By Gina Blitstein

Any company can acknowledge the benefits of repeat business. The advantages to you are that once you are a known entity to your customer, you needn't go through the effort of selling yourself again. When you've created a satisfied customer, it is far more likely that they will prefer doing business with you again in the future. An added bonus of repeat business is that you don't need to go to the effort and expense to acquire new business - it's already done. As long as you keep up the quality of your offerings, you may well have a customer for life.

Is this always true, no matter your client? When your customer is the government, do these same customer-retention benefits hold true? Once you've done business with the government, it is more likely they will contract with you again in the future. According to Mary Scott Nabers, President/CEO of Strategic Partnerships, Inc., a 15 year old business development and research firm specializing in public sector marketplaces. "Government decision makers throughout the country talk to each other," she says. "Good performance on a public sector contract (as well as a reference account) can result in numerous similar opportunities throughout the U.S."

Once you have gone through the process of obtaining a contract to provide goods or services to the government, you are acutely aware of the process, which can be complex and lengthy but well worth it in the long run. When you've done business with the government in the past, you know that they pay competitively and reliably. That is a strong feature in their favor - the truth is, the government makes a good client. They also offer very large, high-profile contracts which will not only favorably increase your bank account but your portfolio.

There are differences, however, between gaining repeat business in the private sector as opposed to the public sector. While past favorable performance on a government contract can give you the confidence, stamina and good reputation to pursue future contracting opportunities, it is wise to refrain from becoming complacent. The government is a great customer to have but be aware that there can be significantly different requirements you'll need to fulfill in order to continue doing business with them.

Jeswald W. Salacuse, author of, Seven Secrets for Negotiating with Government -- How to Deal with Local, State, National or Foreign Government and Come Out Ahead, provides the following tips to help you stay competitive and insure repeat business with governments:

1. Stay aware of political developments in the community, state or country where you do business. Politics at all levels drives government purchasing decisions at all levels. Economic tells only part of the story.
2. Build relationships with support staff in the offices of agencies that make purchasing decisions and pay occasional visits to them to stay in touch. The decision makers in those offices come and go, but the support staff is usually is more stable and they generally know more about what is going on.
3. Keep abreast of the rules on procurement. Government procurement is a rule-driven process. The rules you mastered to sell your product last year may not be the same rules you will have to satisfy to make a contract this year. The rules are constantly changing. In understanding and meeting those rules, remember that one of their primary purposes is not just to secure a good product at a fair price but also -- and particularly -- to protect the government office or agency from criticism by others of its procurement decisions.

A key difference, then, in dealing with government agencies is that there is more for a government to consider than just business when determining with whom to contract for their goods and services. Governments are in the uniquely strategic position of needing to satisfy many diverse desires and opinions in the granting of their contracts. It may serve you well to cultivate relationships with those who work "in the trenches" who can really be your allies in keeping up with and navigating the contracting process.

So while it easier to get repeat business from your previously satisfied customers, it is not necessarily a given when dealing with the government. Consider those things that make the government a unique client when pursuing repeat business from them. You'll be repeatedly glad that you did.

Have you contracted with the government on numerous occasions? How did you incorporate their special requirements into your procurement strategy?

By Gina Blitstein

The Internet is the current repository for information - information of all kinds. Whatever we need to find, learn or retrieve, it's undoubtedly on the Internet. But how do we sift through it all to find the specific information we need to perform our jobs and stay competitive in the workplace? More importantly, how do we find it quickly and efficiently? Most likely the answer is a search engine and most likely that search engine is Google.

It's no secret in business that information is power and those who can gain the information they need work more effectively. You may need to research the competition, a new product or client or get up to speed on the latest industry trends. Those who possess, good search skills can save your business huge amounts of time in seeking out this vital information. Anyone who has tried to search the Internet for specific, targeted information is well aware of how a seemingly simple search can run into blind alleys and dead ends or completely off on a tangent before the actual sought-after information is found. Is it the fault of the search engine or the user? While search engine technology is constantly evolving, the search skills of Internet users is usually stagnant. The solution to retrieving the information we need is to hone our search skills using the tools available to us - and there are more tools available to us than we are probably aware.

How can one's search skills be improved? Jeff Alhadeff, VP of Product explains that his company, Boost eLearning, provides Google search training. Jeff says, "We are the first to provide an enterprise-class training solution that teaches users to effectively use Google Search." According to the Boost eLearning web site, "Our training empowers knowledge workers with the skills to fully leverage Google's unparalleled search technology, allowing them to easily discover business critical information, creating a significant competitive advantage to our clients."

How was the need for Google training first identified? According to Jeff, "It started when Boost eLearning executives realized Google's unparalleled search technology. Company founders had a background in corporate software application training, and knew that this full functionality would be a tremendous aid in enabling knowledge workers to find business critical information."

