Marketing & Sales as a Schedule Contractor

Government Contract Solutions, Inc. GSA Services team will work with you at award time for what information, training & services we can provide.

Marketing yourself under the GSA Schedule Program is no different than marketing to any other customer.

You are still selling direct to a Federal agency. But the easier availability to the Federal buyer of a preferred contract vehicle shortens the sales cycle. You can define your product or service solution to fit the buyer need under each task order as long as you maintain your discounting practices and other terms and conditions that are the pre-negotiated part of your GSA Schedule contract.

Keeping abreast of Government-wide policy covering such areas as: use of small businesses and small-disadvantaged businesses, 8(a) program firms, issues about order bundling, time & material task orders, Information Technology and Management Technology convergences, and other GWAC vehicles ... all of this can impact your sales. Government Contract Solutions provides individualized support and general notification to clients about these areas as they change.

Some basic things that need to be part of your GSA marketing program:

• Create, distribute and update your price list. You are entitled to use GSA FSS logos in your advertising. Using them in your printed and online communications identifies you as a Multiple Award Schedule contractor.
• Participate in GSA Advantage!® and e-Buy.
• Make your own Web site friendly to GSA Schedule users.
• Use of Government databases to learn who is buying, what they are buying and why they are buying.

Selling

Having a GSA FSS Schedule contract does not guarantee you even a dollar of business.

It is your license to sell in the Federal Marketplace. But as you know the Federal Marketplace is BIG and knowing where to start is not intuitive. Selling teams have to operationalize the marketing concepts mentioned above.

Even though the Multiple Award Schedules Program mirrors commercial buying practices, and is the fastest, easiest and most effective contracting vehicles available, you still need to devote resources to selling your products and services. And your sales team needs to devote some time to understanding the procurement process because knowing what your potential buyer has to go through in his or her bureaucracy makes the selling process smoother. Larger firms have to set policies to maintain pricing and discounting disciplines among geographically dispersed sales teams.

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