[42673] in Zephyr_Bugs
Vol. 64: In Government Sales, Don't Believe Everything You're Told or You'll Lose
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Fedmarket)
Thu Mar 16 22:13:39 2006
Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2006 19:52:02 -0700
From: "Fedmarket" <noreply@fedmarket.com>
To: zephyr-bugs@mit.edu
Reply-To: "Fedmarket" <noreply@fedmarket.com>
Content-type: text/html
Message-Id: <20060317025202.360ED3D130F@wrtlnx07.wrtech.com>
<html>
<head>
<title>Eileen Kent</title>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
</head>
<DIV align=center><B><FONT color=#0000a0 size=4> *** ON THE SALES FIRING LINE: Vol. 64 ***
</FONT></B><FONT size=2><BR>
</FONT></DIV>
<FONT
size=2>
</FONT>
<br><hr width = 500><br>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">
Welcome to "On the Sales Firing Line," written by Federal Sales Academy Director, Eileen Kent.
The purpose of this article series is to educate and inspire you to create immediate government
opportunities, through true sales stories and savvy marketing tactics.<br><br><hr><br>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">
<b><FONT color=#0000a0>In Government Sales, Don't Believe Everything You're Told or You'll
Lose
</b></font>
<br><br><hr><br>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><b>Eileen Kent Brings Federal Sales Training to Atlanta, Georgia <br>Dates:
</b><br>
</font>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">
<ul>
<li>April 24, 2006 - <a href =
"http://www.fedmarket.com/seminars/federal-sales101.shtml"
>Federal Sales 101: Winning Government Business</a> - Our most popular class goes
on the road with speaker Eileen Kent<br>
<li>April 25, 2006 - <a href
="http://www.fedmarket.com/seminars/proposal-writing-seminar.shtml">Writing and Managing Winning Proposals</a> - Learn to strategize your
approach to writing winning proposals
</ul>
</font>
<p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FF0000"><b>Register
Online</b></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> - <a href ="http://www.fedmarket.com/seminars/register-online.shtml"><b>Click
Here</b></a></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">
<br><br>
Visit our <a href = "http://www.fedmarket.com/calendar/index.php"><b>Seminar Calendar</b></a> for more seminar dates and locations.<br>
<br>
Call Suzie White at 301-652-9504 EXT. 10 for details.</font>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">
<br><hr><br>
<p>The government is made up of influential people - - some of whom make
million dollar decisions every day. However, the active word here is that
they're "people." They are people with hopes, dreams, jobs, bosses,
agendas, responsibilities, hobbies, children, pets, significant others,
attitudes, fears and knowledge. Because all of our lives are in a constant
state of flux, we (and government officials) are susceptible to changing our
opinion on any given topic and at any given minute. Therefore, don't believe
everything you hear from these employees because what they are saying to you
might not hold true tomorrow. Also, don't take their decision as the absolute and
final truth. Why? Because they are people, too. The more people you meet, the
more advice you'll get and the more experience and understanding of the
business you'll have overall. So, as I give you my advice, don't take it as
the definitive word either. Consider my thoughts here and see if they fit into
your world.
<p><b>Field Example #1:</b>
<p>One small business called me recently to tell me that a leader at a prominent
agency told her in no uncertain terms that no one in the government wants to
be called by sales people and suggested that she only email and send
mailers out.
<p>Eileen's Thoughts:
<p>Does ANYONE want a call from a sales person? No. Does anyone keep spam
mail or email? No. However, government employees are always open to speaking to and
helping taxpayers. Therefore, change your approach and the strategy changes.
A government employee is happy to help a taxpayer. Therefore, instead of calling
a government employee in your capacity as a sales person, consider
doing so as a taxpayer. Start your inquiry with "I need help. Can you point me
in the right direction?" Guaranteed, you 'll get some help.
<p>Also, just because someone is short with you today, don't presume they will always
be this way. They just might have something else on their plate that is more
important to them than your questions. Therefore, don't make assumptions after
just one call. Get to know them and be persistent. The worst thing the government
employee could say is "No, I'm not interested." At that critical point, you can
respond by saying, "If you were me, who else at your agency should I contact?"
They'll gladly give you a name.
