Business as usual isn't an option

Contractors doing business withthe federal government will finda tough business climate fororganic growth starting in 2009. Thecatalyst is not just a change in presidentialadministrations. For the first timein nearly 80 years, there is not anincumbent president or vice presidentrunning for president with an attendantlegacy of priorities to maintain. No matterwho becomes commander in chief,there will be a change in spending priorities,which will cause a proliferationof projections and predictions aboutwhere the emphasis will be placed.The growth in the government servicesindustry is also affecting the businessclimate. As a result, competitorsare vying for limited opportunities insome critical defense areas and fightingfor projected opportunities in thedomestic spending arena.Average performers will not survive.Over the years, we have found there'sone approach that can bring about positiverevenue growth regardless of thebusiness or economic climate. The keyis to shift the organization's culture toone with an active focus on businessdevelopment via three critical components:planning, people and process.Planning is the first step in any effortto meet change head on. Be careful notto confuse a laundry list of revenueobjectives with well-developed operationaland tactical business developmentplans. You must start with a singular,cohesive and unified businessdevelopment planning process tieddirectly to the corporate strategic planand focused on both organic andstrategic business development to generaterevenue.A strong business development culturefosters an active process that drivesthinking and behavior. That stance is180 degrees from simply reacting torequests for proposals. Without a principle-driven, integrated business developmentprocess that an entire organizationadheres to and uses, a companymight as well set growth objectives forthe stagnation level or worse.It is also important that the businessdevelopment process focus on identifyingand qualifying opportunities thatare linked to a capture process. Anaudit or step-by-step review processwill show whether your company identifiesand qualifies opportunitiesthrough intelligence gathering andthen positions them to feed into thebusiness development, capture andproposal processes.Companies must instill sustainable revenuegeneration as a bottom-up processthat stimulates growth across theorganization. All employees who interactwith potential or existing clientsmust understand that they are also in abusiness development role, regardlessof their operational responsibilities.Companies must institute that ideologyto ensure that the right individualsare identified and trained inthe thinking and behaviors necessaryto be successful in executingtheir roles from a hunting, farmingor capture-management perspective.Professional education alsoinstills a common language, processand culture among business development,capture, proposal andoperations teams.Without a business developmentplan and clear direction and leadershipabout how to execute the plan, the roadahead will be full of potholes.An objective understanding of yourorganization's current state can help youspot the challenges, address the shortcomingsand strategically align businessdevelopment plans, processes and personnelto proactively tackle the changesahead in the government arena.