By Samantha Ferm
There’s no better time than the start of a new year to connect with your PTAC counselor and do an audit of your goals with government contracting….and we are here to help!
One thing I love to do for clients is simply work with them in updating a free market research report, to give them a good snapshot of who in the government is buying their goods and/or services. This not only creates a very concise list of which agencies the client needs to develop a relationship with, but also shows them where they need to register as a vendor, who their competitors are, and how much each government agency is typically spending on each contract. It’s a great way to focus your efforts in the government space, and create a targeted outreach/marketing list as well! Working with your PTAC counselor 1-2 times/year in updating these market research reports is key in staying up-to-date in your industry with your target government clients.
Next, talk with your PTAC counselor about your Bidmatch profile. If you don’t already have Bidmatch, it is a tailored profile, for active PTAC clients, that uses keywords and codes that sends you opportunities for government bids in a daily email. I typically create a Bidmatch profile after doing some extensive market research so we have a good list of keywords for you, the client! Sometimes, a Bidmatch profile can be too broad and send you too many options that don’t really touch on the work you do, or it can be too narrow—it’s always good to look at your profile with your PTAC counselor and see how it can be tweaked or improved.
As you go into the new year, and are setting up calls/meetings with government agencies, you should also have an updated Capabilities Statement to share with them. Have your PTAC counselor quickly review your capabilities statement, and make sure to add any recent, relevant projects or clients you’ve worked with for your ‘past projects/past clients’ section of the document—remember that Capabilities Statements are kind of like your business resume, they’re living documents and should be updated frequently!
Finally, don’t forget that CIRAS has dozens of upcoming webinars, and you can see the list here. Understanding how the government purchases is a HUGE step in the direction of being successful in selling to government agencies, and our PTAC regularly hosts webinars that are free to you. Also, check out the classes with our partner, Govology. Our PTAC has a code for our active clients that makes each class free for you. Just ask your PTAC counselor for the code.
Just remember, your PTAC is your partner in all things government contracting…wherever you are in your selling-to-the-government journey, we’re here to help!