By Luis Valdivieso

Now that the end of the U.S. Government’s budgeting fiscal year is almost over, it’s time to ask some difficult questions. Were you successful in gaining any new contracts? Did you meet your goals? The question I feel is the most important of all is, did you execute your capture plan? This last one has the implied question of “do you have a capture plan”? As the saying goes, failing to plan is planning to fail.

Most of us understand the basic need for plans. We understand business plans, transition plans, budgets, or marketing plans as essential to being successful. All too often what’s left out is the planning for your sales activities. Depending on the organization, that can include which databases to use, sales script, and of course goals. After evaluating sales processes, it makes it easier to create a worthwhile and timely pipeline.

Far too many businesses looking to supply the U.S. Government simply believe they can be successful by waiting for a RFP to be released, and that’s usually too late in the process. To be successful, we need to plan ahead of time. Something you have thought through already that can help you execute throughout the year. That goes as much for a budget, as a sales pipeline. With a plan you can prioritize. With a plan you can hold people accountable. With a plan you can improve processes. Most importantly, with a plan you can have success.

Do you have a plan?