How to Improve Your Federal Revenue Capture … to Improve Your Federal Revenue Capture Process ... Key Differentiators ... –Spreadsheet, ACT, Salesforce, etc. 48

© 2015 – NEVBRC / BPI SG

How to Improve Your Federal Revenue Capture Process

Walter WiseBPI Strategy Group and

Northeast Veterans Business Resource Center


Copyright Information

The following presentation is copyrighted and may not be reproduced, redistributed, presented, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, in person, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of NEVBRC and the BPI Strategy Group.

Additionally, it is for internal company use only and cannot be used for external consulting directly or indirectly by recipient or a third-party.


• Retired from the USAF in 1995. 23 years as a linguist, C-130 navigator and program manager.

• 20 + years as a CEO, Senior VP, Regional VP, VP of Business Development, Program Manager for 8a, VO, SDVO and small businesses

• CEO/Marketing Strategist

– BPI Strategy Group in Merrimack, NH

– CEO Northeast Veterans Business Resource Center in Lawrence, MA (www.NEVBRC.org)


• Selling to the Government is not a shoot from the hip process

– Requires hard work and preparation

• There is no Genie in a bottle, secret sauce, magic pill or secret handshake

• Government employees do not have time or patience for unprepared visitors

• Above all, be smart and use your head


Five Myths

• Quick, easy and lucrative

• Register with SAM, get your certifications and GSA Schedule and your phone will ring

• What works in B2B will work in B2G

• Name recognition will drive Government customers to us

• All we need to do is send a few emails, make a few calls and write a couple proposals


An Unscientific Poll – Biggest Issues

• Winning the work

• Writing proposals

• Finding opportunities

• Getting a meeting

• Getting a call back

• Teaming

• Transparency


Why No Results?

• Don’t understand the market

• Firm is not known

• No plan, strategy or focus

• Don’t give enough time to be known

• Don’t know how to “sell” to Government

• No Business Development plan or process


Why the Government Buys

and From Whom?


Why Does the Government Buy?

B2B

– Increase revenue.

– Decrease expenses.

– Better manage business risk.

– Be agile and able to respond to customer requirements.

B2G

– To fill an operational need or requirement.

– To reduce costs.

– To better manage risks.

– Quickly respond to citizen needs.


Who Do They Buy From?

• The Government buys from those they know and trust.

– Have to get your name and capabilities known

– Have to determine who buys what you sell and how they buy it

– Have to understand how to write a good proposal, concentrate on writing fewer, high quality proposals

– Don’t be afraid to get outside help

• Even the big guys hire consultants

• All Rolodex, no results


• Questions to answer:- Why do your customers buy from

you?

- Why do they NOT buy from you (why

do you lose)?

- What differentiates you from your

competition?

- How do you create value that

prospects believe?


How To Grow Your Federal

Business


• You must make a long term COMMITTMENT

• You must have a STRATEGY and GOALS

• You must have a PLAN

• You must have a PROCESS

• You must have a scalable SYSTEM


Commitment

• 12 - 24 months to get your first contract.

– 2011 American Express Survey – 19 ½ months

• Establish a strategy and goals

• Measure with metrics

– Set up a Federal Revenue Capture Scorecard

to track results at least quarterly


Commitment

• Competitive Analysis

– Identify 3 to 5 target agencies

– Identify who your competition is selling to,

what vehicles and $$$ values


Commitment

• Don’t be afraid to ask for help

– Many small, medium and large firms do

and it is generally well worth the

investment

– Companies > $5 M in revenue spent on

average $267,559

– Subcontract first, then Prime


• Business Development process

• Capture and Proposal process

• Pricing strategy and process

• Don’t forget about on-going training

Process


• Work 6 – 24 months out

• Build knowledge and trust

– Build the relationships

– Find opportunities

– Meet the right people

• Gather intelligence

– Problems, favored contract vehicles, key

incumbents, major influencers

– What makes them solve their problems

• Participate in the proposal process

Business Development


• Bid / No Bid decision points

• Information gathering

• Proposal team

– Technical solution, price, reviews

• Teaming strategy

• Pricing Strategy

• Debrief – win or lose

Capture and Proposal


Don’t assume the doors will open magically

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Registration and Certification


• SAM.GOV

– System for Award Management

• Realistic NAICS based on Core Capabilities

• Update quarterly at a minimum and before

every proposal submittal

• VetBiz.GOV

– SDVOB certification if selling to VA, State, or

Agency requirements

Register and Keep it Current


• Small Business Association (SBA)

Dynamic Search

– Most forget this step

– First or second place Contract Officers

go

• Your website is the other


Know Your Target MarketYour Business Development Process


• Competitive Analysis

– Who buys what you sell

– What contract vehicles they use

– Who is your competition

– Who is selling your product or service now,

at what price, to whom

• Identify 3 - 5 ideal agencies

• Learn Agency budgets


•What keeps them awake at night

– Pain points

•What forces them to solve the problem

•Budget

•Current contractors

– Satisfied or not

•Solutions and Innovations they look for

•Any business trends or additional capabilities

needed

•Who are the decision makers


• How Agencies spend their money

- USASpending.gov is one source of info

• Preferred contract vehicles

• Contract history

• Procurement cycles

• Procurement preferences

• Culture of contracting team

• Competitors/Incumbents


• Look 6 to 24 months in advance

• Dollar value in line with company

capabilities

• Partner with other firms

(small/medium/large)

• Be a subcontractor to get in the door

• Databases

– FedBizOps, GovWin, FedMine, BidSpeed,

Bloomberg Government, etc.


