officer asked whether you have a GSA Schedule, or suggested that it would be a lot easier ... - Selling to the Feds
Federal end-users, such as human resource program managers, engineers, or facility managers, make most purchasing decisions. As the term implies, the end-user is the person who will actually use the service... - New Women Owned-Small Business Posts $2.5 Million!
United MedEvac Solutions, Inc., (UMS), was formed in April 2005 as a Women-Owned Small Business by Danielle "DeDe" Wilson (President) and Larry W. Case (Vice President) as a result of an immediate need for Ft. Hood's on base air medical coverage... - Report from the GSA Expo, San Antonio, TX 2006
GSA Schedule holders, GSA employees, government buyers and end users descended upon San Antonio, TX the week of May 14, 2006 for the GSA Expo... - GSA VETS GWAC To Open Opportunities For Service-Disabled Veteran Businesses
Note from the Author, Eileen Kent: In past "On the Sales Firing Line" articles, Fedmarket.com revealed that veteran groups have been asking for more contracting dollars since DOD has awarded $514 million a year, or only 0... - The Key To Successful Federal Sales
The most difficult person to find in the federal government is your potential end user. If you do not have a directory of an agency, it is always difficult to get started... - Jump into Your Customer's Shoes -- What Would You Do If You Encountered a Stranger in the Federal Building?
Jump into Your Customer's Shoes -- What Would You Do If You Encountered a Stranger in the Federal Building?by Eileen KentConsider for a moment that you are an employee for the federal government... - OMB reports over use of "Name Brands" in Specifications
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reports over use of "Name Brands" in Specifications from the Sales Firing Line, Eileen Kent Says, "Surprise, Surprise!"Challenge to Government Contracting Officers: "Don't Use Name Brands in RFPs" A memo was sen... - Formula for Government Sales Success Depends On Many Factors, But The Number of "Impressions" Each Week is The Manager's Key
Business owners are constantly challenged with the issue of what to expect from their government sales executives in terms of time management, goals and actual results... - Patience, Persistence, Perseverance Are the Keys to Winning Government Business
When I took a class from Richard White on "Doing Business with Homeland Security," in early 2002, I was absolutely shocked to hear, "It will take well over 12 months to get business from the government...
