FedSubK Feature: Shiny Sparkly Things and SLED

"Shiny sparkly things." We all like them. I know I do.

In a podcast hosted by Chelsea Meggitt, she and I and the great David Neal were talking and Chelsea used that term related to GovCon consultants and how you may not want to go with the "shiny sparkly things" because sometimes they are there to draw attention and distract you.

It got me thinking today...in William Randolph's Mindset Mondays sessions this past Monday we talked about the SLED (State and Local Government, and Higher Education) marketplace versus Federal marketplace. We talked about the differences in the marketing strategies. I mentioned that at the Federal level, businesses are always trying to be the "shiny sparkly things" to draw attention to themselves to attract the Government buyers. All those fancy and impressive differentiators where you talk about complex projects, etc.

But in the SLED space, depending on the level, that could be overwhelming. SLED entities have sometimes --

▶️ fewer resources,

▶️ fewer dollars, and

▶️ needs that, if met, can be much more immediately impactful.

Being the "shiny sparkly thing" at that level may come with the connotation that --

▶️ your services cost more,

▶️ you can't relate to their problems or concerns, and

▶️ you may not see them as an important customer within your client base because they have smaller projects.

If you are thinking of pivoting to other marketplaces, get to know them -- just like you did at the Federal level. Do your homework. Build the relationships. And as Juliet Fletcher MPA, CF APMP, CEO at Writing is Easy put it in the Mindset Monday call -- "you may want to start in your own backyard."

Think about all the possibilities that you haven't taken advantage of because of your focus in the Federal space and start to explore ALL of your options during these times of challenge and uncertainty.

(BTW...if you haven't attended William's Mindset Monday get togethers, consider it a safe space to talk about change and what it means in the Federal marketplace and GovCon space for businesses and consultants alike.)