Finding and Selling to End-Users in the Government
In past installments, we talked about finding the "right" agencies,
namely the ones that are interested in buying your company's products or
services.
We also talked about the importance of building an intelligence list to assist you in understanding agency missions and program goals. One of primary purposes of putting together such a list is to go through the process of uncovering the goals, objectives and contact information of managers associated with agency programs.
How do you build this list of contacts? In this installment, we'll talk more about that, and we'll also touch on the process of selling to these folks. For simplicity, we generally call them "end-users" or "customers."
Finding End-Users
Basic Resources
Don't forget to consider the basic resources at your disposal. For example, directories of government agency personnel can be obtained from the following sources.
Going Through the Buyer
Official buyers are an excellent source for information on end-users. They are easier to find than end-users because they are concentrated in purchasing organizations.
Buyers know who buys what in their agencies and it’s their job to assist you in finding the end-users who buy what you sell. They work with end- users in finding vendors to meet agency needs. The information they have in their files about existing contracts and past purchases (who bought what for what price) is public information. They are used to working with vendors and providing procurement information, either informally or formally, under public information laws. Generally, they readily provide information to anyone interested to keep the playing field level.
Selling to End-Users
Preparing for the Sales Call
Before making the sales call, gather all the background information you can concerning the opportunity.
The more you know about the opportunity the better. Ideally, you will know details of the potential requirement, the installed base of hardware and software, the competition, the multiple award schedule (MAS) contacts available to the agency, and the budget to solve the problem.
Find out what you can about the background of the person you are meeting with and what he or she perceives as the solution to the problem.
Customer Centric Selling
Sales are made when the customer becomes convinced that you can solve his problem as he sees it.
As part of the sales process, you have to demonstrate that you truly understand the end-user's (or customer’s) problem, the solutions that the customer believes are the answers to his problem (not your solutions), and what specific benefits the customer wants and how you are going to provide them.
During sales calls, the customer is king and you should view his requirements from his perspective. What are his goals and objectives? Who are his clientele and how can you help him serve them best? What benefits can you provide in meeting his specific goals and requirements? How will your solution serve his clientele better?
God forbid that the customer elects to meet his requirement using the public bidding process. If this occurs, the knowledge you gain by taking a customer perspective will be exactly what you need to write a successful proposal in response to the RFP. All of your sales calls should be conducted from the customer centric viewpoint.
First Phone Call, First Meeting
The first call is just the first step in establishing an ongoing relationship, so don’t be in a hurry unless customer tells you he is ready to buy -- e.g., the customer needs an IT product now and you have a vehicle facilitate a quick purchase. (They should all be that easy.)
Open the discussion with your knowledge of the requirement and ask the customer about himself and how he relates to the requirement. Then present your company’s capabilities clearly and concisely and try to relate them to the problem and its solution the best you can this early in the game.
Don’t oversell your company’s capabilities or over commit on what you can do. The customer will find out during product demonstrations or contract performance. If you let the customer down because you raised his expectations too high, there goes your relationship, not to mention your profit margin.
Relationship selling does not have to be subtle. The customer has a need and wants a solution so focusing on the problem early in the game is probably just what the customer wants. He just doesn't want to be pushed into a decision before he's confident that your solution offers him the best value.
What takes time (and probably a number of meetings with the customer and others in the agency) is convincing the customer that you have the best solution and making him comfortable that your company is the best one to implement the solution.
When the meeting ends, leave with a clear understanding of the next steps, e.g., meetings with more end-users, the CIO, technical people, etc.
Subsequent Meetings
The number and purpose of subsequent meetings depends on what you are selling and the size and scope of the project. Probably everyone you meet with will play some part in making a buy decision.
Treat them all like professional acquaintances and listen to their needs and perceived solutions. They will tell you just how far they would like to go in establishing a personal relationship, and this may occur only after you have already solved one their problems successfully and professionally.
These meetings are where the sale is made. It is made by listening and relating customer needs to what you are selling. It is about establishing a level of trust that says you and your company will solve the agency's problem better than any other company.
The potential customer may not want to become your tennis partner for any number of reasons, including the appearance of favoritism. A relationship based on confidence and trust is often best kept at a professional level.
Closing the Sale
Now the customer has decided to buy from you if he can. How do you close the sale?
Ideally, you will have your own GSA schedule or access to someone else’s GSA schedule. Or you'll have a basic ordering agreement or prime contract allowing the customer to buy quickly. The GSA schedule route is probably the quickest and easiest for the customer if it is an available option.
If you need assistance getting on the GSA Schedule, send me an email: rwhite@fedmarket.com.
Other possible options for the customer are:
Close the sale using the vehicle (procurement method) selected by the customer, perform well, and nurture the initial sale into more sales. Often the first sale will be, in effect, a trial of your capabilities and the real first step in building a long-standing relationship of trust.
No contract is ever performed perfectly, and an experienced customer knows that. Work with the new customer on a day-to-day basis to correct any performance problems you may encounter. This will keep upbeat and positive (hopefully) the performance reports the customer is required to submit to the agency's past performance database. At the same time, it will add to the level of confidence the customer has in your capability to perform.
We also talked about the importance of building an intelligence list to assist you in understanding agency missions and program goals. One of primary purposes of putting together such a list is to go through the process of uncovering the goals, objectives and contact information of managers associated with agency programs.
