Weirding Word®

Smaller Pond for Better Fishing: Narrowing Focus Grows Government Business

A guest blog by Anna Urman

If I had a dollar for every time a small IT contractor told me that they "can really do any IT project for any agency," or that their ideal client is the Department of Homeland Security . . . well, I would have a good start towards my kid's college fund.

I do not mean to cast doubt on their technical expertise. In fact, I understand that many services, business practices, and technology processes are easily replicable across commercial and government markets.
 
However, the government is a buyer's market. They have their choice of companies of every size and specialty competing for work -- often, small businesses against very large corporations. And while each business type and size has its own advantages in the competition game, one thing that program managers and contracting officers look for is competent firms that can perform correctly, on time and within budget.

So, when a Fortune 500 company says that they can do "everything", they can prove it with past performance, customer recommendations, resumes of experts with narrowly focused specialties, and success stories. When, on the other hand, a 50-person company claims a broad spectrum of expertise, they come across as "a mile wide and an inch deep", raising serious doubts about their ability to do a wide array of services well.

It is the job of small and new government contractors to present themselves as competent and reliable businesses that will help a government client meet its needs and excel in its mission -- and here's how it should be done:

Specialize in a narrow area. Identify a core competency with which you can demonstrate an expertise and show a record of success. That does not mean that you will be unable pursue other types of work, but it will begin to establish credibility in a defined area.

Concentrate on a few target customers, and dig in. Who within the government is most likely to use your services? What are the characteristics of your ideal client? Because your time and financial resources are limited, it’s unrealistic to pursue every federal, state and local agency in the US.

Differentiate yourself from the competition. The first step is knowing the competitio. The second step is making yourself stand out against the crowd. For example, if most of the other vendors are large firms, use your size as an advantage. Or, if your competitors are generalists, carve out a specialty for yourself.

Be present when your customer agencies do vendor outreach. Attend industry days, make yourself available to answer questions, or provide information (such as white papers) that showcase solutions to their problems to cement your role as a valuable partner.

Pay Attention to what your customers are doing. You must know what is going on with relevant agencies and programs. Stay aware of budgets, ongoing programs, and current vendors. Understand and offer specific ways to fix your customer's under-performing programs, and ask specific questions that show an understanding of your customer's needs.

For more information on finding your market, identifying opportunities, performing competitive intelligence, or creating a capture/account plan for public sector sales, contact Tactical Insight.

Weirding Word®, a division of G.L. Honeycutt Consulting, LLC, is a virtual publication department that provides editing, freelance writing, and publication and web design services.

Copyright 2007-2010 Gaea L. Honeycutt. All rights reserved.

Don't Use Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn? Claim the Real Estate!

Out of a half-dozen presentations on social networking the last couple of months only one of the groups was trying to harness Web 2.0.  Some of the entrepreneurs in this group were doing more than others.  Some didn't really use the Twitter account they'd created, or the Facebook profile or the LinkedIn profile, but they'd developed an Internet presence and claimed the real estate.

Excuses I heard . . . "I don't have time for all of that."  "What am I supposed to do with it?"  "My clients don't use it."

Just because you can't imagine why you'd use a social networking site doesn't mean you shouldn't get on it.  Frankly, if you have time for a coffee run, then you have time to create a social networking account or two.  And, whenever was networking about only being where your current clients spend their time?

But, let's get down to the main point.  It's your brand!  Do you want someone else to control part of your brand?  Claim your real estate by creating accounts with your name and/or business name before other people use them.

For example, I'm always surprised to see how many Honeycutts there are in the world.  Because there are so many on the Internet, I was especially surprised that Honeycutt was available on Twitter.  Remembering how I lost out on the honeycuttconsulting.com domain a few years ago and ended up with honeycuttconsulting.us, I immediately swooped that sucker up.  Any search for a Honeycutt on Twitter brings me up. (Yes, I have Weirding Word®, too.)

Not only do you get to protect your brand by preventing others from using the name, you also increase your search engine optimization (SEO) -- you make it easier for people to find you in web searches.  And you get to list your website, blog, key words, and much more.  If that's not worth spending a little time on social networks, then I don't know what is.

