[45098] in Zephyr_Bugs
Vol. 67: Help the Government Solve Problems - Win Business Forever
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Fedmarket)
Fri Apr 7 07:44:58 2006
Date: Fri, 07 Apr 2006 00:44:43 -0600
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<DIV align=center><B><FONT color=#0000a0 size=4> *** ON THE SALES FIRING LINE: Vol. 67 ***
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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>
<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="#0000a0"><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>
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<p align="center"><b><FONT color=#0000a0>Goal: Help The Government Solve Problems
<br>Result: Win Business Forever
</b></font></font>
<br><hr width = 600><br>
<p>Although the federal government is made up of hundreds of agencies, the few
that we seem to hear about in the news are the Department of Homeland Security,
the military and the Intelligence Community. There are more than three
million federal employees - - all of whom are facing daily challenges.
These challenges are compounded by rules and regulations that Congress has
imposed upon them to protect the American taxpayer. At the same time, some federal
employees are facing a possible job change as a result of A-76 competition. This
is a situation where contractors like you and I get to compete with the federal
employee for their job. Unfortunately, the foregoing does not make for a
comfortable conversation in our first sales meeting with a potential customer.
<p>We define the "end user" as the employee facing a problem and whose job
security is in jeopardy if the problem isn't resolved. If you are in IT, this
would be the IT manager solving a data, hardware or internet issue for their
customer, "the stakeholder." The stakeholder could be anyone in the government
such as a department director or a soldier in the field.
<p>Consider approaching your customer or "end user" and sharing with them some of
of the technologies that are working in the commercial marketplace. Many end
users appreciate this type of outreach. It may take time for you to establish this
business relationship and for you to train them on the latest (or your latest)
technology but the result will be the same. The end user will walk your technology
into their boss and use it as their idea. What a perfect scenario or introduction
for you into the upper levels!
<p>Now, how do you find the agencies and the end users that need you the
most? Read the papers! We here at Fedmarket.com check the following sites
on a daily basis: Federal Computer Week (fcw.com), Government Computer News
(gcn.com), Government Executive (govexec.com) and Military (military.com). The sites
send out daily emails giving you all of the news inside the government. Frequent
topics include discussions of upcoming projects, funding for projects, projects
losing money, people losing their jobs and people receiving promotions. They are free
publications which can keep you updated on the recent issues concerning the federal
government.
<p>Read the papers in a whole new way. Instead of looking at the papers and having
shock over the situation, ask this question, "How can my company or any of my
partnering companies help?" If there is a solution to the government's problem, you
need to pick up the phone, contact the end user who is in the most trouble about the
reported situation and approach them in this manner, "I don't know if you're the right
person, but maybe you can point me in the right direction. I read this story in the
paper and I think I have a possible solution to your situaion." If
they can't help you, they will point you in the right direction. In fact,
you might close an appointment right away. Sometimes, you run into
rejection. Keep on top of the opportunity. You have nothing to lose. Just
"touch base" every day, or week, or so and see if they've solved the
problem.
<p>If there is pain and you can resolve the situation, the government
employee will be all ears. This is the time to approach them. When we
watched the news during the Katrina disaster, it always struck me when a
contractor said, "I can fix this problem, but I called FEMA and they
never called back." Leaving a message is not the solution. Also, if you
plan to contact the government in the middle of an emergency of national
significance, you can forget about receiving a return phone call. However,
if you let the situation die down a little, consider contacting them during
the winter to prepare for the next hurricane season. While the large primes are
solving the government's pains in Louisiana, the government will need you
in other areas of the country to pick up the leftover business.
<p>Here is a perfect example of a company who uncovered a need at an
agency and created a solution:
<p>"HHS Awards Contract for Radiation Countermeasures," February 15, 2006
>From Global Security Newswire
<p>The Health and Human Services Department on Monday announced a Project
Bioshield contract for two radiological countermeasures. The five-year,
$21.9 million contract was awarded to Akorn, Inc., which is expected to
deliver 390,000 doses of Ca-DTPA (Pentetate Calcium Trisodium Injection
Sterile Solution) and 60,000 doses of its Zn-DTPA (Pentetate Zinc
Trisodium Injection Sterile Solution). These drugs combat internal exposure
to plutonium, americium, and curium, according to an HHS statement.
