| May 2010
The Enlightened Manager Newsletter
A quick read for busy government, industry and association executives, managers & sales professionals
GSA MOBIS schedule holder for management and risk consulting
King County facilitation and performance coaching contractor
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In this issue:
1. Prepare for success
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 1. Prepare for success
Enlightened
managers have enough self-confidence to be effective leaders while retaining the
humility to respect others. A coaching client recently asked me for some ideas
of actions he could take to develop more self-confidence. - Set goals and take action - get
something done.
- Practice trying to get out of your
head. Don't believe everything your
mind tells you.
- People usually treat you in a
manner that you allow.
- Lighten up! There will always be
challenges - everyday problems.
- Stop comparing yourself to
others. You are unique. It really doesn't matter what someone
else has done or how confident he or she may appear on the surface.
- Face your fears. Avoid unhelpful self-interpretations and unwelcome habits - create
new more supportive patterns.
- Remember the good things you
have accomplished. Challenge your self defeating beliefs. Most of us were raised to accentuate on
the negative and it became a habit.
- Step out of your comfort zone. It is the only way to gain courage.
- Plan ahead. Preparation makes it easier to be
self-confident.
- Stand like you have confidence. Our appearance often reflects our inner convictions.
- Really listen to people. Look them in
the eyes.
- Don't over value family and friends'
expectations. Follow your heart.
- Realize that failure will not kill you. If you don't succeed at something, that's okay.
- Learn from your mistakes and be realistic.
But, don't let your fears stop you from achieving your objectives.
- Expand your capacity to deal with life by taking some calculated risks.
Sincerely, Mike Celerity Works Read more about Enlightened Management
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2. Pick the best government marketing strategy
Even with the move to more commercial practices, government
agency acquisitions are very different from those in industry.
However, companies who sell to the government still need to
differentiate themselves from their competitors. Government buyers
are very sophisticated and expect their suppliers to be able to
articulate how their solutions meet unique agency challenges and
program requirements. This takes professional branding and
marketing material as well as active participation in relevant
industry and government associations and conferences.
The four basic elements (the 4 Ps) of the marketing mix were
defined over fifty years ago:
· Product: Defines
the characteristics of your product or service that meets the needs
of your customers.
· Price: Decide on a
pricing strategy - do not let it just happen! Even if you decide
not to charge for a service (a loss leader), this should be a
conscious decision that forms part of the pricing strategy.
· Promotion: This
includes all the marketing tools - advertising, selling, sales
promotions, public relations, etc.
· Place (or channel of
distribution): Some of the revolutions in marketing have
come about by changing this P.
One of the biggest problems I encounter as a management coach is organizations that dive into marketing tactics before
clearly understanding their overall mission, objectives and
marketing strategy. It is absolutely crucial to take the time to
make sure you understand the target government market that best
fits your product or service.
This will accomplish at least two important objectives:
(1) encourage you to say "no" to non-core goods or
services and incompatible agencies and (2) ensure
you select the most cost-effective marketing mix to achieve your
objectives. It's all about focus and return on investment.
Several effective government marketing and public relations
tactics are described in the following article.
Read more
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3. The Enlightened Manager (click to read more or order)"Whether
you are new to a management role or a 25 year management
veteran, these 20 concise morsels of enlightenment are the heart of
being a successful leader. Worth reading every year !!"
- Business ConfluenceWinning and Managing Government Business (click to read more or order)
"Winning and Managing Government Business is a concise,
easy-to-understand and to the point overview of securing and doing
business with the federal government. It provides step-by-step
instructions on approaches for penetrating government markets, how to
do your prep work prior to proposal time, and then how to respond and
win opportunities. It's a definite must read if you're new to the
government space. It's also very handy if you're a savvy veteran as
it's full of checklists, timelines and templates you can use in real
world situations. I've been involved with government contracting for
over 15 years and found this book to be very useful and practical."
- M. Cosgrave, VP, ManTech International |
Both available in paperback at www.amazon.com
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