Gaea Honeycutt
blog@weirdingword.com

Weirding Word®, a division of G.L. Honeycutt Consulting, LLC, is a virtual publication department that provides editing, freelance writing, and publication and web design services.

Copyright 2007-2009 Gaea L. Honeycutt. All rights reserved.

Government Contracting: Opportunities and Trends

The Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce convened a timely seminar on the keys to successful government contracting, the 8A program and the BRAC transition at the McLean Community Center. The expert panelists were Christopher Jones, a Business Development Specialist with the U.S. Small Business Administration; Dr. Andrea Y. Morris, Coordinator of Arlington's BRAC Transition Center; and William Welch, an attorney at General Counsel PC who specializes in government contracting and Federal procurement.

The main lessons emphasized for all business owners were:

• Understand the basics of starting your business

• Register with the Federal government through CCR (linked through the SBA site), and be sure to register with governments in the jurisdictions where you do business, including Virginia's eVA
• Obtain every minority, woman, and small business certification you can for the jurisdictions where you do business

Mr. Jones stressed the importance of marketing to contracting officers and hunting for the work, telling attendees, "Apply for anything on FedBizOps that you have the capacity to do." He also encouraged businesses to request a debriefing when they don't win a contract. And, Mr. Jones outlined some of the standards for obtaining an 8A certification.

Dr. Morris emphasized the opportunities available through BRAC, "One-third of the market is affected in just Crystal City, not to mention the rest of Arlington County." The mos ted affected industries right now are construction, plumbing, electric, furniture, research and technology, security, and geospatial. She told attendees to get on the websites every day to keep track of new opportunities.

"Form your business entity properly, get all of your licenses, and be clear on the steps and forms needed to operate in each jurisdiction," said Mr. Welch. A business owner needs to establish strong foundations and make sure she hires an attorney and an accountant who each know the specific industry.

With so much to cover, NVBCC will be holding more sessions this summer.

Gaea Honeycutt
blog@weirdingword.com

Weirding Word®, a division of G.L. Honeycutt Consulting, LLC, is a virtual publication department that provides editing, freelance writing, and publication and web design services.

Copyright 2007-2009 Gaea L. Honeycutt. All rights reserved.

After Hours Business Mixer, 1/13/09

Join Northern Virginia entrepreneurs and professionals for a After Hours Business Mixer in a private room at the Capitol City Brewing Company in Shirlington Village (2700 South Quincy Street, Arlington, VA), Tuesday, January 13, 5:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.  Hosted by the Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce, the event is sponsored by Dominion power company.  FREE event.  Details at www.novabcc.org/events.html.

The Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce is committed to the growth and development of our member partners. The Chamber facilitates the economic empowerment of minority-owned businesses in Northern Virginia and of those businesses that wish to partner with them.

Gaea Honeycutt
blog@weirdingword.com 

Weirding Word®, a division of G.L. Honeycutt Consulting, LLC, is a virtual publication department that provides editing, freelance writing, and publication and web design services.

Copyright 2009 Gaea L. Honeycutt. All rights reserved.

Launch of Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce

I've been out of touch for a few weeks now because this new venture has demanded so much attention. My partners and I are pleased to announce the launch of the Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce.

Join us Tuesday, September 30, at Busboys and Poets in Shirlington to celebrate the launch of the region’s premier business and economic development organization for African American professionals and entrepreneurs, and for companies wishing to partner with minority businesses.

Northern Virginia BCC supports businesses in:

• Building relationships


• Strategic growth and increasing capacity


• Professional and staff development


• Understanding economic trends

Register today for the Launch Party. The event is free, but you must register.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available. To learn more about sponsoring the Launch Party and other events, contact De'Lante Rawls or Randy Philip.

And, I encourage you to learn more about the Northern Virginia BCC.

Gaea Honeycutt
blog@weirdingword.com

Weirding Word®, a division of G.L. Honeycutt Consulting, LLC, is a virtual publication department that provides editing, freelance writing, and publication and web design services.

Copyright 2008 Gaea L. Honeycutt. All rights reserved.