Those of us who are movie buffs will remember Julia Roberts giving a similar / not similar line to Hugh Grant in Notting Hill ("I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her," is the movie line.)
Well, not everyone is interested in listening, but I try my best on the platform that is LinkedIn. And on it I learn something new about the GovCon space every day. Some things are fun and others not so fun.
Today I got labeled a "Fed reciting an SOP on process" (paraphrasing more nicely than it was stated) from someone I looked to as a quasi-mentor in this space. I made a comment (since deleted) on a post from my default perspective...a former Fed that knows process like the back of her hand. My bad, but it is who I am. They nailed it. Congrats!
I don't do business development or sales. I do "process" and "real life experience" from being the Contracting Officer or higher level Contracting supervisor. I've spent decades honing that knowledge and can usually explain those rules and processes in an easy to understand way to others. (Okay, I'm a process and policy nerd, too, because I actually ENJOY picking processes and policy apart to understand why they exist (or shouldn't)). There is a lot of nuanced detail and context that does matter. The "devil is in the details", as they say.
I was told the post I commented on was about sales to Feds and it was also pointed out to me I knew nothing about sales. But I was on the receiving end of those sales visits and calls and emails so I know what worked. And I know process. If you are selling to the wrong person at the wrong time in the Federal process, it's a HUGE turn off. The Contracting Officer is usually thinking, "Great. They don't get it and I don't have time to explain it to them." Businesses are often told by GovCons that COs/KOs are in charge of things they actually don't control.
AND...that's why you may get the brush off from a Contracting Officer. I know because I felt like doing that ALOT as a Contracting Officer and likely did unintentionally during busy times of the year. And it does happen.
If you're lucky, the CO/KO will take the time out of their schedule to point you to the person who has that knowledge or maybe explain it to you. Many times they won't.
Those of us in the Federal space working to help small businesses understand this market better should be open to having complimentary view points shared so that our combined information provides a well-rounded point of view to those looking to us for guidance.
My three cents (inflation). 🤷♀️
Comentarios