DON’T ASSUME THE CUSTOMER KNOWS YOUR BUSINESS
Did you know that the VA FSS FCP was formulated by the NON-FAMP, which itself factors in FAMP, WAC, CPI-U, and other measures? While companies selling pharmaceuticals to the feds know all about this, to the rest of us it might as well be hieroglyphics. It can be this way for your customer, too. While you work in your environment every day, your customer may not. You just can’t assume that the customer knows jargon specific to either your company or industry niche. If you don’t take the time to make sure they really know what you’re talking about you run the risk of either losing that customer or delivering a solution that they have no idea how to use effectively. While end users may know the most, in order to sell effectively in government you need to be able to communicate with managers, finance people, and contracting officers. These people all have their own special language that would likely leave you in the dust. Make sure you take the time to “say it in English” so that everyone you work with understands exactly what you’re talking about.