Tips for Marketing to the Public Sector

Tips for Marketing to the Public sector from a consultant who believes everyone would beneift if procurement was made more user-friendly and flexible.

A word of warning before deciding to market to the Public Sector. You will have to invest more time to and wait longer for decisions than if you pursue private sector clients. Government is not a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but it almost always pays invoices and doesn’t go bankrupt and if you forge relationships and maintain them well, you will find your company is gradually invited to more tenders. Rule 1: Saying Government is like saying Microsoft, Apple and IBM all in one breath. Targeting is key. No revelations there, but below are some targeting tips that I have found have helped SMEs in the design, new media sectors get government clients.

Target Agendas first. Target the people and departments that deliver on those agendas second.
Only bother pursuing tenders that have funding at least signed off or released.
Nurture relationships, but don’t waste too much time ‘helping’ civil servants trying to secure funds by writing funding documents or BIDS.
Find out who the decision maker is and try to establish a relationship with them directly.
Do your research first. If you target agendas, then your product / service should help deliver on that agenda.
Use their language. If you’ve done your homework, you will have picked up the ‘buzz words’ for your particular agenda. Use them in your marketing.
Build a public sector profile to reflect that you understand the agendas (ie: t-Gov, accessibility, digital divide, flexible working for example) you are targeting.
With regard to the large tendering lists now known as Catalyst (formerly S-CAT and G-CAT), I’d not bother with all the form filling and red tape. The best way to get these jobs is to partner with one of the large organisations already on the list – especially if you offer a niche service or innovative product.

A final word of advice for New Business:

Create realistic targets based on sound research. New Business needs to be targeted and focused if it wants to achieve results with the Public Sector. Until procurement is simplified, my advice is take the maverick approach!

For more advice, email sarah@counterpoint.bz or visit www.counterpoint.bz

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