Nothing impresses a potential
customer (“target”) more in a proposal than being able to see that the firm
proposing clearly understands the target’s organization, operations, and goals. Without this information, it is difficult to
write a winning proposal. The challenge
for most firms is getting to know their targets well enough to gain this
understanding BEFORE they write a proposal.
This is particularly true about Federal Government agencies.
Getting started…
Getting to know the
representatives of a Federal Government agency prior to submitting a proposal
can be especially challenging for several reasons:
- Once a solicitation is posted, the solicitation’s
representatives are restricted by law regarding the information they can
share about the opportunity.
- Most agencies have several groups of
representatives that handle solicitations.
Finding the right people within the agency for your business interests
may require several contacts.
- Representatives may change or leave the agency,
leaving cold trails for those attempting to contact them.
- Occasionally a contact will be unwilling to talk
about their agency and/or a future solicitation. This could be for any number of reasons,
including the possibility that they don’t know the answers!
I try not to get discouraged
or take it personal when someone will not talk with me. I try to remember that no one person
represents an entire organization, so if I’ve contacted a person who is
unwilling to talk with me or who does not have the knowledge to tell me what I
need to know, I probably have not met a person who will part of the
decision-making process. This is my
target – to talk to a decision-maker or
someone close to the decision-makers.
If I call a representative at
a bad time (I always ask at the beginning of a call), I immediately ask if
there is another time when they might be able to speak with me for a few
minutes. This usually works. I just have to be sure to call back at the
established time.
Asking someone for “help” usually
works like magic to get a conversation started.
I have found that most people will not turn down a request for help,
such as, “Can you help me? I would like
to know more about your organization [or specific solicitation].”
I’ve also learned that the
closer the contacts are to the top of the organization, the less complex decision-making
becomes; therefore, top managers do not need permission from others to talk
with me when I call them.
However, starting from the
first call to learning all I need to know about an agency to learning all I
need to know in order enhance my future proposals takes time! So where should I start?
There are two types of
targets: a decision-maker, and someone
close to a decision-maker who can serve as your ally. Allies can be valuable in helping you reach and
build relationships with decision-makers.
In both cases, the closer your contact is to the top of the
organization, the better.
Think about what it takes to build a relationship with
a target:
First you have to establish a respectful rapport with the individual; then you must build trust.
- What are the things you can do to show respect and build a rapport?
- What does it take for you to trust someone?
- How do you know when someone trusts you?
- What can you do to work toward a relationship
based on trust?
To establish trust, you must first build rapport through personal contact. Next, you have to gain the individual’s respect. When you have both, you have the basis of trust on which to build a business relationship. At the point when you have a trusted relationship, you have a genuine opportunity to sell your services/products to the other person.
So how do you get there?
Time is the main ingredient necessary
for getting to know someone well enough to build trust and respect. Few friendships happen quickly. In fact, a lot of friendships happen over so
much time that the friends might not remember when they began to think of
themselves as friends. It works the same
way in building business relationships:
- Start by making several calls a day to identify potential targets within the organizations of interest to your company.
- Once you have identified the decision-makers or possible allies, begin by contacting them and asking for help to get to know their organizations. If possible, ask for a face-to-face meeting.
- Learn all you can about the organization ahead of a call or meeting through online research or talking to others who have worked with the organization, so you can ask relevant questions.
- At the first meeting, do not talk as much as you listen! Ask questions about the person’s role and responsibilities in the organization, ask about the types of contracts the organization awards, ask how the contracts are funded and awarded – and any other questions you can within the allotted time. Ask the contact how your firm could help them with their biggest challenges. In short, spend more time learning all you can about the organization and that person’s challenges and goals, so that you know what is important to address in your next proposal!
- Ask for a second face-to-face meeting (if it is geographically and financially possible for you) so you can share information about your company with them and their associates. Ask specifically about inviting any technical representatives and/or their Small Business Administration (SBA) representative (if appropriate for your business).
- After each meeting, send the contacts something that will be of interest to them, based on what you learned while talking with them. If, for example, you learn that they have an interest in antique cars, find a recent article on the topic, and send it with a note – the purpose of which is to establish a relationship based on more than YOUR desire to sell your company. If you are offered an opportunity to provide a presentation in person, be sure that all presenters are rehearsed and polished. This will be the best opportunity you could have to establish your company professionally with the representatives of the organization.
- When you meet new people within the organization, follow up with a note of thanks or something of interest to them.
- Stay in touch with each individual you meet. Don’t bombard them with contacts, but an occasional note to remind them of your interest in doing business with them can be a valuable tool, and a good way to start building a relationship.
In time, you will build a
network of valuable relationships in decision-makers and allies, and you will
have plenty of information about their organizations to help you write
intelligent, relevant proposals.
Along the way, you might even make some friends – and there
is no more valuable contact in any organization than a friend!
