Selling to the Government: Do You Have What it Takes?

There are many qualities of government salespeople that mirror those of sales professionals in other sectors.  Ambition, drive, lack of fear, competitiveness—all are characteristics that help a government salesperson rise to the top.  However, there are also a few personal qualities we believe are unique to government-sector sales success.  Let’s examine a few of these.

Sense of Mission

Whether selling to the Department of Defense, Federal agencies, or local officials, a sense of mission is prevalent in most of the great salespeople with which we’ve worked.  Generally, this is made up of a couple of things: 1) the strong belief that the product or service being represented will truly help a community or country achieve some greater goal, and 2) a respect for the fact that funds used for acquiring products and services ultimately stem from citizens in the form of taxes.  While we’re not suggesting every top salesperson we’ve encountered is the proverbial Boy or Girl Scout, we do see a correlation between success and deeper internal motivations and character.

 Process Orientation

Government procurement most often follows defined and detailed processes.  Such processes are in place to minimize biases in purchasing and ensure the government spends taxpayers dollars wisely (or at least that’s the theory).  This can be frustrating for salespeople skilled at “winging it” or accustomed to winning deals based on pure charisma.  Sure, a winning personality and outstanding presentation skills will give you an edge over competitors.  But, if you’re sloppy with details or irritated by “confining” procurement rules, you won’t win in government selling. 

Team Facilitator & Player

While lone mavericks may be held in high esteem in other sales sectors, government selling requires an inordinate amount of team facilitation and collaboration skills.  Customer solutions are often complex and customized, requiring diverse expertise just to put together a proposal.  Customer-preferred purchasing vehicles may mean a partner or reseller must be brought in to secure a deal.  While a government salesperson is typically the primary relationship manager, he/she is typically not the only one involved in making a sale.  If you don’t play nice with others, government selling is probably not the place for you.

Patience

Salespeople are not generally known for their ability to wait.  In fact, they’ve been taught to constantly move and “make something happen.”  While government selling requires substantial energy, activity, persistence and focus, there are times when a salesperson must deal with inactivity.  Procurement processes can bog down.  Elected or appointed officials may go in and out of office.  Budgets may be cut or held up for approval.  The government salesperson must not let these situations discourage him or her, but continue driving activities associated with pipeline building and relationship development--even while specific deals may appear to be stalled.

Up Next:  Does your company possess the characteristics required to thrive in government markets?  We’ll examine key predictors of company success within this sector.

 Rick and Lorin help companies increase government sales and marketing effectiveness through their firm, Galain Solutions, LLC.  For a FREE report entitled “Five Sales Rules to Break when Selling to the Government” email [email protected] or visit www.galainsolutions.com.