Springboard

We Make Sales Happen

How Fast can you Close Deals?

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When I’m asked a question like this I immediately start to wonder if this prospect is the right fit.  Why are they asking this question?  I get it, you’re looking for Return on Investment, I understand completely, you’re putting out money and you want to know the value of what you’ll receive in return and here’s the answer…I don’t know yet.

Let’s face it sales can be a bit of a crap shoot.  Anyone who guarantees you increases in sales/revenue at “x”% is without question lying.  A couple things we need to consider:

 

  • What’s your currently sales cycle?  Why is it that long?  Are there challenges that contribute to the length of the cycle or is it just that long?
  • Who is your potential buyer?  And why?  How do you connect with the potential buyer currently?
  • Do you have a presentation or marketing materials?
  • How do you price?
  • Who’s your competition?  What do they do really well?  What’s unique about you?

Many of these questions may seem silly but here’s why I ask:  We can typically shorten the time it takes to get to a decision maker but the sales cycle is the sales cycle.  You should not expect any major changes to the amount of time it takes someone to close a deal just because you’ve hired an outsourcing firm.  That being said it’s not uncommon for us to close deals in half the time it takes you but for others it may take longer.  It depends on the complexity of the deal, the process necessary to get the deal complete (RFP, multiple decision makers, large vs small deal, etc).  We find that many of our clients don’t have a strong grasp of their target market or they target someone they want to be a client but will never be one.  We find that many of our clients have little marketing materials that are usable while others have too much and it can become confusing for the prospect.  We don’t rely on marketing material but it can be a good conversation starter so it’s certainly helpful if done right.

When we ask you about your competition there’s nothing that drives me more insane then hearing you say “Well, our people are smarter and our service is better.”  As if your competition would actually say, even if it were true, that they hire below average staff and their service stinks.  This is the equivalent of telling your prospect “blahblahblahblahblah”.  What makes you unique, if you don’t know, it’s time to figure it out or you can forget competing – you’re essentially making yourself a commodity and now it’s all about price.

Pricing.  Oh pricing, it can be the devil in this relationship.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve taken a prospect into a decision maker for a deal that would double the revenue of their company only for them to price the project so far out of the realm of possibility that the prospect is literally in shock.  They loved you, you came highly recommended, they felt you could deliver and make them shine like the rock star they are and you blew it with cocky aggressive pricing and then you blamed me for losing the deal.  Here’s the deal, when it comes to closing with outsourced business development, it’s a partnership.  You rely on us to ensure you have a qualified lead, a decision maker with a budget and a strong connection either personally or professionally.  We rely on you to showcase your value, deliver high quality and always on time, and to price competitively.  We can go to bat for you if you’re within reason but if you’re off the mark, there’s nothing we can do to help.  In fact we’ve probably damaged that relationship by bringing you in the door.

So how fast can we close deals?  I don’t know, it’s different for every client.  Some happen within the first 2 months while others can take a year or two.  If you’re not viewing business development as an investment in your company’s future then perhaps it’s not right for you at this time.  If you’re counting every dollar and every minute that goes by you’re not seeing the forest through the trees.  Business development is about building the relationships that are going to change your business and when was the last time you built a long lasting, happy client relationship over night?

So, who do you work with?

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When we started the company almost 5 years ago our clients were very small professional services firms.  There’s nothing like starting a company several months before one of the largest economic downturns this country has ever seen and yet we’re still here today.  Over the years we’ve refined our business model and our target markets where now we represent professional services firms and government contractors in the $2-50,000,000 revenue range.  We’ve found that our sweet spot is $5-30,000,000.

Originally we only worked with professional services firms but around here everyone targets government contractors and they started asking “Can you do this for us?”  Originally I said no, it wasn’t our model and it would mean learning an entirely new business practice and you can just forget about learning all the acronyms.  Eventually we found the team that exists today that allows us to offer top notch service to our government contracting clients.

You’ve probably read our customer rants blogs but here’s why people come to work with us – we give them the strategic business development executive they want at the price they can afford specific to their target market/s.  It may be commercial, Federal government, state and local; it may be in NYC or it may be here in the DC metro area.  We’ll be the first to tell you if we’re not the right fit.  We have a Client Acceptance Protocol that helps us determine right fit clients and I’m accountable to the operations team and my business coach to ensure we aren’t bringing on anyone outside the parameters.

To see if outsourcing your business development needs makes sense, give us a ring at 410-832-7560, ask for Karin.

Meet the Springboard Team – Don Goff, Ph.D.

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Don has recently joined the Springboard team and we’d like to welcome him and share with you are excitement – Don brings amazing capabilities to our clients looking to expand in the Intelligence Community.

Dr. Goff has over forty years experience in business, education and the military. Nationally recognized for superior, innovative, and profitable approaches in cyber security, he built the first remote access laboratories for network security, intrusion detection, and forensics, and developed curriculum for Information Assurance and Homeland Security masters degrees which were designated a National Center of Excellence in Information Assurance Education by the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency. He has successfully developed profitable marketing programs for small businesses and has served as a Proxy Director for a foreign-owned cyber security company that grew its EBITDA from negative 1% to positive 10% in 5 quarters.

As a practitioner, he has experience in Information Assurance, Computer Network Operations, Certification & Accreditation, FISMA, NIST-800 series, DoD Instruction 8570.1 and other federal standards. He has written agency-level security policies and plans and provided written reports and chaired or participated in blue ribbon studies.

