Advice Cloud

G-Cloud experts and government procurement consultants

0330 124 4224

  • About
  • For Suppliers
    • For Suppliers
    • Our Framework Services
      • G-Cloud
      • Digital Outcomes & Specialists
      • Technology Services
      • Transport Technology & Associated Services
      • Medical IT
      • Network Services
      • Technology Products
      • Data and Application Solutions
      • Other Frameworks
    • Our Support Services
      • Buyability™ Review Service
      • Win with G-Cloud
      • Win with DOS
      • Win Public Sector Business
      • Win Central Government Business
    • Our DPS Services
      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Cyber Security Services
      • Automation Marketplace
      • Spark Technology Innovation Marketplace
      • IoT Technologies Services
      • Digital Technology Services
      • Quality Assurance and Testing for IT Systems
      • Gigabit Capable Connectivity
      • YPO Care Technology
      • HSCN Access Services
    • Why Choose Us?
      • Case Studies
      • Our Experience
      • Our Process
  • For Buyers
    • For Buyers
    • Our Services
      • G-Cloud Support Desk
      • G-Cloud Procurement Services
      • Digital Outcomes and Specialists
      • General Support Services
      • UKCloud Health services
    • Why choose us
      • Our Experience
  • Training
  • Spend data
    • Spend data
    • Spend Data
      • G-Cloud Sales
      • Digital Outcomes and Specialists and Digital Services Sales
  • Resources
    • Resources
    • Procurement Essentials
      • Procurement 101
      • What is a Framework?
      • What is a Dynamic Purchasing System?
    • Ultimate Guides
      • Ultimate Guide to G-Cloud
      • Ultimate Guide to Digital Outcomes and Specialists
    • Tools
      • G-Cloud Sales
      • DOS and Digital Services Sales
      • Procurement Pipeline
      • Framework Alert
    • Resources
      • Blogs
      • G-Cloud
      • DOS
      • Business Guides
      • Expert Insights
      • Research
      • Events
      • Press
      • Videos
      • Announcements
  • Contact Us
G-CloudDigital Outcomes & SpecialistsTechnology ServicesTransport Technology & Associated ServicesMedical ITNetwork ServicesTechnology ProductsData and Application SolutionsOther Frameworks

Making the most of Digital Outcomes & Specialists 5

Join our upcoming webinar, on Thursday 11th February, 11am until 12noon, to learn how to use DOS5 to win more public sector business.

REGISTER

Buyability™ Review ServiceWin with G-CloudWin with DOSWin Public Sector BusinessWin Central Government Business

Making the most of Digital Outcomes & Specialists 5

Join our upcoming webinar, on Thursday 11th February, 11am until 12noon, to learn how to use DOS5 to win more public sector business.

REGISTER

Artificial IntelligenceCyber Security ServicesAutomation MarketplaceSpark Technology Innovation MarketplaceIoT Technologies ServicesDigital Technology ServicesQuality Assurance and Testing for IT SystemsGigabit Capable ConnectivityYPO Care TechnologyHSCN Access Services

Making the most of Digital Outcomes & Specialists 5

Join our upcoming webinar, on Thursday 11th February, 11am until 12noon, to learn how to use DOS5 to win more public sector business.

REGISTER

Case StudiesOur ExperienceOur Process

Making the most of Digital Outcomes & Specialists 5

Join our upcoming webinar, on Thursday 11th February, 11am until 12noon, to learn how to use DOS5 to win more public sector business.

REGISTER

G-Cloud Support DeskG-Cloud Procurement ServicesDigital Outcomes and SpecialistsGeneral Support ServicesUKCloud Health services

Read our 'Social Value in IT procurement' White Paper!

Social Value seems to be the hot procurement topic at the moment. But, what is it and does it have a place within IT and Digital procurement? Download our free White Paper.

READ NOW

Our Experience

Read our 'Social Value in IT procurement' White Paper!

Social Value seems to be the hot procurement topic at the moment. But, what is it and does it have a place within IT and Digital procurement? Download our free White Paper.

READ NOW

G-Cloud SalesDigital Outcomes and Specialists and Digital Services Sales

Grab a copy of our Public Sector Sales & Marketing Guide!

Our expert advisers and staff have put together this in-depth report to help you get to grips with navigating the Public Sector market. Grab your FREE copy here.

DOWNLOAD

Procurement 101What is a Framework?What is a Dynamic Purchasing System?

Download our free Guide to DOS Tenders!

Get expert advice and tips on how to write winning bids for opportunities on the Digital Outcomes and Specialists framework.

DOWNLOAD

Ultimate Guide to G-CloudUltimate Guide to Digital Outcomes and Specialists

Download our free Guide to DOS Tenders!

Get expert advice and tips on how to write winning bids for opportunities on the Digital Outcomes and Specialists framework.

DOWNLOAD

G-Cloud SalesDOS and Digital Services SalesProcurement PipelineFramework Alert

Download our free Guide to DOS Tenders!

Get expert advice and tips on how to write winning bids for opportunities on the Digital Outcomes and Specialists framework.

DOWNLOAD

BlogsG-CloudDOSBusiness GuidesExpert InsightsResearchEventsPressVideosAnnouncements

Download our free Guide to DOS Tenders!

Get expert advice and tips on how to write winning bids for opportunities on the Digital Outcomes and Specialists framework.