<p>The number of doses requested by HHS is based upon a threat assessment
of the medical affects of a nuclear or radiological attack by the
Homeland Security Department as well as the interagency Weapons of Mass
Destruction Medical Countermeasures Subcommittee.
<p>Under the contract, an additional 500,000 doses of each drug can be
purchased.
<p>"Protecting the American public in a radiological or nuclear incident
is a major priority of my office and Project Bioshield in particular,"
said HHS Assistant Secretary for Public Health Emergency Preparedness
Stewart Simonson. "Today's contract award is part of our effort to expand
the nation's stockpile of medical countermeasures against this threat."
<p>Link: <a href= "http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33399&dcn=e_gvet">http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33399&dcn=e_gvet</a>
<br><br><br><hr width=600><br>
<p><b>By just reviewing the news recently, here are some of the "pains" and
"problems" the government has reported that they need improvement. Maybe
you can help:</b>
<p><b>PAIN #1-12:</b>
<p>"Pentagon shares some lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina," February
10, 2006, By: Chris Strom, GovExec.com,
<p>Synopsis:
<p>"Senior Defense Department officials on Thursday outlined some of the
critical lessons the Pentagon has learned from Hurricane Katrina that
could help improve the federal government's response to future domestic
catastrophes.
<p>The officials told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs committee that the department is still in the midst of completing a
full report, but that some of the issues that need to be addressed are
already evident.
<p>"U.S. military forces executed the largest, fastest, most comprehensive
and most responsive civil support mission ever," said Paul McHale,
assistant secretary of Defense for homeland defense, in written testimony
to the committee. "In a domestic relief operation unprecedented in
scale, over 72,000 federal military and National Guard forces flowed into
the Gulf Coast region over a 12-day period to assist fellow Americans in
distress."
<p>McHale testified along with Navy Adm. Timothy Keating, commander of
U.S. Northern Command, and Army Lt. Gen. Steven Blum, chief of the
National Guard Bureau.
<p>According to McHale, the government should:
<ul><li>Improve its ability to obtain accurate assessments of damaged areas
immediately after a disaster.
<li>Establish a unified command and control structure to coordinate the
efforts of multiple federal agencies when they converge on an affected
area.
<li>Assure the ability to effectively communicate with first responders
and emergency management personnel.
<li> Integrate the capabilities of active-duty, National Guard and Reserve
forces through pre-event and on-location operational planning.
<li> Re-examine Defense roles and resources for responding to a
catastrophic event.
<li>Need for mobile, secure communications that are "survivable and
flexible" and have both voice and data capabilities. </ul>
<p>Additional lessons include the need to:
<ul><li>Designate a single Pentagon official to communicate with the
government's federal coordinating officer
<li>Train local and state employees to fill emergency management staffing
shortfalls
<li> Pre-allocate space in state emergency operations centers for federal
personnel
<li>Develop a continuity of operations plan for government functions
<li>Pre-arrange support contracts for required resources
<li> Acquire power</ul>
<p>Link: <a href= "http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33378&dcn=e_ndw">
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33378&dcn=e_ndw</a>
<br><br><br><hr width=500><br>
<p><b>
PAIN #13-19:</b>
<p>"DHS slow to enact border security recommendations," February 15, 2006,
By Jenny Mandel, GovExec.com
<p>Synopsis:
"GAO has issued 18 management-related recommendations for the U.S.
Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology program since May 2003,
the report "GAO-06-296" Link: <a href = "http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d06296.pdf">http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d06296.pdf</a>
said. The suggestions involve cost-benefit analyses, cost estimates and
justifications, testing plans and human resource plans.
<p>The department has made some progress in adopting the recommendations,
the Congressional auditors found, but has been slow in many areas.
<p>GAO found that DHS has fully implemented two recommendations:
<ul><li>Defining staff roles and responsibilities
<li>Hiring an independent contractor for validation and verification.</ul>
<p>But auditors found that implementation was "partially complete" on
another 11 recommendations, with activities in place to address them but
results not documented.