Dr. Goff works with his clients to identify and develop markets for its cyber security services, including SharePoint development and maintenance. He understands his client’s goals and works to build on current service offerings in the Department of Defense and other sectors including but not limited to healthcare and financial,as identified.  Dr. Goff will advise on federal and commercial market potential and access beyond his client’s current customer base; identify and evaluate potential markets and new customers; provide consulting services to interact with potential customers and clients to identify their needs; review technical and pricing volumes; assist in drafting technical and pricing volumes; introduce clients to potential additional target-specific marketers, as desired; and secure meetings with potential customers.

In addition, Dr Goff will provide subject matter expertise in cyber security and critical information protection in developing a strategic marketing plan for Springboard clients.  Actions may include identifying specific target clients from government agencies.  Deliverables will include developing a meeting and presentation schedule within the designated agencies and assisting in the preparation and development of meeting-specific marketing collateral.

Dr. Goff is a well know expert in and around the Intelligence Community, his expertise and ability to communicate with prospects is a true asset to Springboard clients.  If you’re looking to increase your opportunities at Fort Meade, NSA, the Intelligence Community or in the Department of Defense, Don may be an excellent fit to help you win business.  Call 410-832-7560 and ask for Karin.

Meet the Springboard Team – Mark Noletti

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Mark Noletti is a valued member of the Springboard team specializing in the Army Team C4ISR.  Here’s a little about Mark’s background:

He has nearly 30 years experience as a Manufacturer’s Representative and Management Consultant supporting Defense Contractors doing business with Army Team C4ISR Organizations at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, and Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), MD.

Since 1982, Mr Noletti has become a respected member of the Industrial C4ISR Representative Community at Fort Monmouth and not at Aberdeen Proving Ground. His C4ISR expertise focuses on Business Development and Service Providers forming an effective liaison with C4ISR Government, Military Personnel and Contractors assigned to the C4ISR Mission.

He deals with the following daily:

  • RFI, Pre-Solicitation Notices, DRFP, RFP, Release Notification
  • Research And Development Requirements and Trends
  • Planned Procurements For Current And future Years
  • Force Structure Transition Planning
  • Annual Budget (POM’s Forecast)
  • Congressional Plus Up Plans / Support
  • SBIR (Small Business Innovative Research)
  • CRADA (Creative Research And Development Agreements)
  • Value Engineering Change Proposals
  • Department of Army Pentagon Interface
  • Representation CECOM Organizations and Army Team C4ISR, PEO, PM, PDM and Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, (ACC-APG).
  • Small Business Services
  • Logistic Plans and Support
  • Sustainment Issues

Current Professional Experience / Activity

 

  • Provides services to clients at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), Maryland and Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
  • Monitors the Planning, Budgeting, Requirements and Mission of the Army Team C4ISR Organizations that function at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) and Fort Belvoir.
  • Advises clients of requests for information, business opportunities, call for papers, Symposiums, Seminars and Conference Schedules, Broad Agency Announcements (BAA), Advanced Technology Demonstrations, for inclusion to clients business planning.
  • Contributes in every facet of consultant’s activity for clients and often joins clients Field Service Organizations to be involved in fielding client products during DT and OT testing.

Professional Affiliations

  • Treasurer, APG Susquehanna Chapter AOC
  • National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA)
  • The Aberdeen Chapter Association of the United Sates Army (AUSA)
  • The Fort Belvoir Chapter Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA)
  • The Aberdeen Chapter Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA)
  • Northeast Maryland Technology Council (NMTC).
  •  Secretary, Industrial Representatives Association (IRA).

If you’re looking to expand your BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT operations within Army Team C4ISR, Mark may be a great fit.  Give us a ring at 410-832-7560 and ask for Karin.

Prospect Rant #6 My BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT person is NEVER in the OFFICE

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Rant #6 My BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT person is NEVER in the OFFICE!

Time spent in the office – now this one cracks me up.  “I never see them; they only stop in the office for a few minutes at a time then head right back out the door.”  If you’d like your BD person to sit in the office and play spider solitaire then you are wasting a lot of money, they are supposed to be out – meeting new people, holding meetings, creating partners, etc.  The last thing you want them to do is sit IN the office.  That being said if you have not created some type of communication system or accountability system then you may have a problem on your hands.  We’ve created a communication structure with our clients that allows them to be kept up to date and keeps us from having to fill out huge spreadsheets or databases.

Asking a Business Developer to spend time filling out spreadsheets is a colossal waste of time and most of them won’t do it anyway – it really goes against their core nature.  You do however need to be kept up to date in a reasonable fashion to ensure the pipeline is moving forward.  I would suggest an easy to manage CRM or communication structure.

The bigger issue is if your BD person IS ALWAYS IN THE OFFICE – then they have nothing to do …and that’s a real problem.  I find that most CEO’s struggle with the concept that this person should be out all day and yet when they are in the office, because they are usually a lot of fun no one notices that maybe they aren’t doing what they should be doing.  This BD role can also create challenges within the office – some employees may get upset that this person “gets paid for eating lunch and going to happy hour” so be mindful of the internal sabotage.  Part of this person’s role is to create relationships and that typically requires lunches and happy hours to network, with prospects or with clients.

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