Information Moved

We have recently redesigned our site. The page you requested has moved.

We have tried to display the information you are looking for below, but if we have not satisfied your request, please feel free to use the search function below.

You may also call (888) 661-4094 option 2 to speak to a Fedmarket representative who can assist you in finding what you are looking for.




All Keyword(s)    Exact Phrase    Any Keyword(s)   



  • What is a GSA Schedule?
    A GSA schedule is an unfunded, five-year contract listing the prices the federal government has agreed to pay for a vendor's commercial products and services...
  • 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...
  • 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...
  • The Hard Part: Establishing the Customer Relationship
    Like commercial sales the key to success in federal sales is establishing a customer relationship. Finding and convincing new customers that you are the answer to their prayer can be an arduous process because the government can be resistant to new faces...
  • Emergency Contracting - Disaster Contracting
    Recently, I heard about a company who went to the news media to complain that they had the ultimate solution to the Gulf of Mexico oil clean up. It was just proven in someone's pool to be a great solution to cleaning up the Gulf of Mexico...
  • 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...
  • Start Now If You Want Stimulus Funds
    How much of the nearly $800 billion stimulus package will end up funding federal contracts? No one is sure yet, but some predict from $50 to $100 billion. Like everyone, you would probably like to increase your revenue with stimulus dollars...
  • 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...
  • Obama and Federal Sales
    Your crystal ball is as good as mine. Mine says the following will happen to federal contracting under the new Obama administration. War spending will go down, slightly impacting DOD contractors negatively...
  • 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...
  • Options for Closing Federal Sales
    In the previous installment we discussed making federal sales up to the point of transacting the deals (signing a contract). Transacting or closing the deals can be done in several ways...
  • Don't Get Caught without a Closer
    Here's an example of how the federal sales game is really played. Let's suppose a federal agency has the money to fund a large information technology project, creating a potential, although as yet unidentified, sales opportunity...
  • Importance of Direct Sales
    Many companies looking to win federal contracts spend large portions of their annual budgets on marketing, business development, and capture planning...
  • 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...
  • 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...
  • 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...
  • Trench Warfare in Federal Sales
    People on the outside do not realize what goes on when contracts worth millions to billions of dollars are at stake. Sales efforts can be likened to trench warfare and the meek inherit very little...
  • How Purchasing Decisions Are Made
    Like all of us, the people who make buying decisions in the federal government are influenced by their own biases, perceptions, and views of the world...
  • Federal Sales and Self Interest, Prime Contractors
    The previous installment discussed the motivation of politicians in the federal purchasing process. This installment looks at the motivation of prime contractors. The motivation of prime contractors is simple; their bottom line...
  • 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...
  • 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...
  • 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...
  • 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...
  • 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...
  • 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...
  • Stepping Over the Line
    Our newsletters and sales seminars continually emphasize the importance of customer relationships; building solid relationships with your customers is the core of a successful federal sales program...
  • 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...
  • Selling Services to Federal Agencies
    Our newsletters repeatedly emphasize the need to establish a relationship with end users when selling in the federal market...
  • Make Your Proposals Short, Sweet, and On Point
    Government employees who have evaluated vendor proposals while with the government attend our federal sales seminars...
  • 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...
  • Proposal Writing Is Not Going to Go Away
    Most owners of small and medium-sized federal contracting companies wish that writing proposals was not a requirement of doing business with the federal government...
  • 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...
  • Don't Get Stuck as a Subcontractor
    Small businesses need to get their first federal contract to become part of the club of insiders - those companies with contracts - that the federal government favors when it buys products and services...
  • A Renewed Emphasis on Proposals
    There is a widespread perception that the preparation of an extensive and exhaustive proposal is a necessary evil inherent to doing work with the federal government...
  • 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...
  • The Eagle Has Landed
    Multiple Award Schedule Contracts (MAS) are master contracts that allow the companies which receive an award of such a contract to compete for task orders over the term of the contract...
  • 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...
  • Get Your GSA Schedule Now Before it is too Late
    In previous installments we stated that GSA Schedules are the sales closing mechanism of choice for small businesses. They are always open for bid and they cover all major industries; two critical characteristics unique to GSA schedules...
  • 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...
  • Applying for a Schedule Contract
    In order to get on the inside government sales track with a Schedule contract, a vendor must go through an arduous application process...
  • GSA: It's All in the Details
    GSA Schedule solicitations are unique in that they are always open and a vendor may submit a proposal at any time. Normally, federal solicitations for products and services have a closing date for proposal submittal...
  • 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...
  • 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...
  • End User Spotlight: Facility Managers
    According to the International Facility Management Association, facility management "is a profession that encompasses multiple disciplines to ensure functionality of the built environment by integrating people, place, process and technology...
  • "On the Sales Firing Line" Columnist Explores the DHS Website and Headlines for DHS Opportunies
    The following are snippets or summaries of stories that sales executives should read to see if there are any areas in which your company can be "of assistance" to the Government. When you read these stories, don't read them as a citizen...
  • Four Cold Calling Tactics
    Many readers of "On the Firing Line" have asked about my thoughts on whether it is possible, in the post-September 11th world, to make personal cold calls on federal buyers...
  • 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...
  • Small Businesses, Take Note...
    While 2005 is starting to 'ramp up' to be a successful year for savvy federal contractors and prime vendors, we all know that we need to continue to fill the pipeline through brand identity and face time in front of our potential federal buyers and ...
  • The Only Way To Uncover Government Business is to Focus, Focus, Focus!
    How did you feel when you first considered selling to the government? I always thought I was looking into the face of the "Great and Powerful Oz." It seemed overwhelming and a little frightening...
  • Her First Day "On the Sales Firing Line" - Eileen Kent Goes to Washington
    On my very first day alone selling to the government in Washington, DC, I took a Metro Train to the L’Enfant Plaza stop...
  • Do You Want To Win Government Business?
    Midnight Friday, Midway Airport - I arrived home to Chicago exhausted after teaching a class and took the trek downstairs to the baggage claim...
  • Thanksgiving - A Great Opportunity
    A perfect time to reflect on all of the people and things we appreciate...
  • Michigan Sales Executive Networks His Way to Success in Washington, DC
    October, 2004 -- Stuart Newman, Sales Executive, of 3 Leaf Group from Oak Park, MI says he made it his mission to meet key federal government decision makers at a recent government human resources conference in Virginia...
  • Is Selling to the Feds Worth the Hassle?
    Is it worth doing business with the government? This is a question all of us ask ourselves daily...
  • 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...
  • Cold Caller Adventure: State of Colorado
    During the week of August 15, 2004, I was teaching a "Winning Government Business" at the Burnsley Hotel at Grant and 10th Street...
  • When You're On the Sales Firing Line With The Government, Problem Solving Requires Open Communication With Your Client
    Many clients and other contacts tell me that they become extremely impatient with the federal government's "hurry up and wait" attitude. For example, a client might receive a call today for a quote due by tomorrow afternoon...
  • 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...
  • Top Ten Mistakes, Relationship Killers and Wastes of Time
    Should your company try one of the approaches outlined below while trying to do business with the government, you will end up at a dead end and will have a seriously demoralized federal sales team. My Top Ten List of Mistakes is as follows: 1...
  • How Can You Kick Out the Incumbent?
    Companies with Key Relationships on the Inside Are Winning Government Business. How Can You Kick Out the Incumbent? Understand Your Customers and Solve Their Problems...
  • 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...