Do’s and Don’ts of the 2018 Shutdown

Don’t Target Affected Agencies

The shutdown affects each agency differently. GovExec published a handy chart to show which agencies are most affects by the shutdown.  In most instances, procurement and contractors are affected at the same rate. This means you probably won’t be able to make any headway with these agencies during the shutdown.

Do Pursue Other Avenues

If your core business is in one of the largely affected agencies (like National Park Service), Now is a great time to market to other agencies that could be buying from you. One of the best ways to find these agencies is isiFederal Market Essentials intelligence research. This intel will give you a clear view of what your competition is winning, where and most importantly who is buying.

Don’t Panic

Don’t let the politics of the shutdown get in the way of your federal strategy. Whether you love or hate what is happening in DC, at the end of the day, money is going to be flowing with huge implications this September.

Do Prepare for Life After Shutdown

Getting to decision makers is still your best avenue to success and you can be getting prepared right now to get in front of key decision makers (see the next article). So, who needs to know about you after the shutdown?That depends on what you sell but in most instances there are 3 or key decision makers in each opportunity including:

Contracting Officers – Job is to procure and work out the contractual details.

Project Managers – Responsible for assembling requirements and defining required capabilities.

Technical Representatives – Responsible for bridging the gap with requirements and contracting.

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