Three key sales strategies for public sector success

Struggling to get your foot in the door with the public sector? Well we have you covered, here are three key sales strategies to help you make those sales!

Selling to the public sector isn’t all that different from selling to the private sector, you still need to understand the problem and have the product or solution with the ability to solve it, sort of like right place right time…

The real challenge in trying to sell to the public sector is figuring out who you should be targeting, how to get in front of them and understanding how they procure their technology.

In this blog we will look at 3 key sales strategies to help kick-start your public sector sales and get you winning government business.

Work smart, not harder!

Targeting specific markets as opposed to everyone, particularly in a sector as complex as the government, is essential. Even if what you are selling is a CRM that could be used by multiple agencies and departments, break down your prospects into manageable chunks. There is nothing wrong with sitting down and saying, ok this year we are looking to target central government and then in the next two years have a plan to start branching out to local authorities, starting with those closest to you and then moving further afield.

To target effectively you should be looking to identify the needs of potential buyers; do your research and look at public sector news sources and see what departments are making noise about working on specific projects and where your solution could be the most beneficial. Keep an eye on contracts finder for advertisements for supplier market engagement. Get your face out there build a rapport with potential buyers and help shape future procurements in your favor.

Attend events and network

Engaging with current and prospective clients is arguably one of the most important sales strategies when it comes to selling to public or private sector. Attending events are a great way of doing this, there is nothing more valuable than face to face time with buyers. Just do some research on the event and look at the speakers and agenda, if you have an identity management solution and the conference is called ‘Think Digital Identity for Government’ it’s a pretty safe bet that not only will the talks be relevant, but you’ll have a room full of engaged prospective clients.

Sponsoring an event or even speaking at an event relating to your product is also a good way of building up your brand and solidifying your expert status. As the public sector has a relatively small IT community in which people often move between departments and agencies, spending time on building your reputation will likely bring rewards in the shape of new clients! But, be picky about what events you sponsor, quantity doesn’t always mean quality!

Patience is a virtue!

No sector has a reputation quite like the public sector for getting tangled up in a web of procedures and processes. Whilst, it is nothing like it was to sell to the public sector ten years ago with the advent of frameworks like G-Cloud which quite literally took the sting out of procuring tech. The public sector certainly goes at its own pace. But, you can speed things up by familiarizing yourself with public sector buying rules and regulations. Become an expert on how to get your tech bought quickly and compliantly. Read framework buyers guides, by understanding the official buying process you reassure the buyer you know what you are talking about and this in turn will allow them to be confident in your ability to offer them the correct solution.

It isn’t rocket science to sell to government, it just takes time, patience and a good strategy!