How does the training work? Jeff says that while there are other individuals who provide personal classes and training sessions on Google Search, Boost eLearning is the first to provide a professional eLearning offering that can be hosted on an organization’s learning management system (LMS). Specifically, the training focuses on three major components:

1. Learning to use the powerful search tools and filters that Google already has integrated within it.
2. Learning to use those tools and filters which allow you to search by date, region or even file type to put a fine point on your search. These filters even allow you to exclude certain unnecessary information from your search or search for images only.
3. Learning to put this information into a relevant and usable report.

How can you get access to this training program for your organization? Jeff says, "Boost eLearning hosts webinars demonstrating the benefits of Google's full functionality. The attendees see a benefit and want to see the same skills taught to their organization. We also conduct various PR activities: media relations, news announcements, etc."

Jeff sees two important benefits of Boost eLearning to companies and their employees:

1. Gain a competitive advantage by having better information.
2. Spend more time analyzing information, less time finding it.

Obtaining the business critical information you require need not be a time-wasting exercise in futility. Once employees master Google Search, high value information is at their fingertips. Jeff is pleased to offer this about the Boost eLearning training: "It is so easy to use. Once a person understands how to apply the filters and operators, finding information becomes fun. A person's natural sense of creativity or curiosity combine to make "finding business critical information" not a chore, but enjoyable."

It's empowering to know that with some in-depth, practical training on a ubiquitous product, your information gathering can be streamlined and efficient. You can embrace and leverage the power of knowledge!

Do you search for the information you need efficiently? Could your business benefit from Boost eLearning's trainings?

Edited: 04/19/2010 at 09:29 PM by Gina

By Gina Blitstein

Who are your clients? Sometimes you don't have the luxury of choosing with whom you work. You hope you can count on your clients to be easy to work with, pay you in a timely fashion, appreciate your efforts and offer repeat business. In many cases, however, you take on work without a lot of guarantees as to the amount of respect with which you'll be treated.

The way your clients treat you has a lot to do with the corporate culture of their company. You may assume that the larger a company is, the less considerate it would be toward the "little people" who provide them their goods and services. But what about THE biggest corporation...The United States government? As an enormous consumer of goods and services, chances are the government needs what your business sells. How is the government as a client? Perhaps surprisingly, the U.S government makes an ideal client, should you be willing and able to do the work involved to position yourself for their consideration as a vendor.

Mary Scott Nabers, President/CEO of Strategic Partnerships, Inc., a 15 year old business development and research firm specializing in public sector marketplaces says, "We help companies find and capture government contracts." In her capacity as a facilitator who assists companies seeking government contracts, Mary says, "The government is a great client because you know there is never any doubt about whether or not you'll get paid. And, if firms perform well on a government contract there is always follow-on work. Government decision makers throughout the country talk to each other. Good performance on a public sector contract (as well as a reference account) can result in numerous similar opportunities throughout the U.S."

Mary suggests the following guidelines when pursuing government contracts:

• Sell a solution. If you have a product or service, tie it to a problem the governmental entity needs to solve.

• Do your homework. Know as much about the public entity as possible. It is especially important to know the governing structure. In other words, who has budget control and is there an elected official who will be the ultimate sign off on all contracts.

• Always leave a meeting with a plan for "next steps."

• Ask the government entity how they like to make purchases. Many prefer cooperative purchasing programs so they don't have to go through a formal bid process. If that is the case, it is imperative to try to get involved with the appropriate program.

• Have patience. Government does not move quickly but the contracts are large and usually last for years.

Should you consider seeking out government contracts for your business? Dana Marlowe, Principal Partner and President of Accessibility Partners, a small, woman-owned IT consulting services company in the Washington, DC metro region suggests that indeed you should. According to Dana, the government is a very desirable client to have. Dana explains, "Our core focus is to assist Federal Agencies and Fortune 500 corporations in making their information technology accessible to people with disabilities."

Dana sees these four benefits to having a federal agency as her client:

1. Esteemed and credible client
2. Pay on time, thereby expectancy aids with cash flow in a small business
3. Friendly federal employees committed to their position
4. Once you have a contract, future procurement with that agency is sometimes easier

Accessibility Partners isn't the only company who is aware of the benefits of government contracts. Lisa Bell, President of Macell Incorporated says, "Our company did a computer system for our state's crime lab. The process was lenthly but we did get paid fairly quickly. They don't complain at all; in fact they are happy with the improvement and it is good to have that to use a reference."

These sources all agree that the U.S. government offers many qualities, including prestige, reliability and recognition of achievement that make it a desirable customer with which to conduct business. Follow the suggested guidelines to maximize your chances of winning the contract. When you fulfill your obligations and establish a good reputation with them, you'll enjoy the benefits of an appreciative, influential and responsive customer. What more can you ask of any client?

How do you define a great client? How could your business benefit from contracting with the government?