If you’re going to be meeting with Government workers that handle contracting it is important to do your homework before meeting with them. Whether it is a quick meeting at an event or a personal Capabilities Briefing, being well prepared and knowledgeable will rapidly set you apart from the competition and instill confidence in your firm.

Imagine yourself as the representative for the Government agency. You’ve come to this event to try and find new potential vendors for your upcoming procurement needs. Wouldn’t you prefer to meet with companies and individuals who already knew what your needs were and are prepared to tell you how they can meet them?

Here are some steps you can take to feel prepared when meeting with Government decision-makers.

Become Familiar with the Agency
What is that agency mission and goal? How can your services or products help? If you can align your services and products with their specific goals and activities, you will begin to separate yourself from the competition.

You want to learn who you’ll be meeting with, their particular area of focus, and their goals. This will put you in a position to provide them with the information they need quickly and ensure you’re being efficient with your own time.

Identify Upcoming Relevant Opportunities
Does the agency you’re after have a spending forecast? Have you familiarized yourself with it? Knowing the upcoming spending plans of an agency and being prepared to fit yourself into that forecast will set you apart from any other company that is just starting to learn about the agency.

By identifying the upcoming procurement opportunities that you are able to provide quality work on you’ll go from a company that needs information from the Government to a company able to provide solutions to current problems. But you can only provide solutions if you know exactly what kind of work they are looking for. Arm yourself with information by learning about the upcoming opportunities you would like to work on ahead of the briefing.

Many contractors try and use their meetings with Government representatives to try and gather information. This wastes time and shows the government that the vendor really has not made a commitment to learn about their needs. By researching their needs first, you then use the meetings to position yourself as the answer to their needs and you demonstrate your commitment to providing quality work.

Tailor Your Capability Statement
No matter what type of event you are attending, , tailor your Capability Statement to the event’s attendees or to your targeted agencies to give this essential piece of marketing material the extra punch necessary to keep your company at the forefront of their thoughts.

How do you prepare to speak with agency representatives? What success have you experienced, or what challenges have you faced when reaching out for meetings and briefings? Comment below or contact us directly to let us know.