Business Issues: I Have a GSA Schedule—Now What? By Tom Basile Seneca Creek Consulting Part 3 of 4 In Parts 1 and 2, we discussed the first of three essential steps, Discovery, Planning and Execution that form the foundation of virtually any successful effort in government sales. Three key questions in the Discovery stage were addressed: (1) How is the government buying the solutions we are selling? (2) Where are my competitors focused? and (3) Who is buying what we are selling? In other words, how do you determine what agencies to focus your limited resources on and why? In this article we address Planning, which answers the question, Where do you start and why? The plan is, in large part, the distillation and application of substantive findings from the Discovery phase. This involves a detailed set of actions that are measureable with a focus on agencies, major acquisition programs, contracting vehicles and teaming partners. The plan allows for assigning responsibilities to individuals who are intrinsic to the marketing and sales efforts. Market research services, trade publications, participation with affinity groups such as IAC and AFCEA all constitute some of the essential assets to use in the planning process. The Federal Procurement Data System is another tool that can be invaluable in determining what programs to target for buyers of your services or products. For example, let’s assume you are a small engineering company specializing in building code compliance services. During Discovery you identified that the top four agencies ranked by demand for your services are: Army Corps of Engineers; Naval Facilities Engineering Command; GSA Public Buildings Service; and Housing and Urban Development. Further, you determined that your specialized services are typically procured as part of a larger program. Since you have limited resources, you decide to focus on the Corps. An important part of your plan is to determine where to start. Organizationally, the Corps has nine divisions composed of 44 districts and numerous research, engineering and design centers. Construction projects are contracted and run in each division and district. Given this organizational structure, you need to determine what districts have the programs and budgets that mesh with your firm’s portfolio of offerings. In addition, you need to determine what contracts have been awarded and which ones are in the planning stage. One thing is for certain: Many of the top large and small engineering firms have already established a beach head in these divisions and districts, so teaming becomes an important part of your plan. At the risk of being repetitious, we cannot emphasize sufficiently the importance of focus. While there will always be pop-up opportunities which will reasonably require attention whether or not they are contained in the game plan, for effectiveness, these should be pursued as the exception and not the rule. With few exceptions, the highly successful small- to moderate-size businesses have had focus on government programs as the one constant attribute of their planning and execution. In Part 4 we will discuss Execution and ways to implement the Plan with limited resources. For more information, visit www.SenecaCreekConsulting.com or contact Tom at tbasile@senecacreekconsulting.com