Four Stages of Closing Government Sales

Asher Government has a long history of success in government sales and consulting – expertise that we make available in our government sales workshops. No matter the size of your business, or how long you’ve been in federal contracting, our government sales workshops impart the critical information your executives and sales staff need to succeed!

When it comes to government sales, it’s all about closing. Knowing how to seal the deal is what keeps a contractor growing. Here are four ways to help ensure that happens.

The Four Steps Towards Closing Government Sales

1- Make strong buyer personas.

A buyer persona is a personality profile of your key market demographics, designed to help you design sales pitches to fit certain “types” of buyers. It’s best to know your sales targets personally, but when you don’t, buyer personas can serve as stand-ins – as long as they’re well-constructed.

Government sales are very siloed. People have distinct roles and responsibilities. Know your target’s position, and you can build a buyer persona to fit their job role.

2- If you’re not communicating, you’re not working.

Government buyers will rarely come to you. (And you’ve truly “made it” when they do.) You need to be engaging and consistent in your outreach. Make lots of contacts and follow up on those contacts. Stay on the phone or, when applicable, email or IM. Most government buyers prefer phone or email contact but be flexible if one expresses a preference for other digital communications.

Outreach, outreach, outreach. The more calls you make, the better your chances.

3- Focus on problems and solutions, not on technology.

Most government buyers are not as technologically savvy as their contractors and suppliers. If you geek out about your technology, at best they’ll be disinterested and at worst you’ll scare them off. When making pitches and demos, focus on their problems and what you can do for them in very down-to-earth terms. Pitch optimization and efficiency as the end goals.

4- Know your target’s procurement process.

Finally, the more research you can go into their internal processes, the better. Different departments, even different branches within those departments will have different procurement methods. Knowing these, and being able to work with their processes, can make the difference in closing a deal. Buyers want sellers who simplify their lives.

Learn more from Asher Government sales workshops! Contact us today.