• Read/study agency strategic plans

– Whitehouse.gov/OMB

– Agency websites

• Attend Industry Days in the LOCAL area

• Visit agency OSDBU Offices

– (Office for Small/Disadvantaged Business

Utilization)

– Attend Outreach sessions

• LinkedIn – Identify the people


• Top 5 primary competitors?

• Top 5 partners?

– Not necessarily large businesses

– What about medium size?

– What about other small businesses?


Learn the language

•Government has its own

•Create your own government dictionary

– FAR, GSA, RFI, RFP, etc.

•Read pertinent magazines and journals

– Federal Computer Week

– Government Computer News

– Government Executive

– Washington Technology Daily


The Right Message


The Right Message

• Must be consistent throughout the

company

- Website, marketing, presentations, etc.

• Based on problem, solution and results

• Think in terms of WII-FM

- What’s In It For Me


Elevator Pitch

• Short summation of what you do, what makes your firm unique and the problem you can solve

• Designed to capture the attention of your audience and show your value immediately

• Based upon Capability Statement and Agency’s needs

• Keep it updated and fresh

• Used company-wide

• Practice Practice Practice


Capability Statement

• “Door opener” and main talking points for

a first meeting

• Provides the decision maker with the most

important information about your firm

• Clear and concise

• Reinforce it as much as possible.

• www.TargetGov.com has a really good

format and explanation


Core Capabilities

• Establish what you do best

– No more than 3 to 5 specific areas of expertise

and specialization

– What problem do you solve for someone?

– What results do your customer get

• These set you apart from your peers

• Must be related to the prospect’s needs

• Becomes sources of competitive

advantage


Key Differentiators

• How do you solve your prospect’s pain?

• How are you best suited for the needs of the agency or be a potential partner?

• What makes you stand out from the rest?

• Why is your solution better than any other?

• What really makes you different from all the other peddlers that your contact sees every day?


Capability Statement - Format

• One, maybe two pages max

– Important info on the front

– Supporting data on the back

• To the point, no fluff

• Specifically related to your target’s needs

• Visually interesting

– Including company brand or logo

– Company colors and graphics

• Includes a POC – name, office number, cell number and email address


www.targetgov.com


Capability Presentation

• No more than 10 slides

• No more than 6 bullets per slide

• No more than 6 words per bullet



• Slide 1 – Who you are

– Qualifications and company data

• Slide 2 – Meeting objectives

• Slide 3 – Value proposition

• Slide 4 – Core capabilities

• Slide 5 – Key differentiators



• Slide 6/7 – The opportunity to discuss or pain you solve

• Slide 8 – Past performance as it relates to the opportunity

• Slide 9 – Next steps and wrap up

• Slide 10 – Contact information

• Keep it updated and fresh

• Practice Practice Practice

• Presented by CEO, Senior BD Staff


Consistency is key


Have a Measurable Plan to

Deliver the Message


• Deliver your message- Over and over and over again

• Use the phone, email doesn’t work initially

• Use a multi-pronged approach– Agency Heads, C-level and Directors

– Project Managers• Control and manage the money

• Tougher to meet

– Contract Officers and Specialists• They handle procurements and manage contracts

• Easiest to see

– Influencers

– Users


• Meet with a minimum of 15 Government

people every 90 days

- Use your elevator pitch

- Use Capability Statement as your talking points

- Leave it as your hand out

- Tell them the pain you can solve and the results

- Ask about upcoming opportunities

- Talk in laymen’s terms, not techie

- Will take between 45 and 90 contacts to get

those 15 meetings

- Wear pastel colors


• Don’t forget Social Media

- LinkedIn is the primary

- Make sure key company executives and BD

staff are there

- Professional photo

- Proper profile

- Contact information

- Company page


• Qualify opportunities discussed

– Agency, Department, POC, Contact Info, Funding,

Timing, Incumbents, Competition, Type of

procurement

– Basic contact info

– Project details

– Customer intelligence

– Competitive intelligence

– Bid strategy

• Track status and measure results with metrics

– Simple spreadsheet or complex CRM system

– Spreadsheet, ACT, Salesforce, etc.

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First meeting

– You are there to listen

– Present your capabilities using the Capability Statement –

tailored to the Agency

• Leave a copy with everyone at the meeting

– Then listen to what is being said. This is not about you.

– Generally no more than 30 minutes

– Set up a Capability Presentation

– No more than one hour

– Focus on how you can solve a particular problem and the results you

can achieve


Have a Follow-Up Plan

• Quickly

• Frequently

• Email can work after the initial face-to-face, but

can be considered “Professional SPAM”

• Don’t assume the doors will open magically

• Typically takes between 7 and 30 “touches”


Stay Focused on Your Goal


Important Points to Remember

• It’s a long sales cycle

• Don’t be adversarial

• Be persistent

• Be patient

• Follow up

• Ask for referrals to other decision makers

• 85% of all executives (Government employees too) will visit your website before they make a buying decision


Important Points to Remember

• Capability Statement is your primary communications device

– Should be the talking points as you introduce your firm

– It is also your “leave behind” document

– TargetGov.com for format

• Capability Presentation is the follow up


The number one reason

for little to no federal

revenue:

No Plan and No

Commitment


Recap

• Five Myths

• Steps to Improve

- Must be committed

- Must have a strategy and goals

- Must have a process

- Must have a consistent message

- Must have a plan

- Must identify a taget list of 3 to 5 agencies

- Must be properly registered and certified

- Must deliver the message

55


Contact Information:

Walter Wise

603-424-1191

[email protected]

[email protected]

www.bpi-calendar.us

Documents

How to Improve Your Federal Revenue Capture … to Improve Your Federal Revenue Capture Process ... Key Differentiators ... –Spreadsheet, ACT, Salesforce, etc. 48