Support Your Local Heroes

Last week at the AlexChamber Government Contractors Forum, Monica Bell gave a textbook recipe for how to restart a company in this ugly economy.

I read a lot and talk with many people and it was the first time I had heard the way she did it. Her solution had already worked and was something I could do.

Greg Linas had a unique strategy for almost eliminating bid and proposal costs while improving customer satisfaction and cash flow.

Tom Lantz had the best template for choosing what to emphasize about your company that I have ever seen.

Everybody stopped to catch their breath and Joe Shumard asked who people would like to learn from in the future?

POTUS, SecDef, Agency Secretaries, and CIOs were desired.

I’ve been lucky to work for several federal CIOs, and in every case they would say, “Dick, tell your people not to come to sell me, tell them to sell my people. I don’t have budget, projects, or interest. Being sold is not my job.”

If you don’t know what you are doing, go high.

When I’m selling, I know that a customer has a much closer point of view to a prospect than the salesperson does. Stands to reason that to learn how to improve your business, you probably will learn more from people improving their businesses than from potential customers.

While supporting several organizations I have learned that I would much rather hear from someone I know and care about than some guy from out of town carrying a skinny briefcase.

Acres of wisdom all around us and we want to go see the Queen.

If you don’t know what you are doing, go high.