| June 2011
The Business-to-Government Advisor
Helping executives accelerate and manage growth since 1999
Specializing in the government market
"By working faithfully eight hours a day you may eventually get to be boss and work twelve hours a day."
- Robert Frost
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In this issue:
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 1. To bid or not to bid
Too many new business opportunity bid decisions are made in the hallway or over email without the involvement of all the key stakeholders. The unintended result of this lack of structure and discipline is a much lower win probability.
Ideally, a bid decision meeting should take place a few months before the release of the final request for proposal (RFP) and again the day after the release of the RFP. But, today's fast turnaround procurements often don't provide sufficient time for more than one review.
The purpose of a bid review is to ensure that there is:
- A compelling capture strategy and story
- Enough visibility with the customer organization
- Identification of any weaknesses that need to be fixed
- The right teaming partners to win the job
- The right proposal resources
Some of the reasons a decision might be made to stop pursuing a lead are:
- Bid and proposal funds or key staff are not available to pursue the bid
- Key teammates are not available
- Required capabilities/skills are absent
- A viable project manager candidate has not been identified
- Proposal resources are insufficient
- Strongly positioned low cost bidder emerges
- Contract terms & conditions are unacceptable
- Key client relationships have not been established
The most successful government contractors conduct rigorous bid decision meetings. This results in the ability to make rationale and unemotional go/no go decisions--which means precious resources can be applied to the most winnable opportunities.
Sincerely,
Mike ======================================================================== |
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2. Special Invite: Business Development, Sales & Marketing Professionals Seeking New VibrantCat Markets
Are you looking to expand your business into vibrant new markets? Don't miss this unique opportunity to learn from those who have gone before you. GoGlobal provides direct interaction with field-tested business executives, support specialists and country experts available to help get your international strategy moving forward.
This is not your typical event. At GoGlobal you will participate in small peer groups with business leaders who have already successfully deployed foreign market strategies. Trade experts from Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas will bring you timely information to help your company expand. Hear their experiences and ask questions as you learn what works and what doesn't. View a list of scheduled experts leading the discussions.
Timely keynote addresses from Rajeev Singh, President and COO of Concur, and Mike McSherry, CEO of Swype, will share their own valuable insights to help you deploy internationally. You will also enjoy a special message from Governor Christine Gregoire to round off the event.
Register today as time is quickly running out and space is limited. GoGlobal is Thursday, June 9, 2011 at the W Hotel in Seattle.
Learn more or register
Celerity Works is proud to be a sponsor for the GoGlobal conference. ======================================================================== |
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Winning 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
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 Confluence
| Both available in paperback at www.amazon.com
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3. About Celerity Works
In 1999, after leading domestic and international business development at four services and consulting contractors, I formed Celerity Works to help executives accelerate their revenue growth. Since then, I've facilitated planning retreats and implemented BDworks practices and processes for over sixty companies.
My clients have benefited from the lessons I've learned from over 450 organizational situational assessment interviews and more than 250 coaching assignments.
I specialize in improving established contractors' win probability and sales return-on-investment. I also help commercial businesses determine whether the government market makes sense and, if so, the best strategy to establish a foothold.
If your company provides IT services, telecom, software development, consulting, A&E, security, marketing or staffing and wants to improve sales results and maximize return on BD investments, then select one of the following:
Company new to the government market
Trusted partners
Clients
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