TArticles tagged with: BD

Whose job is business development and growth?

Spoiler alert: All staff members can contribute to BD and growth

If you’re in the government market selling professional services, whose job is business development (BD) and growth? Is it the job of sales and BD to fulfill it? Is it the responsibility of executives and senior management to perform it? Is it the job of everyone—including those dedicated to supporting customer contracts full-time—to support it? Companies have one of three opinions on this question. Some companies never involve their staff members and keep them blinded to the company’s BD and growth activities. Some companies include staff members on an as-needed basis, and some actively engage and reward staff for supporting BD and growth. While we respect each company’s right to determine the level of staff member involvement, we encourage companies to consider the following scenarios under which staff members can contribute to BD and growth and remind them that all indirect charge BD and growth activities must be given an … Continue reading Whose job is business development and growth? →

Doing more with less is all about Strengths

Increase productivity to achieve maximum results for time and effort expended

How to do more with less is an age-old question. The simple answer is that we must increase productivity to achieve maximum results for time and effort expended. In the proposal world, productivity means more than generating more bid activity; it means generating more wins within resource constraints. Typically, as companies in the government marketplace grow, they spend a greater percentage of money on bid and proposal (B&P) costs. This indicator makes sense, as larger companies pursue larger and more complex opportunities. Pre-RFP, the cost of maintaining an adequate pipeline, training personnel, maintaining teaming partners, researching competitors, investing in tools, pursuing capture and solutioning activities, and maintaining databases and repositories all mount. These investments may or may not pay off with wins, so they are good places to seek cost savings. Often, companies keep pouring money into capture activities and tools without also undertaking adequate gate reviews and making informed … Continue reading Doing more with less is all about Strengths →

Show me the money! (Part 5) Pipeline development: identifying relevant opportunities for pursuit

A Go-to-Market strategy series

Not to beat the same drum too much, but it is important to remember that research is king! As we reviewed in previous posts, conducting in-depth internal research of who you are, what you do, and how you do it is the first crucial step to uncovering the right target markets, positioning you to determine relevant opportunities, and providing the understanding of where you can make an impact. The second crucial step is the external research that determines where you are, where you want to be, and how to get there—what makes the most sense to your fundamental product and service offerings. For example, if you are a marketing services company that has concentrated in the healthcare field, your focus should not stray from that in your initial goals to expand with current customers and attract new customers. Therefore, it makes sense to focus your opportunities search within HHS, VA, … Continue reading Show me the money! (Part 5) Pipeline development: identifying relevant opportunities for pursuit →

Show me the money! (Part 4) Effective messaging and communications to attract and engage customers

A Go-to-Market strategy series

As any gardener knows, without the proper care, your plants won’t grow and flourish! Well, the same can be said for your business. You must plan, prepare, and implement the proper care for success, such as developing an appropriate brand position, crafting relevant marketing messages, and determining the right media mix to attract, influence, and engage customers. In this part of our GTM strategy, we’ll review the importance of developing a brand position and marketing strategy/messaging campaign, using brand, image and promotion development tactics. Brand positioning Brand positioning is the process of positioning your brand in the mind of your customers. When a company uses a smart, forward-thinking approach, it’s more likely to have a positive influence on its position in the eyes of its target customers. In the effort to position your brand, it’s important to identify and attempt to own a marketing niche for your product or service … Continue reading Show me the money! (Part 4) Effective messaging and communications to attract and engage customers →