Companies
that pursue business in the government marketplace are constantly seeking a "competitive
edge." Often this is a pursuit of Technology, other times it is hiring someone
from the government that can "open doors." Sadly, the most obvious competitive
edge that a company can gain is often overlooked and easily achievable for all
companies regardless of size or time in the federal marketplace. That "competitive
edge" is to know and understand the government agency you are pursuing. It
requires you to understand the issues, the players involved, both government and
industry, and the "rules of the road."
The
most common complaints I hear from government officials that daily deal with vendors
are:
"Vendors
come to sell us their technology"
"They don't understand the agency"
"They don't know who our customers are"
"They don't know our mission"
It
is inexcusable to be uniformed about the government prospect you are pursuing.
There is tremendous amount of data and information available, a company and its
sales and business development organization should know where to look and how
to use it. Where do you start your search for market intelligence? Let's start
with some easy and obvious sources:
Industry
Journals:
Federal
Computer Week
Government Executive
Washington Technology
Government Computer News
Emails Newsletters
The Amtower B2G Market Report
Industry
Events:
Breakfasts
Conferences
Seminars
The
Websites:
FedBizOps
Government Agency
Associations
Vendor/Company
Associations:
AFCEA
IAC
ITAA
NVTC
PSC
AEA
Market
Research Firms:
Eagle Eye
ePipeline
FSI
Gartner
Input
Onvia
FedMarket
Industry
Journals: subscribing to the industry journals is quick, easy and free, but more
importantly many have daily or weekly emails that can quickly alert you to events
and issues of importance. Government Executive gives you an excellent perspective
of concerns of the federal manager.
Events:
industry events are important not only because they normally feature key government
speakers, but they are also excellent opportunities to network and pick up market
intelligence. Again, this is not a situation where you want to be a passive observer,
do your homework before you go and have an agenda.
Websites:
the web is a tremendous source of data and potential information. Especially the
federal government websites which are improving. Many agencies have set-up areas
specifically designed to help the business community do business with them and
provide information on upcoming procurements and key contacts, the FAA and Department
of Agriculture are just two good examples.
Associations:
do not join associations just to attend their events and programs, be actively
involved. By participating on committees and holding positions, you have an excellent
opportunity to meet and work with government officials and hear first hand their
issues and concerns. This will provide you and your company important insight
and contacts when you work in that agency. The pros in our business know this
and do it as a part of their job.
Market
Research: there are a number of market research firms that track and monitor government
contracts and opportunities through on-line database services along with doing
market research. The database services are normally offered on a subscription
basis and vary in price based on the number of users, size of company and number
of databases subscribed. Market research is done on a custom consulting basis,
except in case where the level of interest is high and the research firms generate
generic reports on a topic or market.
The
sources I mentioned above are a good start to developing a process of gathering
good market intelligence. As you develop your practice of collecting data through
the suggestions I have made, other paths and doors will open to you as sources
of information. This is just the start of your beginning to understand the issues,
challenges and the people that shape the federal marketplace. Except for the subscription
services, very little financial investment is required, but it does require a
commitment of time and a disciplined approach studying and understanding the marketplace.
The knowledge you gather will be the foundation your personal success and you
will become your company's "competitive edge."
In
coming newsletters, I will discuss the importance of government information sources.
