Perspectives | Agility

Effective Call Plans

In the pursuit of Government business, many of our clients ask about how to conduct an effective and productive client call plan. After a decade and a half working in this field I have learned a few things from the school of ‘hard knocks’ and I’d like to reinforce what has worked for me over […]

Adult Learners

What type of learner are you? Are you a visual learner? Do you learn by looking, seeing, viewing, and watching? Or are you an auditory learner? Do you learn by listening, hearing, and speaking? Or do you prefer hands-on learning where you can touch, manipulate, and move around? If so, you are likely a kinesthetic […]

Doing Business with the Federal Government as a Small Business

I had the privilege of attending the 2014 Government Procurement Conference in Washington D.C. on the 16th of April 2014. For those of you who have not had the opportunity of attending, I highly recommend attending next year. The conference was informative and provided a great networking opportunity for businesses looking to obtain work in […]

Foundations

I was recently at church listening to a sermon about the foundations of our faith. The pastor said, “Everything has a foundation: buildings, math, languages, and even countries.” While listening to this sermon, it occurred to me that Government proposals, responses to Request for Proposals (RFP), must have foundations too, without which they will crumble […]

Consulting: True Value is Delivered When Your Hands Get Dirty

The concept that speed and efficiency are critical to success in business is not new. This approach, often paired with discussions of continuous improvement and quality management, is difficult to balance with the frequently overwhelming flow of information and change found in today’s business environment. Consultants are often hired to analyze, advise, and recommend, but […]

Is Your Company a Learning Organization?

You provide professional development for your staff, supply your employees with up-to-date information and materials, and hold weekly business development meetings, right? Check, check, check. Therefore, this makes your company a Learning Organization, right? Unfortunately, no. Does your staff get to choose the professional development classes they participate in? Are there follow-up and cooperative learning […]

Strategy for Entering a New Government Market

Due to the immense scale and diverse scope of the federal Government, one person cannot possibly be an ‘expert’ on all things in the federal market, or even a specific federal market such as the Department of Defense (DoD). The DoD, like all federal departments and agencies, is made up of many smaller spending areas […]

Engaging Your Local Small Business Office and Other Resources

According to the US Army Office of Small Business Programs, the Army spent $17.4 billion with small businesses in FY13. With the very competitive federal market space it is even more important small businesses use every available resource. President Obama made this compelling statement, “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the cornerstones […]

A Leader Task: Selecting the Right Federal Business Opportunity

In 2013, the Federal Government spent just over $460 billion dollars on contracts for products and services across 65 different departments, agencies, and other Federal organizations.* So, where should you start your pursuit of Government business? Further complicating the answer to this question are thousands of contracts awarded for this dizzying sum were issued by […]