Navigating Government Contracting Events - Maximizing Networking Opportunities

[Shawn]

You came out of a government contracting event feeling inspired to win more government business. After all, you met many people, attended informative sessions, took notes, and stuffed your bag with brochures, branded merchandise, and swag. Two days later, you realize that the cornucopia of people you exchanged cards with was truly random in nature, and two weeks later not much of that exchange has turned into anything tangible. Sound familiar?

This doesn’t have to be like this, though. An intentional networking plan at a government contracting event results in building intentional relationships that translate into business opportunities for your government contracting business.

What is Government Business Development?

In many ways, government business development is like regular commercial business development. All business development is built on the foundation of trust between two parties. That trust helps with efficient and meaningful communication between them, and it is built by relationships with each other.

Good, trusting relationships help uncover the real needs, fears, and aspirations of your potential government buyers or industry partners, while providing you an authentic opportunity to share the key value propositions of your offerings. It is a competitive advantage for your firm as you gain insights into what the potential government buyer truly needs. When you fully realize what the pain points of the government buyer are, your interactions may help shape how your value propositions get favorably incorporated into the RFP’s that come out of the agency in question. That is a big factor right there and sets the stage for repeatable wins in government contracting.

Building Relationships

Relationships aren’t built with 30 seconds of pleasantries, a seat at the common lunch table, or an exchange of business cards. They are built over time with a sustained and intentional effort. They are built over multiple channels of interaction, and a government contracting event is one of those channels. It is a piece in the puzzle and not the whole puzzle itself. The puzzle is solved with a strategy, knowing how the specific event in question fits into it. You need to identify who you want to build a relationship with and why. There are steps to getting to that answer, and once identified, the networking at the event becomes directional and driven.

Government Contracting-Related Events

Attending government contracting events creates opportunities to execute the intentional networking plan. There are different types of networking opportunities at a government contracting event, including those with:

1. Members of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) members of an agency or a sub-agency

2. Contracting team of an agency, including Contracting Officers

3. Buyers/users of services at an agency

4. Small Business Laision Officers (SBLOs) of large primes

5. Management team members of potential partners

6. Formal mentors for Mentor Protege Program (MPP) relationships

7. Mentors in government contracting like members of SCORE community

8. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in government contracting like speakers or panel members at an event

9. Representatives of Apex Accelerators, formerly known as Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP)

10. Other government representatives like those from Small Business Administration (SBA) or Small Business Development Centers (SBDC)

The opportunity to network with these professionals exists at events like these:

1. Matchmaking events – Often one-on-ones with government agencies and primes

2. Industry Days – Agencies speak to their needs and interact with potential companies to do business with

3. Conferences and summits – Various stakeholders come together

4. Workshops and Training – Trainers and speakers often are super-connectors

5. Networking lunches and breakfasts – Guest speakers, potential partners, primes come together with intention

6. Trade shows and expos – Exhibitors are potential partners or potential contacts at an agency

7. Charity, golf, etc. – A relaxed environment to get to know people when their guard is down

Creating a Networking Plan for Government Contracting Events

With the assumption that key people and key companies in your target list are going to be at the event, it is time to create a list of things to do. The success of building valuable relationships hinges on a long-range plan for sustained and persistent contact with key people. A networking plan for a specific event is just one piece of the puzzle and must have the following elements:

• Identify before the event who are the key departments/companies or the key people to meet at the event. They should be the ones on your target list for persistent and multiple interactions through multiple channels. You should also have ready relevant pieces of information to exchange with each of them.

• Can you get on a panel at the event? That assumes that you have identified events for the year and are picking them up proactively.

• Can you exhibit at the event? Do the costs justify the potential returns of people dropping by your table?

• Categorize people and agencies/companies into types of networking relationships based on the list above

• Have the following items ready before the event:

  • Key questions for speakers that add value to attendees and the speaker’s session

  • A memorable way to share who you are and why this is a mutually beneficial networking relationship. A thirty-second elevator pitch is often very effective, which focuses on benefits you create and problems you solve

  • Ability to get connected on the spot using LinkedIn QR code using the LinkedIn app on the phone

  • A business card exchange with those who do not want to connect on LinkedIn

  • A one-pager capability statement

  • Specific materials that speak to your due diligence about opportunities you want to pursue with the entity you are trying to network with

• Post-event follow-up email template ready in your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool to be sent the day after the event

Executing the Plan

Good execution on the day of event, is table-stakes for success and doing some basic things listed below are easy to execute:

• Be on time

• Dress professionally

• Stay positive and approachable during the whole event

• Be energetic, authentic, and inquisitive

• Be ready to ask a good question and do a post-talk follow-up with a speaker who you are targeting to network with

• Go to the 10 topmost tables that are in the target list you created before the event

• Go beyond “how are you, fine, and you” rut and create conversation by adding something to your answer that makes it easy for the other person to share more than basic information

• For each contact in the target, discuss the key information you identified before the event. This could be a question or two or sharing something of value to them.

After the event, the activities are to strengthen the relationship through diligent contact

• Send the email from your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system with a personalized addition to the prepared email template that reflects the interaction at the event

• Ask to speak on phone or to meet at lunch or breakfast

• Find another opportunity to meet or talk with the target at a future government contracting event

• Make your name familiar by liking their LinkedIn posts or by making a genuine and authentic thank-you post for their contributions at the event

Networking at government contracting events is essential to build relationships that help a government contracting company grow its business. The key to maximizing networking opportunities at government contracting events is therefore to go prepared knowing who you want to connect with at the event, having a clear idea of your ideal outcomes from the event, having the right collateral ready to meet those outcomes, having genuine and spontaneous conversations that add value, and having a clear follow-up process in place to make the most out of those conversations.

At iQuasar, we help aspiring and new government contractors refine their government contracting strategies for success. Get in touch with us today to learn more.