<p>These recommendations include:
<ul><li>Development and implementation of security
<li> Risk management and testing plans
<li> Cost-benefit analyses of program components
<li> Performance of privacy impact assessments
<li> Development of acquisition controls
<li>Assessments of completed work</ul>
<p>DHS officials rejected many of the auditors' criticisms. In a lengthy
response letter, Steven Pecinovsky, director of DHS's GAO/Inspector
General Liaison Office, argued that many of the auditors' assessments
failed to examine relevant documentation, overlooked US VISIT staff
coordinating roles that address concerns including security and privacy, or
otherwise failed to acknowledge the full extent of the department's
implementation.
<p>According to the program director, the pace of progress is attributable
to competing demands on time and resources," he said. "The longer that
the program takes to implement the recommendations, the greater the
risk that the program will not meet its goals on time and within budget."
<p>Link: <a href = "http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33401&dcn=e_gvet">
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33401&dcn=e_gvet</a>
<br><br><br><hr width =600><br>
<p><b>PAIN # 20:</b>
<p>"First responders detail emergency communications problems," February
15, 2006, By: Michael Martinez, National Journal's Technology Daily
<p>A lack of equipment standards, inadequate funding and turf wars among
federal, state and local officials have made it increasingly to
difficult to achieve interoperable emergency communications, a panel of "first
responders" said at a House Homeland Security Emergency Preparedness,
Science and Technology Subcommittee hearing.
<p>"The status quo is intolerable," said Dave Reichert, R-Wash. Reichert
said the "inadequate response" to Hurricane Katrina demonstrated that
work toward interoperability after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks
have not been effective. He said strong leadership is necessary to
resolve the complex problem.
<p>"Interoperable communications is about much more than spectrum and
money," he said.
<p>A law signed by President Bush last week would allow the Federal
Communications Commission to auction spectrum in January 2008. But Harman
said she is urging her peers to consider a measure, (H.R. 1646) Link: <a href = "http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.01646:">
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.01646:</a> that would
quicken the deadline for broadcasters to transition to digital signals.
<p>Link: <a href = "http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33406&dcn=e_gvet">http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33406&dcn=e_gvet</a>
<br><br><br><hr width =600><br>
<p><b>PAIN #21:</b>
<p>"Better training needed for emergency purchases, procurement chief
says," February 13, 2006, By Jenny Mandel, GovExec.com
<p>Synopsis:
<p>"Government officials need more training to respond effectively to
sudden purchasing demands in emergency situations, an Office of Management
and Budget official said Monday.
<p>Shortcomings in contingency contracting capabilities surfaced during
last summer's hurricane season, said Robert Burton, acting administrator
of OMB's Office of Federal Procurement Policy, at a conference hosted
by the Arlington, Va.-based Performance Institute. A lack of staff,
particularly of managers and people experienced in handling emergencies,
was a key problem at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other
agencies, he said.
<p>FEMA had 36 contracting professionals last summer, and had a request
pending to add 200 over the next five years. Moreover, "Our folks were
not necessarily trained well in contingency contracting," he said. People
had little knowledge of what contract vehicles were already in place at
different agencies that could have been used to quickly buy supplies
for areas affected by the hurricane.
<p>Without that knowledge, duplicate procurements were made in some cases,
and in others, supplies were delayed, Burton said.
<p>He noted that the Chief Acquisition Officers Council, a group of
procurement chiefs, has established a working group on contingency
contracting that is developing an outline of best practices for agencies to
follow, as well as directories of individuals with expertise in em"
<p>Link: <a href= "http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33383&dcn=e_hsw">
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33383&dcn=e_hsw</a>
<br><br><br><hr width =600><br>
<p><b>PAIN #22-27:</b>
<p>"Chertoff announces major changes for FEMA," February 13, 2006, By:
Daniel Pulliam, GovExec.com,
<p>Synopsis:
<p>"Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on Monday acknowledged
that his department's response to Hurricane Katrina was "unacceptable"
and announced measures intended to strengthen the government's emergency
response capabilities.
<p>The Federal Emergency Management Agency will establish a permanent
workforce focused on disasters and will decentralize its disaster relief
centers when a significant number of people are displaced, Chertoff said
in remarks at the National Emergency Management Association's midyear
conference.
