How to Design Your Government Marketing Strategy
Many businesses want to pursue government contracts, but getting one is not easy and most of the time many entrepreneurs end up taking wrong decisions and suffer the loss for an extended phase of time. Are you one of them? If yes, here’s a look at what’s going wrong with your government marketing strategy and how to get over it.
Government Contracting is a Difficult Ball Game
Okay,
imagine that you just received your HUBZone Certification or 8a Certification.
Yes, it took you 9 months to get it, but now that you have it, do you know how
to do business with the government? You’re HUBZone or 8a Certification is just
a verification process indicating that you meet certain criteria to be part of
the set-aside business development programs. It doesn't mean that you know how
to do business with the government. The average companies will take about 36
months to lay a good foundation in the public sector before they become
proficient. Sometimes small industries or the startups do not have enough
resource or knowledge go through this for a long time.
Government needs Qualified Contractors
Government
marketing comes with a plethora of steps and several considerations
come into play before a business is granted the project. Their warrant is their
license to award contracts. They must protect their warrant or risk losing
their license. In addition, they understand that the government is risk
adverse. One of the chief goals for the government is to minimize risks. The
government does not want to award contracts to the "incompetent,
unproductive, con-artists and fraudsters," as spoken by in a Senate hearing.
That is why it is very hard for new companies to break into the government
arena. KO's are prone to award contracts to the incumbent or only to those with
strong past performance or relevant experience.
Are You Comfortable in Foreign Language
The
public sector is very different from the private sector, and you
must keep in mind when you are doing government marketing. As businesses transition into the
government market, they realize that there are new rules, regulations, jargon,
cultures and languages to learn. The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) is
1,933 pages long. Each agency has maintains their own buying patterns and
sub-cultures. The fiscal buying cycle is different. The procurement process can
be long and tedious.
Always Be Self Sufficient
When
you are marketing your products and services to the government, be sure that
you have to stick with your contract officer for an extended phase of
time. In the government agencies, officers are over worked and the
departments are under staffed. The capability statements must be
attached in the proposals. Do you think they have time to
meet with every potential vendor? Do you think they have time to return your
phone call or email?
Final Thoughts
To be
successful in the government market, companies must review the reasons of why
they have chosen to embark in the government market.
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