Learn from the fierce and determined best-selling author of Government Contracts Made Easier Judy Bradt!
BACKGROUND
Judy Bradt is an expert speaker and author of the Amazon #1 Bestseller “Government Contracts Made Easier.”
She has over 32 years of experience in federal business development and strategy through her past affiliation to the Canadian Embassy as a Trade Commissioner and helping thousands of small and established businesses succeed.
She also continues to provide the above said services through her company Summit Insights, wherein they provide consulting services for established companies to win government contracts.
“The biggest lessons I’ve learned over the last 10 years are understanding not just the mechanics, but what happens on the journey to building relationships between humans in the federal arena. And that’s become the core of my practice. That’s what sets what I do apart from everyone else that you’ll talk to.”
3 THINGS YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW
1. Celebrate what you earned and what you learned.
Whatever it is that you went through or you are going through, celebrate it by yourself or with your family.
Take a moment to check what you have experienced this past month or year. Whether it is an accomplishment or failure, reflect on it and celebrate it.
“One thing I want you to do, is you’re launching your federal 2021, is stand up and celebrate. That’s the first thing.”
2. Do your hotwash.
If you continue spending thousands of dollars over the course of months without even analyzing where that money goes, then it’s most likely that you will be left empty handed the next time you check your pocket.
So, the second thing that you should do is clean up and do your hotwash. Analyze your contracting activities. If you failed to achieve your goal, what made you reach that point?
“You hit, fall, you clean up the fields. You make things tidy and make things ready for what’s ahead as the fields go quiet. If you’re a gardener, you’re planting bulbs, you’re throwing in pepper over top of the bulbs so the squirrels don’t get them. You’re readying things for the year ahead. And that’s what October, November, December is all about in the natural world, in the natural flow of federal contracting. So, hot wash, then cleaning things up. It’s your after action review.”
3. Give thanks.
It’s pretty sure that a lot of people have helped you towards where you are right now; so, why not give thanks to their little ways?
Write a thank you note to your employees, to that contracting specialist who helped you with your papers, to the contracting officer who approved your contract, and many others.
Be natural. Just give thanks. Make it clear what difference they made to you and also to the way you were able to serve their agency. That’s not hard.
“Remember we talked about their personnel files? Those letters from industry set your people apart from the ones that they’re competing against for promotions. That thank you letter that you write is life-changing. It is career altering in a good way.”
FOCUS, CONNECT, AND WIN!
1. Focus.
The first bucket that you should fill is to focus on what agency you want to serve. This also means that you should understand what they do and what they are looking for.
2. Connect.
Be in front of the right person with the right message and information at the right time.
“Buck up, be brave, make the call.”
3. Win.
The third bucket is to understand that your first win is not the million dollar or the micro-purchase win, your first win is the fact that they return your phone call or they open your email.
“Your next win is the conversation where you feel that connection, where you’ve made a difference for them because you’ve talked to that individual, federal human, about a thing that you know matters to them, because you did your research in the focus stage.”
RESOURCES
If you want to learn more from Judy Bradt, the fierce and determined best-selling author of Government Contracts Made Easier, then be sure to click the resources below. You can also visit the GovCon Giant website or the new GovCon Edu where you learn everything about government contracting!
079: Judy Bradt – Fierce, Determined and Best Selling Author of Government Contracts Made EasiER
https://govcongiants1.wpengine.com/podcast/079/
079: Fierce, Determined and Best Selling Author of Government Contracts Made Easier!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7cGPtfDks4
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