Sales & Marketing Management - January/February 2008 - (Page 44)
THE WAY I SEE IT BY EVA NEUMANN Seal the deal with Uncle Sam Boom? Recession? Either way, the world’s biggest customer is always buying f you’ve ever stood at the edge of the Grand Canyon, you know the feeling—the overwhelming sight of something that just seems too big to comprehend. Many companies get a similar sensation when they consider selling to the government. They can sense enormous opportunities and tremendous risks, but they can’t quantify either. The feeling is understandable. Taken as a whole, government represents nearly 20% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product. The federal government spends almost $400 billion a year on contract actions. State and local agencies buy even more. How do you get past this scale and complexity and start selling to this mammoth customer? The answer: Divide and conquer. Start thinking of government as a series of smaller organizations with individual challenges and needs. EVA NEUMANN IS PRESIDENT OF ENC MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS, INC., A FULL-SERVICE MARKETING, OUTREACH AND PUBLIC RELATIONS FIRM SPECIALIZING IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.ENCMARKETING.COM. I The U.S. Intelligence Community includes the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), National Security Agency (NSA) and other lesser-known agencies. They need solutions for sharing information while keeping it secure, two often-conflicting objectives. s Civilian agencies broadly include all non-DoD cabinet departments and independent agencies like the Federal Reserve. They need ways to stay effective as their budgets are diverted to defense or homeland security. State and local agencies can also be categorized: s Social Services represent the largest and fastest-growing share of state and local budgets. These agencies are seeking ways to streamline their operations while providing efficient access to services. s Public safety and law enforcement agencies need to communicate and share information across organizations in order to prevent or respond to various threats. s Educational institutions must meet rigorous standards while operating complex, geographically dispersed infrastructures. They need to minimize costs while maximizing the quality of the education they provide. s Choose Your Location Perhaps the greatest difference between the federal and state/local governments is location. Over 60% of federal employees are located in just 15 states, and those states receive more than 70% of all federal contracts. By contrast, there are over 87,000 state and local jurisdictions in the United States. The top 15 for spending are a geographically diverse mix of states and large cities. With such a breadth of opportunity, focus is clearly the key to success. The classic mistake is chasing many types of deals across many different agencies. Choose Your Niche The federal government comprises agencies of every size. Each has its own mission, pursues its own goals and competes for continued funding. Such a diversity of scale and purpose means that every company seeking government business is really a niche player. If you can serve the specific needs of individual government organizations, you can find a fit. Choose to Concentrate There are some practical things you’ll also need to do, such as making sure you have a D-U-N-S number, completing a Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA) and getting your company onto the Central Contracting Registration (CCR) database. You can find out about all this and more online at www.acquisition.gov. Once you’ve tackled these initial steps, your sales expertise kicks in. Concentrate on winning their recognition, then their trust, then their sales. www.salesandmarketing.com www.salesandmarketingmanagement.com Choose Your Target Federal organizations can be segmented in this way: s The Department of Defense (DoD) accounts for more than 70% of all government purchases. To protect our nation and support our troops, the DoD buys everything from advanced weapons systems to footgear. 44 SALES &MARKETING MANAGEMENT JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sales & Marketing Management - January/February 2008
Sales & Marketing Management - January/February 2008
Contents
Editor's Letter
Brian Tracy University
Sales
Marketing
Management
Cover Story: Everything Happens in Vegas
Boosting Your Brain
Loyalty Goes Global
Swell Your Sales
Training
Technology
Incentives/Motivation
Travel/Meetings
Excerpt
The Way I See It
Sales & Marketing Management - January/February 2008
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