Many times I have heard people say, I spent all the time, effort, energy and money to get certified, but I never got anything as a result of that. I am sure they are telling the truth. Getting certifications is a difficult and time consuming process, but they are well worth it if you know what to do next. Very few agencies and government entities can just hand you a contract. There is one certification where that opportunity actually exists, but you know what? You still have to pursue the opportunity, do the marketing, make the phone calls or visits, run an aggressive, yet polite follow up campaign, and most of all do the research. Do you want to know why some people don’t get contracts after getting really good certifications? Because they don’t do all of those things I just mentioned, or even some of them.
The world of contracting is not for the faint of heart, you must be persevering, tenacious, polite, wear protective gear, while having an easy going personality because it can be very competitive. However, if you are a good company, have a good product or service, then you will eventually get that opportunity that can change your company forever.
Certifications are great door openers which allow us the opportunity to build incredible relationships that can lead to amazing contracting opportunities, but, you have to do the work. You have to get out there and let the contracting specialists, program managers, PEO’s, PDM’s and all of the other acronyms know that your company is capable of creating the kinds of results they are looking for. That is demonstrated by a powerful 30 second pitch supported by a well constructed capability statement.
However, it’s all about networking. You want people to say, I see you everywhere because the more familiar they are with you, the more comfortable they are in making the recommendation to their buyers and others to give your company a chance. You want to be out there consistently talking to them, building relationships with them, supporting their efforts to reach out to small and diverse businesses. As a result of that kind of support and attitude, you will get your opportunity.
In our next blog, we are going to look at some techniques for effective networking and if this is something you are interested in, please email our CEO – William Osgood at william@cfrandassociates.com as we may be scheduling a webinar on Networking for companies not located in California and a workshops possibly in the San Diego, CA area, the OC, CA area and the Central Coast, CA. if we have enough interest.