I was approached by a gent recently, let’s call him Zack, who was seeking advice on helping his company grow its federal business. He had read my recent blog ‘Don’t Be Your Own Worst Obstacle‘ and told me what he read and a referral are why he decided to sign up for one month of our Wingman Solo coaching program. He believed the knowledge he could tap into would be very useful to him.

His company is primarily a reseller of products, and had achieved success for themselves over the years. They were confident and comfortable with the amount of business they were getting at various contracting offices they already supported, and wanted to find new ones to engage. Zack was new to the company and wanted to hit the ground running.

The truth about growth is that it is a big word and can be a big task. It can also be daunting, if not delivered and approached properly. By ‘properly’ I most certainly mean in proper context. If you didn’t already know, context is one of the chief obstacles to growth in Federal Contracting, yet it goes unrecognized by many companies and their people. Context can be a number, process, word and more, and without a clear understanding of its relevance, timeliness and accuracy, good decision-making is fleeting.

What struck me, as Zack shared his situation, was the use of the word “comfortable.” In this business, just like in sports, getting comfortable, to me, is synonymous with complacency. If you are the starter at your position on your football, lacrosse, basketball, or soccer team, getting comfortable can lead to someone else who is working just as hard, or harder, taking your spot. In federal contracting, getting comfortable is often manifested as ‘incumbenitis.’ One of the unwanted outcomes of incumbenitis is the shock and awe experienced by the company that likely lost touch with their customer. I worked hard, during my years on the sell-side not to ever get too comfortable.

During our first Wingman Solo session, I asked Zack if he could determine how successful his company was in capturing opportunities at each of the Contracting Offices they supported. He indicated that he wasn’t sure and produced a report showing the total sales to each contracting office, based on the products his company sold. I then produced three reports, one for each of the top three Contracting Offices they sold to during the last fiscal year. These reports were comprehensive because they captured total obligations for everything purchased during the fiscal year. I sorted the list by total obligations to each vendor and asked Zack to locate his company. They were far from the top and Zack looked dismayed. I refined the result by the NAICS Codes they had received awards under, and they were, at best, in the middle of the pack.

When I asked Zack if he considered either of those results to be ‘comfortable’ positions, he said ‘No.’ Finally, I sorted the results by the PSC Codes that were referenced in the orders they received, and his company rose to the top for certain ones, and in the top 5 for others. I asked him again, if this was comfortable, to which he responded, ‘Definitely!’

What came next might be construed as mean-spirited, but I call it making a point to develop clarity.

After more discussion, I called up three more reports, one for each of the top three agencies Zack’s company supported, and presented results by total obligations by vendor for all Contracting Offices involved in buying what his company sells. The results showed his company more in the middle of the pack again. I then displayed the results by Contracting Offices in the agency, ranked by spending, and asked Zack to find the offices they worked with in that list. In each instance, his current buyers were ranked no higher than fourth. Additionally, it also showed a volume of spend by the agency not previously known to his company.

What helped me know it was resonating was when I noticed a little smile coming from Zack while he was taking notes. When I asked him what this information meant to him, his response was, “I know exactly where I am going to get new business and I don’t have to go far.” That last visualization showed Zack a fourfold increase in related obligations compared to what he and his company new to be true.

I decided to let Zack enjoy that moment. Though, during our next session, I’ll show him the same reports from the Customer (versus Buyer) perspective so he can see the dollars his company never had a shot at because the buys are being made by contracting offices his company isn’t currently aware of.

Getting new context is a great way of stepping out of your comfort zone in federal contracting.

Peace, Health and Success,

Go-To-Guy Timberlake