<p>"I also have the responsibility to fix what went wrong," Chertoff said.
"As the president has said, the results of our response to Katrina were
unacceptable. Some things worked well, but some things which should
have worked well did not."
<p>Chertoff said that FEMA can no longer "rely primarily on volunteers to
provide services in the immediate aftermath of a disaster." He said the
agency will develop a "highly-trained nucleus of permanent employees to
serve as its core disaster workforce," and that volunteers will
continue to be an important part of the FEMA team.
<p>Department spokesman Russ Knocke said he would not dispute an
Associated Press report that 1,500 new full-time employees would be hired for
year-round disaster coordination.
<p>"We have to build a robust permanent staffing capability for the agency
so that we're not in the type of situation where with every storm
you're replacing them," Knocke said. "Volunteers have a critical role to
play, and they will continue to play that role, but I think to the extent
that you have a more robust trained . . . staff, the better the general
capability of the agency will be."
<p>He also outlined various additional changes to improve FEMA's ability
to respond to disasters:
<ul><li>Develop a pilot program for deploying mobile disaster assistance
trucks to temporary housing so victims can receive assistance closer to
home, he said.
<li>Launch a streamlined logistics management system so equipment and
material shipments can be tracked and redistributed if needed during a
disaster recovery, Chertoff said
<li>FEMA's Web site and 1-800 call-in number capabilities will be
upgraded to handle 200,000 disaster registrations per day, double the previous
capability.
<li>Debris removal contracting process will be streamlined so
reimbursements can be processed faster, and communications capabilities will be
improved to survive the loss of power, infrastructure damage and severe
weather, he added.
<li> Reconnaissance teams made up of personnel from the Coast Guard,
Customs and Border Protection, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will
be formed so information can be sent back to the department for
incident management coordination and information sharing. </ul>
<p>Link: <a href = "http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33384&dcn=e_hsw">http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33384&dcn=e_hsw</a>
<br><br><br><hr width=600><br>
<p>In summary, as sales people and as citizens, we need to read the news
in a whole new way. These stories are unconscious cries for help and we
can assist, but it will take time, investment and a persistant sales
team to find the person -- your end user -- whose job is on the line
without you. If you can develop a trusting relationship with this person
and train them on the latest technology (your products and services),
they'll carry you over to contracting and offer to help get you in the
door. Once you help the contracting officer fulfill the contracting
requirements, and deliver perfectly everytime, you'll win business from the
government for years to come.
<br><br><br><hr>
<DIV align=center>
<P><IMG height=56 src="http://www.fedmarket.com/images/whitepaper.jpg" width=72> <B><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" 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="#0000a0">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="#0000a0"><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>
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<hr>
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<p>
Good luck and see you "On the Sales Firing Line!"
<p>Eileen Kent,<br>
Federal Sales Academy Director
<br><b><a href = "http://www.fedmarket.com">Fedmarket.com</a></b>
</font>
<br><hr><br>
<p><b>Story Resources:</b>
<p>A special thank you to the authors and publications who report on
Government Contracting and Needs Daily
<p>"<a href = "http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33378&dcn=e_ndw">Pentagon shares some lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina,</a>" February
10, 2006,
By: Chris Strom, GovExec.com
<p>"<a href = "http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33401&dcn=e_gvet">DHS slow to enact border security recommendations</a>," February 15, 2006,
By Jenny Mandel, GovExec
<p>"<a href = "http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33406&dcn=e_gvet">First responders detail emergency communications problems</a>," February
15, 2006, By: Michael Martinez, National Journal's Technology Daily,
<p>"<a href = "http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33383&dcn=e_hsw">Better training needed for emergency purchases, procurement chief
says</a>," February 13, 2006, By Jenny Mandel, GovExec.com
<p>"<a href = "http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33384&dcn=e_hsw">Chertoff announces major changes for FEMA</a>," February 13, 2006, By:
Daniel Pulliam, GovExec.com
<p>"<a href = "http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33399&dcn=e_gvet">HHS awards contract for radiation countermeasures</a>," February 15, 2006
>From Global Security Newswire, appeared in GovExec, February 15, 2006
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