7 Important Things to Cover in Government Sales Training

If you intend to get government contracts, then your business development sales team must be at the top of their game. It’s that simple. Competition for IDIQ contracts, tasks on those contracts, and other government work is high, and only those who know the world of government contract bidding inside and out are going to be able to succeed.

That is exactly the knowledge we impart at Asher Government Training. Our business development training courses are designed to show you how to best compete for government contracts and task orders on your existing contracts. We want to help you create a salesforce capable of making those deals happen.

These are just a few of the many points we cover in our business development training courses.

Seven Things You Need to Successfully Sell to The Government

1. Learn who you’re selling to

The more research you do into the internal structure of the department you’re targeting, the better. Fortunately, that information is usually public. Do your research; know exactly who your buyer is. We teach you how to use online resources and social media to make this less time consuming.

2. Know their internal language and processes

Every government department has its own processes, acronyms, jargon, and other department-specific features. They are expecting proposals to be written “in their language.” If you go to a meeting, take careful notes of what they say they want. We teach you about note taking and the importance of listening.

3. Be patient

Government sales rarely happen quickly – they’re usually much slower than B2C or B2B sales. Expect to spend weeks, months, even years cultivating contacts and making inroads. Government sales are not for the impatient or easily-frustrated.

4. Differentiate yourself

One of the main things a government buyer wants to know is “What can you do that others cannot?” This means knowing your market, and knowing your competition. Pitch your strongest points of differentiation. We teach a lot of ways to do this and how to use your technical and BD team to develop these points.

5. Be brief

Government buyers are never impressed by braggadocio. Keep it short, to the point, and data-intensive when you can. Use plain language. We teach you how to use common sense to give the government customer what they asked for in your proposals.

6. Hone your networking skills

Who you know is important in all areas of sales, but perhaps most of all when it comes to working with the government. Whether it’s “fair” or not, knowing the right person is very often far more important than writing a perfect proposal. Get out there and rub elbows. We have role playing in our workshops which teach you the right way to interact with new people you meet. Seeing yourself in action can be an eye opener.

7. Accurately represent your product or service

Don’t oversell. You might get one contract in the short term, but if you’re unable to deliver, forget about getting any future contracts. Be realistic about your capabilities. You will learn how to play up your positive points and ghost your competition without ever stretching the truth in a way that will end up being a negative.

Take the Next Step with Asher Government Training

Asher’s business development training can fully prepare your staff to make government sales happen. Contact us today to step up your game.