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Selling to the Government: What It Takes to Compete and Win in the World's Largest Market
Learn the crucial ins and outs of the world’s largest market
The U.S government market represents the largest single market―anywhere. Government contract tracking firm Onvia estimates that government business―federal, state, local, and education―represents better than 40 percent of the nation’s GDP. While anyone can play in this market, only those with the right preparation can win.
Selling to the Government offers real-world advice for successful entry into the biggest market anywhere. Get proven approaches, strategies, tactics, and tools to make your business stand out, build relationships, understand procedures, and win high-stakes contracts.
• Every year thousands of companies enter the massive U.S. Government (BtoG) marketplace, and by the end of the first year, most are gone and less than 10 percent make it to year two
• Author has advised hundreds of companies, including Apple, Dell, CDW, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, IT, GTSI, and many small firms, on all aspects of marketing and selling to the government
From the go/no-go decision, through company infrastructure requirements, marketing, sales, business development, and more, this book offers the best advice from the most recognized authority in the market.
The U.S government market represents the largest single market―anywhere. Government contract tracking firm Onvia estimates that government business―federal, state, local, and education―represents better than 40 percent of the nation’s GDP. While anyone can play in this market, only those with the right preparation can win.
Selling to the Government offers real-world advice for successful entry into the biggest market anywhere. Get proven approaches, strategies, tactics, and tools to make your business stand out, build relationships, understand procedures, and win high-stakes contracts.
• Every year thousands of companies enter the massive U.S. Government (BtoG) marketplace, and by the end of the first year, most are gone and less than 10 percent make it to year two
• Author has advised hundreds of companies, including Apple, Dell, CDW, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, IT, GTSI, and many small firms, on all aspects of marketing and selling to the government
From the go/no-go decision, through company infrastructure requirements, marketing, sales, business development, and more, this book offers the best advice from the most recognized authority in the market.
- GenresBusinessGovernment
256 pages, Hardcover
First published November 23, 2010
17 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Mark Amtower
11 books4 followersAccording to Guy Timberlake, CEO of The American Small Business Coalition, Mark Amtower is the “Godfather of government marketing.” Government marketing veteran Bob Gosselin of EMC called Amtower “the best of the best of government marketing gurus.”
Author, consultant, speaker and radio host Mark Amtower has focused on one market – Global One - doing business with government - for twenty-five years. Known in Washington, DC for his all-black attire with no tie, Mark is by far the most influential and candid voice in business-to-government marketing, quoted in hundreds of articles, doing interviews on business-talk radio around the country, speaking at multiple conferences and seminars each year (including the now infamous Amtower’s Laws of Survival and Success speech), and writing over 50 articles a year. He has been profiled in Federal Computer Week (October, 2005) and Entrepreneur magazine (July 2006), and was on the cover of Network World in 2002.
Amtower’s reputation in the government and business-to-business market is predicated on his knowledge, candor, honesty and ability to simply say “I don’t know.” Over the years this has led to his having a large, loyal following. With the July, 2005 debut of Amtower’s Laws of Survival and Success at the Merit Direct annual client conference, people got the first public insight into the ethics he strives to live by. The speech, according to one attendee, was “like Steve Covey’s ideas being presented by Conan the Barbarian – this is a no-nonsense, ‘better listen to me’ kind of guy.” The audience loved it.
Why Epiphanies Never Occur to Couch Potatoes evolved from the 2005 speech to become Amtower’s public statement on the benefits and rewards of living the good life- defined in your own terms, told in his patented no-hold-barred, simple and direct style. As Olga Grkavac, Vice President of the Information Technology Association of America says, “Amtower is a true original.”
Author, consultant, speaker and radio host Mark Amtower has focused on one market – Global One - doing business with government - for twenty-five years. Known in Washington, DC for his all-black attire with no tie, Mark is by far the most influential and candid voice in business-to-government marketing, quoted in hundreds of articles, doing interviews on business-talk radio around the country, speaking at multiple conferences and seminars each year (including the now infamous Amtower’s Laws of Survival and Success speech), and writing over 50 articles a year. He has been profiled in Federal Computer Week (October, 2005) and Entrepreneur magazine (July 2006), and was on the cover of Network World in 2002.
