G-Cloud 12 is now Live!

With G-Cloud 12 going Live for both suppliers and buyers - what's next? We've taken a look.

On Monday 28th September, G-Cloud went Live on the Digital Marketplace. This means that all successful suppliers’ services are now available to be procured by the public sector. With 5500 suppliers now awarded a place, a huge rise on the 4000+ on G-Cloud 11, there are now around 36000 services listed. This means that competition is getting tougher for suppliers. Around 7000 more listings means that there are a lot more solutions for public sector buyers to choose from.

You’re probably sick and tired of us saying it, but many suppliers still think it: G-Cloud is not a source of inbound sales. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen, it sometimes does, but it most definitely shouldn’t be used as one. G-Cloud 12 should be a jumping off point for all suppliers listed. Getting listed on the framework is just the start of a public sector journey – and is a route to market to help boost a sales and marketing strategy.

Here’s some top tips on what to do now…

Get knowledgeable

Make sure your teams know how G-Cloud works. This is essential. If a buyer comes to you to procure your services, you may have to convince them to use G-Cloud, or guide them through how it works. If your teams aren’t up-to-scratch with how it works, how are they going to do this? We offer bespoke G-Cloud workshops and training, as well as our online training course – so that your teams can maximise their knowledge and turn it into results.

Get marketing

As we said, G-Cloud should be a part of your sales and marketing strategy. Suppliers still need to get out there and market to the public sector and do the grafting. G-Cloud just provides a route for you to be procured and shows you’re willing to do business with the public sector. Get some great case studies together, make sure you’ve got a public sector landing page on your site, utilise social media and get connecting! We love giving public sector marketing tips.

Get your listings buyable

Now that you’ve got a prime position in front of the public sector, make sure they can actually buy your services. You can still update and edit parts of your listing such as your features and benefits during G-Cloud 12. Suppliers should make sure they’re easily searchable and, most importantly, compliant to do business with. If something on your listing isn’t compliant, such as pricing, it means that they can’t buy your services – wasting all of that effort marketing your solutions.

If you’re unsure if your listing is buyable or not, we have our Buyability™ Review Service.