From the number of inquiries I receive, there is an ever-increasing demand for qualified government contractor business developers. Unfortunately, predicting which candidate will succeed at your company is extremely difficult. Here are eight interview questions that might help. Describe a standard business development process including the key
Read more →A proposal theme or thematic sentence (see diagram for ten winning theme topic examples) is a substantiated sales message — a point of emphasis, advantage, uniqueness, or benefit to the prospective client. It should be woven throughout the proposal including the cover letter and cover graphic to
Read more →There are many reasons so many small businesses in the 8(a), HUB zone, SDVOB and similar programs fail to successfully graduate to the full and open procurement environment. Put another way, there are several steps small businesses should take to transition to a larger competitive company. In
Read more →A complete lack of exertion or stress may seem desirable, but in fact it results in boredom and stagnation. It is essential that we keep making continuous efforts amid challenging circumstances, pushing forward with dynamic creativity and breaking through all obstacles. That is the way to develop
Read more →There are many reasons companies team for a specific competition. Some of these strategies are: Because your company does not have the size or past performance to be credible as a prime contractor. To fill a service or solution gap. To round out the team with the
Read more →Demonstrate the importance of your service or product to the prime contractor. Subcontractors with hard to replace subject matter experts, like electricians or database programmers, are in a stronger negotiating position than general staffing or call center providers. Establish strong relationships with the government buyer and the prime
Read more →Here are ten guidelines to successful teaming on competitive procurements. Your company’s technical role and work percentage should be clearly defined in a written teaming agreement. Avoid terms like “best efforts” or “goals.” These rarely pan out. While established relationships often influence teaming decisions, business associates can
Read more →Too many companies begin proposal writing without first having a solid kick-off meeting. Depending on the complexity and type of proposal, here are some important meeting topics: Key procurement details and marketing intelligence Competition strengths and weaknesses Your company strengths and weaknesses Major themes and discriminators Win
Read more →Here are seven key factors that usually make the difference between winning and attending a loser’s debrief. These steps are: Make sure the key customer requirements can be identified, verified and related to a successful solution as well as the likely Evaluation Criteria. Perform sufficient marketing to
Read more →I have interviewed well over a 100 BD candidates for my clients since 1999 (and myself before that). I try to gauge their understanding of a standard business development process including the key roles; a specific example of how they identified, qualified and then supported a bid
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