Amtower’s reputation in the government and business-to-business market is predicated on his knowledge, candor, honesty and ability to simply say “I don’t know.” Over the years this has led to his having a large, loyal following. With the July, 2005 debut of Amtower’s Laws of Survival and Success at the Merit Direct annual client conference, people got the first public insight into the ethics he strives to live by. The speech, according to one attendee, was “like Steve Covey’s ideas being presented by Conan the Barbarian – this is a no-nonsense, ‘better listen to me’ kind of guy.” The audience loved it.
Why Epiphanies Never Occur to Couch Potatoes evolved from the 2005 speech to become Amtower’s public statement on the benefits and rewards of living the good life- defined in your own terms, told in his patented no-hold-barred, simple and direct style. As Olga Grkavac, Vice President of the Information Technology Association of America says, “Amtower is a true original.”
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 7, 2018
Mark Amtower is a renowned person in the Federal community. His books gets into the weeds with the tricks and trades of selling to the Federal Government. You can use this to create your business plan for next year.
August 6, 2018
Good book for smaller businesses looking to sell to government. Found it less useful as an introduction to understanding how the bigger contractors compete.
February 9, 2015
I believe this book is intended for someone who has simply thought about starting up a contracting firm or company but never sought out more information previous to reading this. Throughout the book you will notice the simplistic style and the author's attempts to break it down for the lowest common denominator on how to break into government contracting.
People who have no experience in contracting will find this a helpful tool as a first place to start. There are numerous references to help readers and point them in the right direction on where to start looking for information.
Having said that, the book is not very specific and calls for the reader to do a lot of information searching and general research on their own. There's quite a bit of name-dropping in certain chapters and I felt it was more the author's prerogative to give shout outs for no reason rather than to inform.
Much of the information in the book is available on the internet, in fact the book tells you to refer to web links quite a few times which might be good for a "For Dummies" book but I was expecting a little more.
People who have no experience in contracting will find this a helpful tool as a first place to start. There are numerous references to help readers and point them in the right direction on where to start looking for information.
Having said that, the book is not very specific and calls for the reader to do a lot of information searching and general research on their own. There's quite a bit of name-dropping in certain chapters and I felt it was more the author's prerogative to give shout outs for no reason rather than to inform.
Much of the information in the book is available on the internet, in fact the book tells you to refer to web links quite a few times which might be good for a "For Dummies" book but I was expecting a little more.
May 3, 2012
If you are exploring the possibility of selling your products or services to the Government you MUST read this book. The book will guide you through the different stages of selling, from business development all the way through the different acquisitions vehicles, and even touch on how to leverage social media. This book will save you time (years), money, and mistakes, even if you are already selling to Global One (the Government).
Memorable quote in the book: "
The Lord's player contains 56 words; the Gettysburg Address, 266 words; the Ten Commandments, 297 words, the preamble to the Declaration of Independence, 300 words. The U.S. government specification describing a chocolate chip cookie? It contains 25,600 words!"
Memorable quote in the book: "
The Lord's player contains 56 words; the Gettysburg Address, 266 words; the Ten Commandments, 297 words, the preamble to the Declaration of Independence, 300 words. The U.S. government specification describing a chocolate chip cookie? It contains 25,600 words!"
June 1, 2013
That's what I am looking for. It's an eye opening to a new and big wait a minute not big, but a huge market! It gave me a lot of insights on how to do business with the government sector. I know that most of the information focusing on the government sector in the States. But we can take what can be applicable to the Middle East and readjust a lot of the ideas to action. A must read.
May 17, 2011
Excellent primer on selling to the federal government for CEOs thinking of or ready to enter that market.
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August 1, 2013A very helpful book for anyone involved in federal contracting.
August 18, 2017
Excellent read on the basics of selling to the Government. Excellent lists of resources and tips and tricks.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews