2012-02-11T17:17:59Z http://blog.lscpartnersllc.com/atom.aspx Quick Blogcast tag:blog.lscpartnersllc.com,2009-05-08:f2eacd1f-5b6a-4e7a-8e67-b847953dcbca LSC Partners LLC 2009-05-08T22:09:15Z 2009-05-08T22:09:15Z <P>If you are a small company looking to do business with the federal government I hope you have patience and unlimited amount of persistence. I guess if you are in business for yourself you already have these traits in spades. I have to admit I am new to government subcontracting, but not Interior Design or Interior Architectural Drafting. My partner and I thought it would be a great idea to became a vendor to the government especially in today's economy. Boy were we in for a surprise.<BR><BR>We forked over a significant amount of money to a company to tell us how to get a slice of the "Government Pie". I spent several days in training and wading through codes and documents until my eyes just glazed over everything. I completed all the required registrations and was excited that now&nbsp; my company was ready to do business with the government. <BR><BR>How naive to think just registering in all the right places (there are several) would be enough to get noticed and ultimately business. The registration process is only the beginning really it is the prestep to the first step. While I have a sound company with rich services I was not prepared for the "special" type of marketing required to sell to the government and prime contractors. <BR><BR>If you are a small business and want to do business with the government you should first try to work with a prime contractor. I know that seems weird to say try them first, but the fact is the government is not going to take a chance on a company without a track record of performance. Before you get all excited, I like you have an established business and can reference a list of clients, but those clients are not government agencies. Now you can try your luck at cultivating a relationship with the contracting officer which would be no difference than building a relationship with a CEO or CFO of a potential client. We all know the cost of sale for that relationship such as outings, lunches, and dinners in order to get on the short list of preferred vendors. Government contract officers are not much different, however they can't accept gifts in exchange for contracts, but they are people who can take a closer look at your company. If they know who you are (under good conditions) they may notice your bid or proposal. This is the long and risky route because you don't want to be accused of improper behavior. <BR><BR>Working with a prime contractor will allow you to be on a project that can get the attention of the contracting officer. I know you are saying how do I find a prime contractor and how do I market to them? First I will say that you have to come up with your own marketing strategy. Second all the information you need to know about&nbsp;how to reach a prime contractor is public information and can be found. I know it is not easy to do, but it is possible...we have.<BR><BR>We are know in the marketing stage which means we have our list of prime contractors we want to work with and the projects they are interested in or awarded. <BR><BR>Follow our blog for our story on Government Subcontracting</P>