Selling to the Government: 4 Tips to Increase Your Sales

Winning federal contracts can be challenging, and if you win the bid, you may feel like the hard work is over. In fact, as you begin your journey to doing business with the government, you may realize that selling to the government can be more difficult than it seems.

However, with a few simple strategies, you can boost your sales to the government and earn steady profits. We have compiled a list of a few helpful tips to increase your sales when selling to the government to help you get started on your journey to success.

4 Tips to Increase Your Sales When Selling To the Government

The following tips can assist your business in excelling in selling to the government and scoring sales like never before.

Focus On Creating a Government Marketing and Sales Strategy

Today’s businesses can use technology and online platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more to boost sales. Almost all major businesses have used effective online marketing strategies to advertise their products, boost brand awareness and attract more customers.

So why should you stay behind? You can also benefit from internet marketing by developing a government marketing plan to boost your sales. You may achieve this by strategically adding a government page to your business’ website, as well as by including whitepapers and case studies and working to create a powerful web presence on platforms like LinkedIn.

Most people visit a company’s website when they are interested in its products or services, and you’ve probably heard the phrase “the first impression is the last impression,” which also applies to your website.

Therefore, you must include a section devoted to your public sector and government offerings. Doing so can significantly raise public awareness of your business and encourage government agencies to contact you for your services and products.

Additionally, every social media site offers valuable features companies may use to boost government sales. However, research indicates LinkedIn is the primary channel for government clients; hence providing helpful information about your products and services and maintaining an updated profile on LinkedIn should be your top priority.

You and your organization may link with and engage among government officials by using LinkedIn to develop your presence online. This will help your business distinguish itself from the competition.

Determine Which Contract Vehicle Is Most Appropriate For Your Business

Contracting vehicles are multi-year Master contracts that are pre-negotiated with the federal government. These are typically used by the government when they anticipate they will be buying high quantities of a product or service in the near future, but don’t know exactly how much or when. These contracting vehicles allow government buyers to pre-negotiate the terms of the contract, then execute orders as needed in the future.

Considering the services or products you sell to the government is critical when choosing a contracting vehicle appropriate for your business. It is important to remember that your choice of contract vehicle heavily relies on the demographic you would be offering your services or products. For example, you may be more inclined to utilize GSA if you trade with the federal government.

Using a GSA Schedule, you can also offer your products and services to specific state and local organizations that engage in cooperative buying. Businesses may be required to sign up for their particular procurement site if they plan on selling to a local government or state government that doesn’t engage in cooperative procurement with GSA.

Contractors can now access all GSA MAS major categories for industries. This opens up new opportunities for several businesses since now businesses could now sell products and services that were initially beyond the scope of their contracts.

This is a crucial element of the newly added GSA MAS unified proposal, providing contractors with a tremendous chance to diversify their capabilities.

Recognize and Stand Out From Your Competition

Identifying your competition can help you develop better marketing strategies and figure out ways to stand out by offering clients something more than they are getting elsewhere. The best way to identify competition is to search for competitors that sell to the government in your sector and visit websites and LinkedIn platforms to see what makes them stand out.

Doing so will also help you identify where you might be lacking and help you improve your website or online profiles. You must remember that government organizations and officials go through several businesses when looking for a suitable contractor to work with and might not research each contractor in detail.

Therefore, you must ensure they see everything you want them to see on your website. Make sure to advertise and convey information about the things that set you apart from your competitors on the homepage of your website so that when government agencies open your website, they do not leave disappointed.

Moreover, as mentioned above, since LinkedIn is one of the top areas where government clients are looking for businesses to work with, you want to study the LinkedIn profiles of your competitors and focus on the content they are putting out there.

Hiring professional content creators and writers to study the LinkedIn profiles of your competitors and generate similar but better content that offers more is another great way to stand apart from the competition.

Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) Optimization

Government buyers use the SBA’s DSBS system to discover small company contractors for potential contracts. Therefore, if government officials are looking for companies in your industry sector, having a profile on DSBS will help you stand apart from competitors and appear in search results.

However, DSBS registration by itself is insufficient to increase government sales. This is where DSBS profile optimization comes in. Optimizing your DSBS profile will help you appear in the search results of government agencies and officials looking for businesses relevant to your sector.

Contact the Professionals for DSBS Optimization

DSBS registration and optimization can be challenging, especially for businesses that are doing it for the first time. Even if you manage to get the DSBS (Dynamic Small Business Search) registration done, you may need help to carry out DSBS optimization effectively.

Contact the federal contracting specialists at the Federal Contracting Center to conduct DSBS registration and optimization to help your business generate higher sales. We also offer several other services like GSA Schedule support, and SAM registration. For further queries on our services, feel free to call us at 1 (855) 700-5143.