A 13-part installment series.
Richard White explains how federal sales are really transacted. 

Installment 4 - Insiders Use Their Contracts to Sell to More Customers

Contractors sell while they work, particularly if the work has to be done at the federal agency (full or part-time). What better way for a federal customer to become familiar with you and your performance?

Insiders rub elbows with buyers with new contract opportunities by lunching with their customers, their friends and colleges. "Joe is doing a great job for me on our new system."

Product companies get to know their customers by installing and maintaining their product and providing customer service. And it helps if you have a quality product that works.

You are paid to work, so selling while you work is close to zero cost. It's legal and you can make hay with onsite sales as long as you are careful.

Meanwhile newcomers to the market are spending lots of money trying to get thru the inherent "glass wall."

About Richard White
Richard White has 45 years of experience in federal contracting and has published three books on federal contracting:

• ROLLING THE DICE IN DC How the Federal Sales Game is Really Played (2006)
• GSA SCHEDULES The Shortest Path to Federal Sales Dollars (2008)
• CRACKING THE $500 BILLION FEDERAL MARKET The Small Business Guide to Federal Sales (2010)
  

The three books are available for purchase through Amazon.com or complementary copies can be downloaded by clicking on the titles above.

The books attempted to inform readers about how the federal sales game is played in the trenches. They present "how-to" information, the information is still relevant, not much has changed in government contracting over the years.

Like the earlier books, this installment series is focused on selling services and complex hard goods, and software (selling commodities is a low priced crap-shoot).

Series Installments:

1. The Government Has All of the Cards
2. It's Not as Bad as it Appears
3. Trying to Become an Insider by Cold Calling is Expensive
4. Insiders Use Their Contracts to Sell to More Customers
5. Becoming an Insider Costs Time and Money
6. Public Bids
7. Incumbent Contractors Win Repeating Contracts
8. Multiple Award Contracts, the Tidal Wave of the Future
9. How Big and Important are MACs?
10. GSA Schedules: The Biggest and Most Sought After MAC
11. GSA Schedules are Expensive to Get and Not for Everyone
12. The Subcontracting Channel
13. Conclusion 
    

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