Many years ago, when Ethical Stalking for Government Contractors® Bootcamp was just a one day program, we began discussing the cost associated with business development efforts, and ways companies could mitigate some of the expense of identifying and pursuing winnable opportunities. This resulted in the birth of C.A.B. Fare, the Cost of Acquiring Business, and it represents the time, money and resources utilized for finding and winning business in Federal Contracting.

 

For the record, C.A.B. Fare is not a new-fangled approach to efficiency and optimization, it’s a metaphor to help executives and professionals visualize the cost of conducting growth activities in the federal sector. After all, the outcome of taking a taxi is starting in one place and arriving at an intended destination, in a timely fashion. Similarly, the Business Development Life Cycle journey has a starting point, and a goal of reaching the endpoint of being awarded a contract or subcontract. At least that’s the plan.

 

Cost is serious business. While I am not a cost or pricing expert, I can say from experience, many folks don’t understand or appreciate the impact of cost on their ability to win. This very much included me at one time. Whether cost is a very important or lesser important factor for a customer, it is still a factor. In Ethical Stalking for Government Contractors, we focus on helping companies achieve efficiencies to reduce their cost of doing business development. We do this by improving their understanding of terminology, processes, and systems customary in Federal Contracting, so they have the context needed to discern useful information from irrelevant. Unfortunately, the disciplines associated with finding and validating the important information used in business development are often an afterthought, at best.

 

This is not to say companies won’t achieve success using their current approaches. They can and they do. However, we’ve not met a small or large company in thirteen years of Ethical Stalking for Government Contractors Bootcamps that didn’t feel the need to improve. Apparently, the word on the street is “making you better is what we do,” because the size of the companies participating in our Bootcamps, and the depth of their federal sector experience, has increased every year since 2010. Even we are surprised at some of the company names we see during registration.  As we’re told, a key takeaway is the tangible ability to better recognize customers, partners and opportunities, and being less tempted by the noise that distracted them previously. This happens, for many, just a few hours into Day One of our 2-Day Immersion.

 

To put it in perspective, think of garbage in, garbage out in the context of an opportunity pipeline. The more misaligned and unqualified the leads and opportunities are entering your pipeline, the more time and money your company spends on activities that will bear little fruit, if any. The time lost paying attention to these, extends as far into your pipeline as you allow it. The time and attention devoted to misfit opportunities will pull you away from efforts that are a true fit, and winnable. 

 

Lowering your company’s C.A.B. Fare should be a top-of-mind activity for leaders, and socialized in the form of organizational processes so everyone can contribute.

 

Ethical Stalking for Government Contractors® Bootcamp is the best federal sector training for growth executives and professionals. To ensure your strategy is based on the latest budget, goals and priorities for your customers, check out REFUEL &REFOCUS (R&R) cohorts and retreats.

Continued Peace, Health and Success,

Go-To-Guy Timberlake