Don’t Be Your Own Worst Obstacle
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Government Contracting is not hard.
You’re probably thinking “that’s easy for you to say, Go-To-Guy!” but it’s true. While Government Contracting bears many nuances, processes, rules and lingos, that will throw even the most savvy professional for a loop if they are not prepared, it is more than possible to achieve positive results, even as a new company.
I’ve participated in many conversations over the years, with every type of person, having every type of skill, with every possible background you might imagine. A very large segment of them are the kind of people you want to see succeed. However, a common trait they share is making Government Contracting more difficult than what it should be. It’s not the industry of Government Contracting (specifically, federal contracting) that stifles their growth opportunities, it’s the business approaches they bring. Here’s what I mean.
It’s not the business of Government Contracting that is hard, it’s the business approaches people and companies leverage in Government Contracting.
MAKING ASSUMPTIONS
I encounter far too many aspirational government contractors who view this as an “easy money” venture or a way to subsidize their pursuits in other markets. I believe and have tested the theory, if there was anything easy about federal contracting, the folks and companies with established traction would punch those “easy buttons” every chance they could. I did. There is opportunity for “new guys’ to be certain, but it’s not intentional.
Entering any marketplace to capture revenues and profits, requires insight and context. When the marketplace is new, there is bound to be missing information and information you simply don’t understand. That missing information or a better understanding of what you have, would be helpful in making plans and decisions. I may have used this, or a similar analogy in a recent blog, but imagine trying to find your way to Magnetic North Pole versus True North. Without proper understanding of how to navigate to one versus the other, or the fact that more than one exists, will have you winding up more than 300 miles away from your ‘intended’ destination.
This happens everyday in Government Contracting.
Too many choose to ride the wave of assumptions because it is easier, or less expensive. What they don’t recognize is the mountain of risk they inherit, given that choice.
Don’t be your own worst obstacle. Find the good sources that will help you establish ground truth versus the fiction being slung by the new Beltway Bandits.
IMPOSTOR SYNDROME
There are a number of phenomena created as a result of the pandemic. Some of them good, a lot of them bad, and some we just put in the middle of those two camps. One that I explored and exploited was the Clubhouse app. We hosted sessions where the topic was all things Government Contracting, and we drew a lot of interest in the process. One of the conversations I became known for was the “What’s your background?” exchange that occurred very frequently. It went something like this:
CLUBHOUSE GUEST (CG): Hi Go-To-Guy and thanks for having me on stage. I have a question about growing my business.
ME: Welcome to the stage! Fire away.
CG: I’m having a hard time winning opportunities for my company and wanted to see what tips you could share.
ME: Okay. Tell me about your company and what you sell.
CG: We sell Information Technology (IT) Services.
ME: What types of IT Services, and tell me about your background in IT.
CG: Whatever kinds of IT Services the agencies need. I don’t have experience in IT. I was a:
- Director of Nursing for a VA hospital, OR a
- Procurement Analyst for a civilian agency, OR a
- College professor teaching History, OR a
- Vice President at a regional bank
ME: ??????
What usually comes next is the fact they chose their offering because ‘they heard’ the government purchased a lot of it. The discussion would take a turn, usually with Michele, Curtis, Michelle, Constance and a host of other friends chiming in, where we would discuss how much the Government spends each fiscal year on companies offering the very skills, knowledge and experience, they have spent years acquiring. Then we would share how it might be easier to approach agencies from a confident position of knowledge.
I was approached by someone who told me “I started a company to sell IT Services to the U.S. Government, but I don’t have any experience or knowledge of IT Services.”
This happens everyday in Government Contracting, too.
In part, because the Slick Willy’s dipping their hands in your pockets will say “You can sell whatever you want! The Government buys it and you don’t need to know anything about what you’re selling.”
The GovCon Made Easy Slick Willy’s will say “You can sell whatever you want! The Government buys it and you don’t need to know anything about what you’re selling.”
Just imagine sitting down at a matchmaking session and having a Customer versus a Buyer on the other side of the table. The likelihood they have working knowledge (if not expert knowledge) of what you sell, is very good. This doesn’t bode well for impostors.
Don’t be your own worst obstacle.
BY FAILING TO PREPARE…
A strategy based on a scattershot methodology is still a strategy, but it’s not one I would ever recommend. Yet there are companies, small and large, subscribing to this approach, and it’s painful to watch.
The pain comes from watching smart and good-intentioned people succumb to “throwing crap at the wall to see what sticks” tactics. It is truly and sincerely not necessary. The most basic market research can net very useful information that can also definitively save companies time and money while helping them achieve tangible and revenue-generating results, on purpose.
Here’s the rub.
Many companies are so invested in the busywork they generate, that they often ask the question “When would I/we have time to do it?” The irony is, using better/any processes with better information can and often does lead to better results. But this requires intent, which is the enemy of the scattershot strategy.
Business Development, when executed as a process versus an activity, provides risk-mitigation. By applying a process that is repeatable and scalable, companies can benefit from efficiencies. By executing market research (also a process), companies gain market insights and can make better decisions as compared to not doing the market research.
Having knowledge, a plan and an offering that suits the experience and goals of an organization, may seem like busywork, but it’s how the successful companies, small and large, got to where they are. Even if, when they started, they were their own worst obstacle.
Peace,
Go-To-Guy Timberlake
