Now is the time to create a winning game plan.

It’s the start of a new government fiscal year…a new season to get your game plan together if you haven’t already begun to do so for FY2019. What strategies are in your playbook for increasing business within the government? Is your sales team equipped with all the resources, knowledge and offensive and defensive tactics to move forward? In short, will you be ready to score when opportunity and timing come together?

A favorite Charles Schulz cartoon of mine is one in which Lucy is holding a football for Charlie Brown to kick. Just as Charlie brings his leg forward Lucy pulls the ball away and Charlie falls to the ground. Poor Charlie Brown. If only he knew what he didn’t know.

Building a strong team requires a leader (coach) who can help players (sales team) realize what is possible. Now is the time to decide what that game plan will look like and with a strong coach craft your FY2019 government game plan.

What worked for your company in FY2018? What didn’t work? Are there new products/services your company is introducing to the government market? How are you planning to market and sell these items to your targeted government customers? Are you qualified on at least one government contract vehicle like the GSA Schedule or CMAS contract to help facilitate an easy procurement? Have you identified the barriers to entry or competition in your industry that are preventing you from advancing the game ball?

As a sales team, you must play both offense and defense. Pick up the intensity now and make up your mind that this is the year to push your limits. Go on the offense:

1. Educate yourself on your customer. What matters most to them? What are their pain points? Build a better relationship with them so when it’s time for you to shine on that RFQ or RFP – your customers cheer for you.

2. Build your plan and work it daily. How are you spending every minute of your day as a dedicated sales pro? Identify your daily priorities. Ask yourself is every action contributing to your quantitative sales goals? Do you need to better understand how your customers buy? Are you clear on the value of what your products and services provide? Not the features but the value!

3. Understand and use the tools at your disposal. What are your teammates doing to help improve their tactics? Are you plugged into the daily online digests of the government world which keep you abreast of the latest and greatest? Operating in a vacuum is not a good tactic. How are you identifying opportunities or getting the inside track on early forecasts from agencies? Are you qualified on pre-approved contract vehicles and do you understand how to leverage these contracts to win business?

While offensive moves are aimed at scoring points off opportunities created from a favorable field position, one would be remiss in ignoring the aggressive defense stance which a sales team must embrace as well. Go on the defense:

1. Don’t be afraid of transformation. Category Management (CM). Best-in-Class (BIC) Solutions. Spend Under Management (SUM). If these terms are not familiar to you now – they should be as Federal Acquisition practices continue to improve to create a more innovative, efficient, and effective acquisition system. There is a strong focus on transforming the government marketplace to create a new model for Federal contracting. Get with the program and understand how this transformation will impact your B2G strategies.

2. Pick up the intensity on a winning attitude. Each day you should value your effort as an individual, a team and a company as an accomplishment or a failure. As this season evolves, don’t have an attitude that all you must do is survive, “I’m not equipped to lead”, or “all I have to do is excel at my position.” The team is too important to let any of these attitudes cripple it. Don’t let yourself begin to thing from a singular viewpoint, teams win, individuals don’t.

3. Bring in the Special Team. It’s not the most exciting part of working with the government, but a contract consultant can be extremely valuable in making the difference between winning and losing. A good “Special Team” has an in-depth knowledge of the government marketplace, how to help position a company for success, and how to obtain or qualify a company for value-added contract vehicles to streamline the buying process. They are your subject matter experts and can help you get the job done when you need them most.

So, for this season (FY2019) set the bar high. Do not accept mediocrity within yourself or your teammates. The government needs industry like you more than ever. Believe it and you will find yourself dancing in the end zone. Now go make it happen.