Visionary Blog

Insight, opinions and context for federal contractors.

Zero Dollar Winning – Part 2

Author’s Note: Zero dollar winning in federal contracting is what happens when your company is awarded a "hunting license"—a contract or agreement with no guaranteed money or work. The irony of zero dollar awards is how frequently zero dollars is all that will be realized by a majority of the winners. In part one, I laid the foundation for what zero dollar winning is and how to recognize it when you see it. This time, I want to discuss key reasons many companies fail to monetize these empty victories. Given the array of reasons that contribute to zero dollar awards staying at zero, this will not be the final installment of my zero dollar winning conversation. RTFM (Read The Full...
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Getting Sh!t Done in GovCon

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Federal Contractors are all too familiar with situations beyond their control consuming precious resources, especially their time. To begin reclaiming that time, start by doing better at things within your control. Be intentional, focused, and informed. If time is so precious, why are we so wasteful with it? We see examples everyday of lives cut short for one reason or another, and family, friends, and colleagues left wondering what else their friend or loved one would have accomplished if they had more time. Then most of us return to our same wasteful ways. These are the kinds of thoughts that pop-up when you take stock of the impacts you have had, past and present, and will have in...
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Zero dollar winning – Part 1

Author's Note: Zero dollar winning in federal contracting occurs when you secure a "hunting license"—an award that initially comes with no guaranteed money or work. The challenge being most companies winning these zero dollar contracts struggle to turn them into revenue-generating opportunities.   Let’s start by clearing up terminology and talking about where the money goes when agencies leverage zero dollar contracts. First, zero dollar winning is what happens in federal contracting when you receive a multiple-award contract with no guaranteed money or work. The result is a zero dollar contract. An agency-specific contract is one that allows purchases for just one particular organization, whether it's at the office, agency, or department level. A multi-agency contract(MAC #1) is similar in...
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All Business Growth and Tactics Guy's Blog Uncategorized

Escaping the distraction reactions

Author's Note: Distractions can have a significant impact on federal contractors, leading to the loss of valuable time and opportunities. It's important to recognize the cost of giving in to these distractions. During each session of Ethical Stalking for Government Contractors® Bootcamp, Michele and I discuss BD/ADD, Business Development Attention Deficit Disorder, with our students. We explain that it's something they may develop over time, depending on their susceptibility. For example, I am highly susceptible to it because I have a passion for information, I'm very inquisitive, and I love challenges, such as finding hard-to-find details that lead to winning a deal thought to be out of reach. These traits can easily lead to distraction reactions, especially when combined with...
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Going beyond industry best practices

Author's Note: If, as a vendor, you operate at the level of standard industry practices when pursuing work in federal contracting, you'll likely be able to achieve moderate success. To rise above and make notable impacts, you need to go beyond best practices. Are you ready to separate your performance from that of the crowd? A great opportunity to move the needle is by immersing yourself in the content and conversations taking place October 1st at our Insight Summit in Hanover, MD.    Selling is ultimately about getting someone or some organization to commit to buying your goods, services, or solutions. The occurrence of the sales transaction is what rings the bell of your actual or virtual cash register, contributing...
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We Always Do It This Way.

Foreword: Companies winning major contract vehicles like OASIS+ Small Business often overestimate the value of winning the vehicle, and underestimate what it takes to win work on the vehicle. I read a really insightful post this morning on LinkedIn. It was posted by Dave Lucas, a U.S. Army Special Warfare Battalion Commander. He opened with: “National security lessons from the Mann Gulch fire. In 1949, 13 of 16 elite smoke jumpers perished in a wild fire in Mann Gulch of Montana’s Helena National Forest by doing what they had always done despite the fact that it was not working.” His post went on to describe what happened, and how the survivors broke procedure to not only survive, but to also...
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Tactics before technology

NOTE: Don’t get me wrong, I love new technology stuff as much as anyone. In leading The ASBC over the years, I’ve learned some difficult and expensive lessons. How many govcon companies have wasted time and money on the latest apps that don’t pan out? How many of these apps didn’t deliver because the company had the wrong expectations, or just wasn’t ready to use it? It’s why I try to live by the rule tactics before technology. – Go-To-Guy In the blink of an eye, another new app leveraging the latest technological features appears in the marketplace to help federal contractors succeed. For companies with results-producing tactics already in place, leveraging benefits like economies of scale are often easier to...
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Shortcuts to nowhere

Originally published September 26, 2022 Go-To-Guy”s Note: This piece came to mind as a result of recent post by my friend Steven Koprince. It was a review of a sustained protest where the awardee was essentially called out by a challenger, and the Government, for attempting to fulfill a federal contract using the “middleman strategy.” Thankfully, that didn’t happen. This time. Those proselytizing "easy" approaches to achieving fantastic results in Federal Contracting, tend to suffer from a fear or dislike of the truth. Why? Because the methods they employ are mostly devoid of anything that would withstand scrutiny by actual practitioners. The 'knowledge' offered by these sellers delivers them far more benefit than it does those who opt for these...
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The three strikes.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Even though my natural tendency is to believe anything can be achieved, my instincts as a pathfinder in federal contracting often lead to my helping aspirational GovCon's find their way in a different marketplace. This is about "The three strikes" that frequently delays or derails success in federal contracting.I have pet peeves that make me crazy. I don't believe them to be petty, or inconsequential, but I do know they apply to more aspects of life and business than federal contracting. The main reason they are my pet peeves is because I firmly believe they are unnecessary. These are the kinds of things that make you bonk your forehead like they did in the old "I coulda' had...
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Seeing wins and working smarter.

Learning to break boards in karate was about striking at the right speed at the right point. As a defensive player in football, it was about taking the most direct angle of attack to stop the ball carrier. Striving to execute precise and efficient actions was drilled in to me by sensei's and coaches over the years, and seeing myself do it successfully before actually doing it, was part of the preparation. I applied seeing wins and working smarter throughout my years selling to the Government, and I use it today to help The ASBC and our members succeed.In federal contracting, I see many people working hard, but not always working smart. Some of them are getting the results they...
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GovCon done in the stylings of Jackson Pollock

Throwing crap at the wall to see what sticks is not a good strategy for any company to employ, in any marketplace. Yet, that's the tactic du jour being doled out by federal contracting "experts." This is what I call GovCon in the stylings of Jackson Pollock.Jackson Pollock is the renowned 20th century abstract expressionist known for the radical poured, or “drip,” technique he used to create his major works. While this style earned him widespread recognition and publicity during his life, I don't believe a "throw paint at the wall" approach is in the best interest of today's federal contractors.But that's exactly the approach being endorsed by some Government officials and Industry influencers. Too many companies react and respond to...
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Focus to know the lingo

The only thing worse than not having enough information to support decision-making is not understanding the information you have. It happens too often in #federalcontracting. The cost of one piece of information taken out of context, is dollars dedicated to a pursuit that nets you nothing. To maximize your customer and opportunity knowledge, focus to know the lingo.Yes. Federal Contracting is chock full of unique terminology, especially acronyms, that establishes the foundation of our marketplace lingo. Yes. The more you understand it, the better you can prepare for opportunities, and for competition. However, trying to swallow the ocean only serves to distract and derail your efforts. To get the most return for the time and money you have invested and...
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