A general misconception is that the federal market is unique or special because taxpayer dollars are being spent. Many outsiders believe that the federal government and congressional representatives are eager to lend assistance to businesses interested in entering the federal market. The truth is that no one is sitting by the phone waiting for your call and you cannot realistically expect help. The next question usually concerns small business preference programs and whether they will they help small businesses make a sale? The answer is that they will not; however, such programs will help you close a sale after you have sold an end user on the value of your product or service.

You ask who then will give your sales staff help in making a federal sale. The answer is that it is unlikely anyone will help; your company is going to have to make the sales calls just as it does in the commercial market. Federal end users must be sold directly and this must be accomplished either in person or by telephone. In most cases, companies trying to enter the federal market must make the dreaded "cold call." Companies in the business of providing services are particularly reluctant to make cold calls. They tend to sell through a network of satisfied customers and that network does not exist for newcomers to the federal market.