If you’re a federal contractor – or want to be — here’s what you need know to get your fiscal 2015 off to a strong start. Federal contract awards may be even slower than usual in October through January. But that makes it the perfect time to do the essential groundwork that pays off in the spring.
First step: Get focused. Here’s what to do.
If you already have federal clients: Let your top past performance open doors to your best prospects. Reach out to your top federal clients, and ask them two things: “If you were me, who else in your agency would I be calling? And which one person in another agency should I be calling on?”
If this is the year you’ve decided to get started in federal contracting… you’ll want to choose no more than three federal departments or agencies for your business development efforts. Would your products or services meet the needs of many programs in a single agency (for example, several National Institutes of Health, or multiple Veterans Medical Centers)? You might even want to concentrate on prospects in just one department or a single geographic region.
Once you’ve picked your target agencies refresh (or create) different versions of your Capability Statement for each one. You’ll want to include the most recent and compelling past performance references that will grab each prospects’ attention…because those examples are most similar to how you can help them.
(Want to know more about creating a great Capability Statement? Easy. Download our how-to guide here!)