Game Changers for Government Contractors

We all have goals we struggle with, no matter who we are. Whether it's feeling like we're getting close but experiencing a setback, or simply finding ourselves unable to make meaningful progress, it can be incredibly frustrating. But what if there was a hack that could help you break free of your goal struggles? Recently, I was grappling with one of my own goals when a lightning bolt of insight st...

In this episode, we'll be discussing a topic that's been on the minds of many CEOs and hiring managers lately: whether or not to fire your recruiters. In today's challenging economic times, it's more important than ever to find the right candidates for your organization. However, some companies may be tempted to cut costs by reducing their recruiting team or even firing them altogether. But is thi...

If you are brand new to government contracting or if you are struggling to get past performance, this podcast is for you. In this episode, Michael LeJeune is going to give you an overview of where to focus your time and energy to quickly gain past performance. Michael talks about using a hybrid teaming approach, what the breakdown of your pipeline should look like (sub versus prime opportunities),...

A marketing campaign doesn't just magically come together overnight, it takes time to iron out important project details like the campaign's purpose, goals, requirements, messaging, demographics, and other key information. This can be a daunting task but there are a few actionable tips you can put into practice right away to get started and make the process more manageable. ----- Schedule a call w...

If you're anything like me, when the new year rolls around, you're usually super excited about the things you want to achieve. You have more ideas than you know what to do with. The hardest part about that is knowing which ones of those ideas are the ones that are going to level you up: take your business and your personal life to that next level. In this podcast, I've outlined seven key areas tha...

It’s not selfish to ask: What’s in it for me? From both a business and individual perspective, that’s the smart lead question to determining the value of membership in a professional association. During this podcast session, my guest Tina Jordan, vice president of membership for AFCEA International, will delve into the top benefits of joining, how to measure and analyze your ROI, and how membershi...

Do you remember the story of Jack and the Beanstalk? Government contracting often feels just like this story. There are a lot of people struggling to grow their businesses while others seem to thrive. What's the secret? Do those achieving success know something you don't? Are they just lucky? Do they have some sort of "magic beans" that you don't have? The short answer is no. There are no magic be...

I recently sat down with fellow author Dan Roche to discuss his book, The Total Beginner's Handbook for Doing Business with the Government. We talk about the book at a high level and then zero in on chapter 12, a really, really simple model for designing your business strategy. Dan calls this strategy for the impatient. It's based on four P's: Purpose, Problem, Parameters, and Punch list. If you a...

Once the excitement dwindles down from winning a government contract, panic often sets in. You've won a contract, but have no idea what to do next. How do you prepare to kick off your new contract to make sure you can actually deliver on the promises you made? That's what this podcast is about today. It's actually a very simple process. Whether you sell products or services. There are a couple of...

Do you ever feel like you start off the calendar year kind of slowly? A lot of companies actually do. When you look at the government cycle, once they end Q4, things seem to grind to a halt. The problem here is that most companies mimic the government's pace and slowly grind to a halt and then coast into the holidays. When they come back from the holidays, they wind up in a fog for a month or so u...

Building relationships in the government market is quite different from the commercial market. In the commercial market, you can take clients to dinner, golfing, out to a football game, or even buy them gifts. You can't do any of this in the government market unless you want to get in some serious trouble. The big question in this episode is; how do you build relationships with your hands tied? My...

When it comes to government sales, I tend to put Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) into two buckets. The first is sales goals. We use sales goals to help us define what we want to achieve. The second bucket is activities. Activities are the things you need to do in order to hit your sales goals. ----- Schedule a call with Michael: https://calendly.com/michaellejeune/govconstrategysession ----- Fed...

There are nine core marketing tools that every government contractor needs. The first half of the tools that I discuss are focused on helping you communicate professionalism, your value, and that you are serious about government contracting. The second half of the tools focuses on helping you build your brand and position your company with teaming partners. ----- Schedule a call with Michael: http...

If you're a government contractor, you likely know that you need a capability statement, but do you know the seven key elements that make up a great capability statement? Well, if you don't, today's episode is going to walk you through those key elements and how you can set up your capability statement to be a cut above everybody else that's out there with one. ----- Schedule a call with Michael:...

I recently sat down with Jim Sherwood of Federal Compass to talk about the domination of contract vehicles in government contracting. We discuss the impacts on contractors and strategies to help them adapt to this rapidly increasing way of life. ----- Schedule a call with Michael: https://calendly.com/michaellejeune/govconstrategysession ----- Federal Access is helping Government Contractors win m...

Do you struggle to get prime contractors to call you back? If you do, this podcast will walk through seven ways that they evaluate your company and how you can use this knowledge to your advantage. This is the key to not only getting a callback, but also getting on the team of your choice. ----- Schedule a call with Michael: https://calendly.com/michaellejeune/govconstrategysession ----- Federal A...

Did you know that you could become a government contractor even if you are a solopreneur? A lot of companies are scared of getting into government contracting because of various roadblocks such as staffing, finances, and past performance. These are actually legitimate roadblocks for many businesses. The reason these are a challenge is because most people are thinking too big. If you focus on small...

When people initially learn about government contracting it's usually through a movie like War Dogs or a friend that makes it sound like you can make millions overnight with little or no effort. This is just one of many unreasonable expectations that can put a bad taste in your mouth about this market. If you are relatively new or struggling in this market because of these expectations, this podca...

I recently sat down with GovCon Consultant and Expert Witness Jeff Cuskey to talk about Efficient Government Contracting Processes. Jeff has a wealth of knowledge in current government contracting practices as well as the history behind how we got to where we are today. We discussed everything from full and open competition to simplified acquisition and everything in between. ----- Schedule a call...

If you're a small business and you have any sort of status, 8a, SDVOSB, WOSB, SDB, ANC, ISBEE, or anything else that I might have missed, you need to listen up. One of the challenges that I see all the time for government contractors that have a status is, that they spend a lot of time and energy getting the status and then they don't use it properly. People will call me up and say, "I've got this...

How does a recession impact government contractors? If you have been paying attention to the news, you have probably heard the words recession a few million times over the last couple of months. This podcast talks about covers several of the common challenges that contractors face and provides three things you should do to prepare your company for a recession. ----- Schedule a call with Michael: h...

Have you ever wanted to partner with a large prime, but didn't know who to talk to? This is a very common challenge for government contractors. This podcast will walk you through my top five ways to meet large government primes. I also provide three tactics to help you stand out from the crowd so they take your meeting. ----- Schedule a call with Michael: https://calendly.com/michaellejeune/govcon...

In this episode, I interviewed Michelle Gardner-Ince "GI" from the VA Office of Small Disadvantaged Business Utilization about her perspective as somebody who's worked in government and what she's witnessed with small businesses. We talk about some of the do's and don'ts, lessons learned, and best practices for government contractors that are trying to get assistance from the OSDBU or contracting...

A common question that I get asked is, "Mike, how do you get so much done?" Part of that answer is simple. I have help. I couldn't do what I do alone. I'd never sleep. But having help is only part of the solution. If you run a business, you need to be extremely organized and efficient with your time. This podcast will walk you through how I organize my week and then it breaks down what a typical d...

This podcast covers my top eleven ways to reach contracting officers. I talk about the obvious ones such as email, phone, and small business representatives, and then get into some not-so-obvious ways. I also talk about some of the simple and practical tactics that I use to make myself stand out to ensure that I get a return call, email, or meeting. ----- Schedule a call with Michael: https://cale...