It seems that I see more and more headlines that virtually beg you to make the cold call. The government is literally pounding the table asking for your help. However, businesses are paralyzed like deer in the headlights because they freeze from the fear of red tape.

Fedmarket students, sales executives and readers should fear no more! It's time to get out of the stands. Stop watching such opportunities as a spectator would. Get in the field, get in front of your potential customers and shake their hands. Selling to the federal government, more than any other business, is a contact sport. You need to contact, call, email, touch base, call again, email, visit, call, email, pop in and call again. The most successful federal sales executives walk the halls. It's time to put on your bullet proof vest and get "on the sales firing line" with the rest of us!

With that in mind, I have found you some clippings which may result in some great leads for you. Find the end user whose job is on the line, offer to fix these problems and show them how you can help them in a pinch.

If you are still staring into those headlights like a deer, come to our "Federal Sales 101: Winning Government Business" class. We will help you shed the fear of red tape and eliminate your confusion. Fedmarket's instructor will help you focus on your key contacts and will coach you through the initial sales call.

As promised, the following is a list of some potential opportunities. If you want to uncover more opportunities, our sales staff will gladly help you choose the appropriate roadmaps, lists, classes and workshops. In the meantime, pick up the phone and find the government employee who needs your solution today.

OPPORTUNITIES REPORTED IN THE NEWS RECENTLY:

National Journal's Technology Daily Reports:

"Lawmakers Urge Government, Industry to Partner on Emergency communications," by Michael Martinez, National Journal's Technology Daily.

The following are excerpts from the story:

"Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, said private entities responded faster and more effectively to Hurricane Katrina than their public counterparts at all levels of government.

"Speaking at an event organized by the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, Collins said agencies should form regional response teams with private-sector partners that could be deployed rapidly and facilitate communications systems that work across jurisdictions."

GovExec.com Reports

"After Katrina, Justice Weighs Changes to Wireless Communications Upgrade," by Chris Strohm.

The following are excerpts from the story:

"The Justice Department is moving forward with an effort to build a nationwide wireless communications system for federal law enforcement agencies, but is reviewing whether any of its requirements should be changed based on what happened to communications networks during Hurricane Katrina."

"'The department has issued a solicitation for the Integrated Wireless Network and is moving forward as planned,' a Justice spokeswoman said Monday. The program is worth an estimated $2.5 billion."

"The department, however, is examining lessons learned from the hurricane, which demolished or severely degraded federal, state and local communications networks as well as electricity and other public services."

Another GovExec.com Story:

"Poor Planning Hurt Hurricane Contracting," by Jenny Mandel.

The following are excerpts from the story:

"In a briefing report released Thursday, GAO summarized the findings of a review of acquisitions conducted through the General Services Administration, Army Corps of Engineers and Federal Emergency Management Agency...The review found problems at GSA and FEMA in anticipating contingency needs and having contracts in place to meet them. For example, FEMA did not adequately anticipate the need for services such as temporary public buildings and housing, the report said. Also, the Army Corps indicated that FEMA assigned unanticipated tasks such as acquiring temporary classroom spaces, contrary to a general practice of working through planning and response teams established in advance of an event."

"Medicare Help Line Needs Improvement, GAO Finds," by Denise Kersten.

The following are excerpts from the story:

"Less than two-thirds of the calls to Medicare's toll-free hot line, 1-800-MEDICARE, last summer resulted in complete and accurate answers to questions about the program, according to a Government Accountability Office report published Wednesday."

"GAO conducted an audit of the 24-hour help line in July. Researchers selected six common questions to ask customer service representatives and posed each question 70 times. Representatives working in call centers provided complete, accurate answers to 256 out of 420 calls, or 61 percent."

The news has been replete with stories stating that the Department of Homeland Security needs all of our help. Remember, don't look at such stories with shock. Keep asking yourself while you read this, "How can I help?" And then, pick up the phone!

"Wasted Year: From In-house Bickering to a Fumbled National Crisis, The Homeland Security Department is Still a Mess," by Juston Rood, Chris Strohm and Katherine McIntire Peters, GovExec.com.

"Patience has worn thin with Homeland Security Department Secretary Michael Chertoff since he took the reins last March, even among those who have labored in the department's trenches and usually could be counted on for some sympathy, or at least to hold the party line.

"'I like Chertoff and his people,' says a former senior official. 'But not what they've done in the past year. It's been a wasted year, really.'"