Allen Federal sees enough odd things happen in government contracting to remind us of the old American Express Traveler’s Cheque commercials (look it up if you’re under 50).  Just like those commercials’ tag line “Don’t let this happen to you”:

1. Be Prepared:  Few things can be as frustrating as preparing for a meeting only to have the people you’re meeting with unprepared.  Not only do you leave a bad impression, making it tough to get business or even a second meeting, you waste the other peoples’ time.  Although you may take being prepared as a given, not everyone is based on what we’ve seen.  It’s also important to be prepared with accurate and complete information and have complete contract files should the need arise.  Make sure you know what pool you belong to.

2.  Be Vigilant:  New reporting requirements are coming out right now on veterans hiring reporting and Affirmative Action Plans (AAP’s).  In addition, feds are starting to collect data on more personal socio-economic information types.  It may be a short line from feds to federal contractors.  Make sure your company is on top of its current reporting requirements and has a decent idea of what’s coming next.  Then see step one.

3.  Be Focused:  The temptation to look both far and near for federal business opportunities can be overwhelming.  This saps resources and time.  Being focused isn’t necessarily being myopic.  It really comes down to ensuring resources are well deployed in all situations.

Plus, what may have seemed like a good prospect last quarter may not pan out now.  Make sure your company is focused on what matters and is neither too aggressive nor overly patient.  Companies can spend a lot of time chasing new market trends and sales techniques.  Sometimes, though, minding basics such as these is all you really need.