How do you build this list of contacts? In this installment, we'll talk more about that, and we'll also touch on the process of selling to these folks. For simplicity, we generally call them "end-users" or "customers."
Finding End-Users
Basic Resources
Don't forget to consider the basic resources at your disposal. For example, directories of government agency personnel can be obtained from the following sources.
- Local telephone directory Blue Pages,
- Agency Phone Directories By Organization, http://www.info.gov/phone.htm,
- Military base directories available at individual military bases,
- Agency public information offices. One way to get to these: use Firsgov.gov and keyword search using "pubic information office."
Going Through the Buyer
Official buyers are an excellent source for information on end-users. They are easier to find than end-users because they are concentrated in purchasing organizations.
Buyers know who buys what in their agencies and it’s their job to assist you in finding the end-users who buy what you sell. They work with end- users in finding vendors to meet agency needs. The information they have in their files about existing contracts and past purchases (who bought what for what price) is public information. They are used to working with vendors and providing procurement information, either informally or formally, under public information laws. Generally, they readily provide information to anyone interested to keep the playing field level.
Selling to End-Users
Preparing for the Sales Call
Before making the sales call, gather all the background information you can concerning the opportunity.
The more you know about the opportunity the better. Ideally, you will know details of the potential requirement, the installed base of hardware and software, the competition, the multiple award schedule (MAS) contacts available to the agency, and the budget to solve the problem.
Find out what you can about the background of the person you are meeting with and what he or she perceives as the solution to the problem.
Customer Centric Selling
Sales are made when the customer becomes convinced that you can solve his problem as he sees it.
As part of the sales process, you have to demonstrate that you truly understand the end-user's (or customer’s) problem, the solutions that the customer believes are the answers to his problem (not your solutions), and what specific benefits the customer wants and how you are going to provide them.
During sales calls, the customer is king and you should view his requirements from his perspective. What are his goals and objectives? Who are his clientele and how can you help him serve them best? What benefits can you provide in meeting his specific goals and requirements? How will your solution serve his clientele better?
God forbid that the customer elects to meet his requirement using the public bidding process. If this occurs, the knowledge you gain by taking a customer perspective will be exactly what you need to write a successful proposal in response to the RFP. All of your sales calls should be conducted from the customer centric viewpoint.
First Phone Call, First Meeting
The first call is just the first step in establishing an ongoing relationship, so don’t be in a hurry unless customer tells you he is ready to buy -- e.g., the customer needs an IT product now and you have a vehicle facilitate a quick purchase. (They should all be that easy.)
Open the discussion with your knowledge of the requirement and ask the customer about himself and how he relates to the requirement. Then present your company’s capabilities clearly and concisely and try to relate them to the problem and its solution the best you can this early in the game.
Don’t oversell your company’s capabilities or over commit on what you can do. The customer will find out during product demonstrations or contract performance. If you let the customer down because you raised his expectations too high, there goes your relationship, not to mention your profit margin.
Relationship selling does not have to be subtle. The customer has a need and wants a solution so focusing on the problem early in the game is probably just what the customer wants. He just doesn't want to be pushed into a decision before he's confident that your solution offers him the best value.
What takes time (and probably a number of meetings with the customer and others in the agency) is convincing the customer that you have the best solution and making him comfortable that your company is the best one to implement the solution.
When the meeting ends, leave with a clear understanding of the next steps, e.g., meetings with more end-users, the CIO, technical people, etc.
Subsequent Meetings
The number and purpose of subsequent meetings depends on what you are selling and the size and scope of the project. Probably everyone you meet with will play some part in making a buy decision.
Treat them all like professional acquaintances and listen to their needs and perceived solutions. They will tell you just how far they would like to go in establishing a personal relationship, and this may occur only after you have already solved one their problems successfully and professionally.
These meetings are where the sale is made. It is made by listening and relating customer needs to what you are selling. It is about establishing a level of trust that says you and your company will solve the agency's problem better than any other company.
The potential customer may not want to become your tennis partner for any number of reasons, including the appearance of favoritism. A relationship based on confidence and trust is often best kept at a professional level.
Closing the Sale
Now the customer has decided to buy from you if he can. How do you close the sale?
Ideally, you will have your own GSA schedule or access to someone else’s GSA schedule. Or you'll have a basic ordering agreement or prime contract allowing the customer to buy quickly. The GSA schedule route is probably the quickest and easiest for the customer if it is an available option.
If you need assistance getting on the GSA Schedule, send me an email: rwhite@fedmarket.com.
Other possible options for the customer are:
- Micro or small purchase (if the project is small), which be done quickly with little paperwork
- Small or disadvantaged business set-aside, if the project is small to medium in size.
Close the sale using the vehicle (procurement method) selected by the customer, perform well, and nurture the initial sale into more sales. Often the first sale will be, in effect, a trial of your capabilities and the real first step in building a long-standing relationship of trust.
No contract is ever performed perfectly, and an experienced customer knows that. Work with the new customer on a day-to-day basis to correct any performance problems you may encounter. This will keep upbeat and positive (hopefully) the performance reports the customer is required to submit to the agency's past performance database. At the same time, it will add to the level of confidence the customer has in your capability to perform.
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