<p><b>Field Example #2:</b>
<p>I was on a California military base after performing a large delivery for
a customer. The contracting officer (CO) with whom I was working told me that he had
made a decision not to continue to use my service because he believed we were
cost prohibitive. As the CO was giving me the bad news, another woman walked into
the conversation. "Who is this?" she asked. As soon as I was introduced to
the second woman, she said, "Oh my goodness. Another department on the base needs
your service right now." She wrote down the address for me, called ahead and scheduled
an immediate appointment for me. She said, "We loved your service. Just go up and see
what he needs and you and I will complete the paperwork."
<p>Eileen's Thoughts:
<p>If one person in an agency rejects you, don't be discouraged. Work every angle and
every person in the agency until all opportunities are exhausted. Then, go around again.
If you can predict an agency's possible need for your product or service, your
persistence will pay off in the end. It's amazing how one person at an agency will
show you complete disgust and disdain, while another person loves you. Just keep
digging. You'll find the opportunity.
<p><b>Field Example #3:</b>
<p>A Fedmarket.com client wrote me recently about a rejection he received from the
Small Business Specialist at a prominent agency. The client was told in no uncertain
terms that no one - not anyone in the agency - EVER meets with vendors. When this client
wrote to me, he said, "Now what?"
<p>Eileen's Thoughts:
<p>Do they have furniture, carpeting, computers, temporary help, lighting, office supplies,
etc? Who SOLD those things to the agencies? Companies or sales persons that the agency
never met? Of course they meet with vendors. I told the client, an executive from a
small business, to call the agency's Public Relations Director to see if that person
could can give him the name and number of a potential end user. I haven't heard back
from this particular small business so I imagine he's too busy getting close with his
new best friend in the agency.
<p><b>To The Point:</B>
<p>The bottom line here is as follows - stay persistent and don't let anyone
discourage your efforts to win government business. I don't call this article
series "On the Sales Firing Line" because the government welcomes us
with open arms. We're going to get shot down once in awhile. Just keep
your imaginary bullet proof vest on and keep going! This is not a market
for the weak. It's a market for those who persevere."
<br><hr><br>
<DIV align=center>
<P><IMG height=56 src="http://www.fedmarket.com/images/whitepaper.jpg" width=72> <FONT
color=#0000a0><B><FONT face="Courier New, Courier, mono" color=#000000
size=2>Free Informative Whitepaper "<A
href="http://www.fedmarket.com/whitepaper_download.php?which_one=training">Developing a Trained Federal Sales Team </a>" <br>by Eileen Kent.
</FONT></B></FONT></P></DIV><br><hr>
<p align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><b>April
10, 2006 - 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm EST</b></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"></font></p>
<p align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><b><font color="#FF0000">Desktop
Training - Webinar</font> </b><a href = "http://www.fedmarket.com/seminars/gsa-webinar.shtml">GSA Schedules: How to Close Business and Stay out of Trouble</a></font></p>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">
<p>Attend Fedmarket's newest Webinar and invite all of your sales team and partners to attend along with you right in the comfort of your own office.
<p>This popular class is being offered as an outreach for small-to-medium sized businesses that want to learn more about GSA Schedules, but don't want to listen to another government-sponsored "take" on GSA Schedules. One of the largest myths of GSA Schedule pricing is that you must offer "Most Favored Customer Pricing." In this Webinar, we'll explain why you won't have to offer those rock bottom prices. <br>
<p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FF0000"><b>Register
Online</b></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> - <a href ="http://online.krm.com/iebms/reg/reg_p1_form.aspx?oc=10&ct=0210190&eventid=11543"><b>Click
Here</b></a></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><br>
<br>
</font>
<hr>
<br>
<p>
If I can do it, you can certainly do it!
<p>Eileen Kent,<br>
Federal Sales Academy Director
<br><b><a href = "http://www.fedmarket.com">Fedmarket.com</a></b>
<P>
Please do not reply to this email. This mailbox is not monitored and you
will not receive a response.
It is our policy never to send unwanted email messages. You were sent this
message because you previously registered at fedmarket.com or expressed an
interest in receiving information on public sector business opportunities.
If you wish to be removed from this email list, please send your request
and a copy of the original email to P.O. Box 6639, Ketchum, ID 83340
or for immediate removal follow this link:
<br><a href="http://www.fedmarket.com/remove/remove.php?remEmail=zephyr-bugs@mit.edu">http://www.fedmarket.com/remove/remove.php?remEmail=zephyr-bugs@mit.edu</a>
