TMCVocabulary
How to Sell Whole Product in Government Markets
By Bob Rutherford
Tactics
Effective engagement with the customer as a partner in seeking a best value solution is the key. This is a multi-axis approach that must include interaction with both the warfighters (who best understand the operational requirement), and the acquisition specialists (who best know how to get it to them). It is essential to identify the opinion leaders in these two groups; if opinion leadership and influence is hierarchical, it isn’t generally complicated. Gaining access to such individuals on the other hand has its challenges; however, most will make time to hear about advances in capability or new technology, especially if they have a need they are trying to fill. Influencing the opinion leaders to incorporate your company specific terminology (think: leader defined terms like “Band-Aid” & “Kleenex”) in writing a technical requirement or describing components or capabilities is a particularly effective way to shape solution requirements in the direction of your VOD and enhance your competitive edge.
Results & Lessons Learned
It is critical to create an effective process for customer engagement, particularly with the end user community, or warfighters, in the case of the military. Because government procurement is a relatively long process, customer engagement drives the requirements shaping process and, just as importantly, it drives the supplier’s technology and product strategy in real time. Senior officials do have the final procurement decision, but just as in public sector markets, the operational voice of the customer can be an amorphous, pulsating, uncoordinated cacophony. Getting requirements shaping, and product strategy, aligned to focus on the ultimate potential end user value requires that the supplier help the customer synthesize operational inputs – this is both a sales process challenge and a competitive advantage opportunity for the supplier.
