[114616] in Zephyr_Bugs
Federal Sales: Selling Services versus Products
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Fedmarket)
Sun Jun 1 03:12:57 2008
Date: Sat, 31 May 2008 20:24:07 -0600
From: "Fedmarket" <noreply@fedmarket.com>
To: zephyr-bugs@mit.edu
Reply-To: "Fedmarket" <noreply@fedmarket.com>
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<p align="left"><img src="http://www.fedmarket.com/images/logo.gif" width="254" height="51">
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<p><b>Welcome to our series called "Federal Sales." This newsletter is the seventy-sixth installment in a series of e-mail newsletters about current topics relating to federal sales.
This series joins our other popular newsletters, "Proposal Writing" and "GSA Schedules," in a weekly rotation.</b><br>
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<p><b>Installment 76 - Selling Services versus Products</b><br><hr>
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The degree to which a business must develop a relationship with the end user is based on the complexity of a service and its uniqueness. Think of it as a sliding scale of relationship building effort: On the lower end you're selling 10,000 glass beakers; on the upper end, you're selling the computer system that will support the Social Security Administration.
<p>Services are inherently more difficult to sell because they are essentially invisible. A service company must convince the buyer that it understands the buyer's problem and has a practical solution to the problem. Selling services and integrated solutions usually requires lengthy, intense, and costly direct sales efforts. Sales are generally closed using a multiple-vendor contract or a public bid.
<p>Public bids for services are usually posted in the form of a Request for Proposal. Responding to the Request for Proposal requires that bidders write an extensive and lengthy proposal and then have the hand truck and rented van necessary to deliver the 1,000 to 100,000 pages of proposal material required to paper the government's procurement trail.
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<b>Questions about federal sales? <a href="http://www.fedmarket.com/contactus.php?ref=email&cid=1212270210-61704">Contact Me</a></b>
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<p><b><font color = "#0000a0">A GSA Proposal Solution Designed Specifically for Small Businesses</b></font>
<p><b>GSA Schedules eLab </b>- Develop your GSA proposal in 3 days at our eLab. Fedmarket provides you with a Request for Information (RFI) prior to your arrival at our eLab. You are instructed to bring the requested corporate data with you to the course. Attendees should, with the assistance of our GSA staff, complete their GSA offer prior to the end of the eLab's third day.
Many attendees complete the process and leave with a completed proposal within two working days. If you are unfamiliar with the proposal process, the GSA eLab is the solution for you. The GSA eLab is offered monthly at the Federal Sales Academy in Bethesda, Maryland. <a href =" http://www.fedmarket.com/seminars/gsa-proposal-elab.shtml?cid=1212270210-61704"><b>Read more...</b></a>
<p><b><a href = "http://www.fedmarket.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=28&cid=1212270210-61704">Sign-up</a> for our GSA Proposal Preparation eLab today!
<p align =" center">To learn more about our GSA products and services, call 866-519-4482, Ext. 110 for assistance. </b>
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<p><b><font color = "#0000a0">Federal Sales 101: Winning Government Business</b></font>
<p>Participating in the federal sales game can be an extremely frustrating and overwhelming endeavor. Chasing down leads often turns into an exercise in trying to negotiate your way through a maze with many, many dead ends. Our seminar "Federal Sales 101: Winning Government Business" will put managers and sales people on the right path to establishing immediate relationships and closing government business. The seminar is led by Federal Sales Academy Director and "<a href = "http://www.fedmarket.com/articles/federal-sales-strategies.shtml?cid=1212270210-61704"><b>On the Sales Firing Line</b></a>" columnist, Eileen Kent.
<a href = "http://www.fedmarket.com/seminars/federal-sales101.shtml?cid=1212270210-61704"><b>Read more...</b></a>
<p><b><a href = "http://www.fedmarket.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=29&cid=1212270210-61704">Sign-up</a> today for the next "Federal Sales 101: Winning Government Business" class!
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<p align =" center">To learn more about this seminar, call 866-519-4482, Ext. 110 for assistance. </b>
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<p><b>Fedmarket.com Announces a New Book by CEO Richard White</b>
<table><tr><td><p><br><img src="http://www.fedmarket.com/catalog/images/cracking_catalog.jpg"></td><td><p align =" center"><font face="Courier New, Courier, mono" size="2"><b><i><br>Cracking the $500 Billion Federal Market</i> - The Small Business Guide To Federal Sales.<br>Many small businesses have watched the federal marketplace from the sidelines with envy. Why not get off the sidelines and join the game? <br><a href =" http://www.fedmarket.com/cracking.html?cid=1212270210-61704">Learn more</a><br>Price: $14.95
<a href =" http://www.fedmarket.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=139&cid=1212270210-61704"> <b>Buy Now! </a></font></td></tr></table>
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<p align = center><b><font color =" 0000a0">Listen to Richard White:</font> <br>Learn more about GSA Schedules and the hurdles small businesses face in the federal marketplace<br><br><a href =" http://www.mysuccessgateway.com/guru/podcasts.php?id=69">Click here for podcast</a> </b>
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<p>Call Fedmarket's sales staff at (888) 661-4094, Ext. 8 with questions concerning these or any other products or services Fedmarket offers. E-mail inquires may be sent to the following: <a href="mailto:sales@thefederalmarketplace.com">sales@thefederalmarketplace.com</a>.
<p>Regards, <br>
Richard White<br>
President <br><a href = "http://www.fedmarket.com/index.shtml?cid=1212270210-61704">Fedmarket.com </a><br>
<a href = "http://www.fedmarket.com/seminars/academy-index.shtml?cid=1212270210-61704">The Federal Sales Academy</a> <br>
<a href = "mailto:rwhite@thefederalmarketplace.com">rwhite@thefederalmarketplace.com</a><br>
(301) 652 - 9504 x 118 (office)<br>
(301) 908-0546 (cell) </font> <hr>
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