Eileen Kent - The Federal Sales Sherpa | Episode 39

31-01-2023 • 9分

It takes grit to get out there and make the sales. You have to be willing to do the research, walk the halls, bang on doors, and make the phone calls to be successful in government contracting.

In this episode we host The Federal Sales Sherpa, Eileen Kent. Eileen has 20 years of experience training over 10,000 federal contractors and helping 350+ companies be successful with custom built federal sales action plans utilizing her ‘Three-Step Program':

1. Training Your Team on Selling to the Government

A business needs to first understand government contracting terminology and what contracting vehicles are available for their area of expertise. As an example, some available contracts can be a fast track for building your past performance record with the government.

Secondly, who are the key people inside the different layers of government that make the decisions about choosing vendors and how you can get in front of them.

Finally, what you can expect as you move through the federal sales process. This is important to understand so you can pivot your sales pitch as you move through the maze of government contracting.

2. Doing the Deep Dive Analysis on Who Buys What You Sell.

Target market research can help you identify who buys what you sell, how they buy, and how much they paid for it. There are detailed databases in the market such as Market Intel and FedBiz Findthat can help you quickly identify your market opportunity. This can save you valuable time and resources.

This second step is all about doing your homework. You want to know which agencies and what locations within those agencies you should be calling on. You can also focus your marketing efforts on those high priority agencies by sending your Capability Statementand work toward building a relationship, so they know who you are when it comes time to buy.

3. Building an Action Plan for the team.

Your custom Action Plan can now be built around what you have identified, including the specific agencies, contract vehicles, teaming partners, subcontracting opportunities, and other particulars to your industry. Keep your targets to a manageable number and be sure your operations can handle awards you are going after.

Training the team on selling, doing the deep dive analysis on who buys what you sell, and then building the action plan for the team. From there your team has to pick up the ball and run with it. It comes down to execution and engagement.

During the podcast Eileen shares stories of one of her most interesting clients, as well as from her first experience in government contracting in the halls of Congress and the Pentagon. She is an example of persistence. You’ll learn how she was able to get her first appointment 15 minutes after setting up shop in Washington D.C. and delivering products within two weeks!

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