DOWNLOAD

BlogsPublished: 30 October 2018

The benefits and challenges of public sector targeting

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS

Selling to gov can be tricky if you don't zone in on a particular department or sector. In this blog we explore the pros and cons of a targeted sales approach.

Public sector targeting

When it comes to selling to the public sector, it can be hard to know where to start. This confusion can often result in businesses setting their sights on whole public sector!

However, the maze can be navigated, the case can be solved, and the public sector can be sold to – it just comes down to targeting the right department. In this article we’ll look at the benefits and the challenges of public sector targeting and find out whether a targeted approach is right for you.

Benefits:

  • Provides you with a clear focus in a very complex market

Targeting a sector helps you avoid wasting your time on trying to engage with anyone and everyone and as a result not reaching anyone.  Your message won’t resonate with every buyer, particularly in a system as complex as the public sector.

  • Saves time and money

Targeting everyone means suppliers can easily spread themselves out too thinly. As an SME, or in fact any business with time, budget or capacity restraints, not being refined in your approach means you could be over-pressuring yourself.

Find your perfect buyer webinar recording

Smarter targeting means you can make far more effective marketing pushes within your restraints and reap the rewards for it.

  • It’s best practice

When you are selling into the public sector, particularly if you don’t have an impressive sales track record already, getting your target market right is key.

Successful sales and marketing in the public sector is about knowing your buyer. Focusing on one or two sectors makes that much easier. Marketing and Sales can be customised to fit their needs specifically making your offering the right one!

Becoming familiar with one or two sectors means before long you’ll know the ins-and-outs – and who to get in touch with for different queries, you’re clued up on news and events, and you’ll become a trusted brand/face. This extensive knowledge leads to more sales.

  • It can position you as an expert

Being highly knowledgeable about one or two sectors, as opposed to having a basic grasp on all of them, means you will quickly become an expert in that field, which is great for your branding.  With time and a good marketing and sales strategy you could become an expert in issues faced by xxx department. Of course, your solution will be exactly what they need to solve them!

  • Targeting is great for research and development (R&D)

With particular sectors in mind, you can develop and adapt your solutions or your products to cater more specifically to clients.

With a deep knowledge of a sector comes the ability to improve and expand upon a solution or a product. Effective targeting can not only grow your sales, it can develop your solutions and show you the gaps you need to fill to become even more successful.

Challenges

Where there’s an up there’s a down, and where there are benefits, there are also challenges!

  • Potentially missed revenue

This is the big and obvious one – if you take a narrower approach, you can effectively be cutting out chunks of your audience, which can mean you miss out on revenue.

As well as this, keeping all your eggs in one basket means that you could be more vulnerable to the competition.

Find your perfect buyer webinar recording

  • Choosing your target market is hard.

For a supplier whose solution fits many areas of the public sector, choosing which sectors to target can be hard. The same is true if you’ve had little or no experience with the public sector – it can be difficult to know where to start!

  • It’s possible you could be hindering your R&D

Each area of the public sector is different, and the development of solutions could benefit from the experience gained from these different areas.

  • What if it doesn’t work?

For an SME in particular, a failed marketing and sales strategy can have a big impact. Changing the way you market can be a risky business, especially for a small company that might not have the same resources to fall back on as a large company.

If you decide to target your solution at one or two sectors and it doesn’t work out, you’ll have to start from scratch, which can take up a lot of time and budget you might not have.

Making the decision

So, the question remains should you stick with targeting everyone and hope someone takes notice, or should you drill down and find that gov department that could really use your help? Changing your sales and marketing strategy can be a risk, but it can be a risk that pays off well in the long run!

If what you are doing is not working at the moment or you had some success but would like to have more, maybe the issue is in your targeting. Public sector is such a big and very complex beast, so it is not surprising that developing a sales and marketing strategy that works can be a challenge. In our experience, and we have over 80 years of it between us, getting your target market absolutely right and understanding their needs and problems is critical to winning business.

Find your perfect buyer webinar recording

Share

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS

Tags: public sector procurement, public sector sales

Advice Cloud Latest

  • What is transport technology?
  • Views from our Client & Partner Day 2021
  • DOS5 is now Live!
  • Webinar: Making the most of Digital Outcomes and Specialists 5
  • New year, new public sector strategy?
Tweets by @AdviceCloud

Related Posts

  • 2020 procurement roundup

    2020 Procurement Year in Review

    We've taken a look back over 2020 and picked some stand-out moments. Here's some key things that have happened this year, and what to expect in 2021.

    Read more
  • Procurement and Brexit: What’s happening?

    What's happening with procurement and Brexit? We get asked this a lot! Here's some updates.

    Read more
  • About
  • For Suppliers
  • For Buyers
  • Training
  • Spend data
  • Resources
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie policy
  • © 2021 Advice Cloud
wiredsussexchambermembertechukcrownsupplierSussex Business Awards 29Brighton and Hove living wageCyber Essentials CertifiedInnopsis

Advice Cloud Limited | Registered in England | Company Registration no 05776223
Registered Office: Advice Cloud Ltd, 15-17 Middle Street, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1AL

We use cookies to improve your website experience. For example we use cookies to show you relevant webinars, content etc.

We have placed cookies on your device to help make our website better. Some of the cookies we use are essential for our website to work.

We also use some non-essential cookies to collect information to provide you with a better experience and to improve Our Site by better understanding how you use it.

You can use this tool to change your cookie settings.

To control third party cookies, you can also adjust your browser settings.