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Getting the Most Out of GovCon CRM - Sales Force Automation for Government Contractors


Selling to government agencies requires a different approach from most sales processes, and therefore a customer relationship management (CRM) system bust reflect the way that your company behaves as a government contractor in order to get the most from your software investment.

InfoStrat's Dynamics 365 for Government Contractors is one of our most popular solutions, and it continues to evolve in order to suit our large and small government contractor customers. 

Here are some top hints on how to get the most of our your CRM which are embodies in InfoStrat's Dynamics 365 for Government Contractors:
  1. Integrate with government contract information services. There are many subscription data services for GovCon which cater to specific industries and to target customers.  Deltek GovWin has been the leader in U.S. Federal opportunity data, and Onvia (owned by Deltek) has been the leader in state and local contracting opportunities.  Integrating with these services can save you time by allowing you to create opportunities in your CRM based on search results with these or other services.
  2. Make your CRM match your structured sales process. Your CRM should match your company's sales process, such as that defined by Shipley Associates. For instance, you may have gate reviews at key junctions in the sales process when you determine whether to proceed or not proceed (bid) on an opportunity. 
  3. Create more than one business process flow. Most government contractors follow a simpler set of steps when responding to a request from an existing customers.  Pursuing a task order is also different from winning a new contract vehicle such as a blanket purchase agreement.  Therefore, you should have as many business process flows as you need to reflect your sales processes. 
  4. Force adoption through executive order. No CRM system can succeed without user adoption, and business development people often resist change.  This means that a new CRM system requires uncompromising executive sponsorship. Tell sales staff that they will not be paid on opportunities which are not tracked in CRM, and based sales review meetings on the contents of CRM rather than spreadsheets or PowerPoint presentations.
  5. Refine your CRM through continuous improvement. Government contracting is a highly competitive field, and success requires you to examine your performance and improve your processes continuously to remain competitive.  CRM is a scorecard of sales performance, and it allows you to track detailed information surrounding opportunities.  You can perform analsyis to reveal subtle patterns which may point you to new pathways to success. 
Ultimately your CRM will become one of your company's most valuable assets because it tracks sales and marketing behavior.  Your custom reports will reflect how you look at your sales, and reveal how your government contracting business is positioned. 

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