Working with Clients 101

I overheard two businesses owners complaining about their clientele the other day. It can be frustrating, just like you- clients aren't alike. You will have clients who require extra hand holding and you will have clients who you never hear from, refuse to give you direction and then expect the world from you. Regardless, your clients pay your bills and you have to honor their work style just as you want them to honor yours.

To get a sense of the type of client you will soon be working for, and how to approach him or her, ask these questions:

1. What are your priorities and goals and what are your timelines.

Asking this question will help you understand what is important to your client and how fast the client expects you to work. This question series eliminates a lot of guess work.

2. What is your preferred form of contact.

I knew a lady who hated phone calls. Every week, on Friday, her servicing contractor would call her. He told me she always seemed annoyed but would insist on finishing the call. Finally, after this went on for months, the client asked him why he always found time to call her in the middle of her pedicure. The contractor assumed the client wanted phone calls and he assumed the date and time of the phone calls. Don't assume anything with clients. If you don't know, ask.

If you implement these two questions when starting to work with a new client, you will have a more positive working relationship.

Twyla Garrett

Working with Uncle Sam!

Ever wonder how hard it is (or easy) to get a government contract? Let me provide you with the tips to obtain (and maintain) the government's business!

First off, visit https://www.fbo.gov/ because there are usually (on average) 25,000+ contracts available at any given time. Know what is available and what you (or your company) or truly qualified to bid on.

Next, don't dismiss the 25,000+ contracts as reserved for major players. The government sets aside contracts for small businesses, women owned businesses, minor owned businesses, etc. Basically, you are set up to fairly compete with the big boys!

Consider subcontracted work. A good way to get your foot in the door is to perform subcontracted work through a provider that already has a government contract. Who has the current contracts you ask? Click here! https://www.supplier-connection.net/SupplierConnection/index.html

Lastly, understand that paperwork is the major part of the process. And, there is a lot of paperwork! Start with the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) http://www.osdbu.dot.gov/related/ccr.cfm . In order to do business with the govermennt (and start the paperwork for consideration) you must be registered with the CCR. Bonus: The CCT lets you review what companies are retaining contracts and how. It can help you become more competitive with your bids!

Twyla N. Garrett

Publicity and Homeland Security

This past October Joseph Clancy took charge of the U.S. Secret Service on an interim basis following a series of security lapses that led to the resignation of Julia Pierson as director of the government agency. Clancy's efforts will try to right the wrongs while a search for a permanent successor is conducted, but are the breaches in security already impacting the Secret Services and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in a negative manner when it comes to publicity and public image?

One article on PR Newser states, "The agency has been hammered by the media since 2009 because of the string of embarrassing security breaches that have put the agency’s credibility in jeopardy. The latest episode happened September 19, when an armed intruder jumped over the White House fence and ran into the residence. That was preceded by the service allowing an armed felon to ride on an elevator with President Obama. The most notorious incident was in 2012, when several Secret Service agents conducting advance work in Columbia for a summit meeting there were recalled after being accused of hiring prostitutes and bringing them back to their hotel."

The list of blunders, unfortunately, can go on and on.... So, yes- the DHS and the Secret Service have lost respect in both the eyes of the media and public. A loss of respect in this specific example equates directly to the loss of feeling secure among the American people. We can plead with people to "see something, say something" all we want, but if the government isn't leading by example- why should the public take anything its says seriously?

Rebuilding trust isn't as easy as fixing communication errors or weak spots in security plans and procedures. It is a long-term fix that has to built up over time. The DHS and the Secret Service both have a long road ahead regardless of whomever fills Julia Pierson's intermediate spot. There is no quick fix to the damage done, which is unfortunate in a time where feeling secure is all that matters right now within this country and its road back to economic greatness.

Until tomorrow,

Twyla N. Garrett of IME

1 Valuable Life Lesson for Business

Someone recently asked me if I had a valuable life lesson that translated to business growth. I do! I wanted to share it on the blog today to help many people understand why I brand my company, IME, as "the company that cares."

My mantra and life lesson is to take everything personally. I hate when people say, "it's not personal, it's business." You are your business as an entrepreneur, therefore everything is personal. If you don't treat everything you do in life and business with a personal investment, what good is it? It you are personally invested in something, you tend to take it more serious. Business means money. Business means your reputation. So, why wouldn't you take it serious?

The most valuable life lesson I have that can translate to business is not taking one specific business deal personally. I had viewed a deal as not "good enough" for my standards. It was just business, not an opportunity. So, I didn't take it personally. I missed out on a great opportunity because I treated the pitch as business. Had I treated it like a personal investment, I probably would have gave it more consideration and would be reaping those rewards today.

My point here is to take everything personally and act from the heart- even in business!

Until next time,

Twyla N. Garrett

Communication – Your Relationship with Others

As a business woman, I am required to build different types of relationships with diverse groups of people. Not only does this help amplify my business efforts, it helps my industry grow as a whole. So, I am expected to develop and nurture professional relationships. This is why I wanted to dedicate today’s blog post to the art of communicating / relating with others.

If you want to develop and nurture a professional relationship or communicate something – stay away from social media. Sure, it is easier but there is a lack of personal response that is lost with the medium. It isn’t hard or time consuming to take a person out for coffee… just make sure you stay off your phone when speaking with him or her. A simple communication break over a latte can make all the difference in the world when it comes to your business.

My key point to communication and building relationships is actually knowing the person outside his or her LinkedIn profile. You need to sit, meet and speak with them, not just IM or @ them via social media. Plus, social media is responsible for a lot of misinterpreted tones and failed chances for business deals.

Take the time this week to get to know one new business contact over coffee. I promise you, you will be glad you did!

Until tomorrow,

Twyla N. Garrett

Easy Business & The Federal Government

So, you have a business and you want to do business with the Federal government. But, perhaps you think it is too complicated of a process or very time consuming. Well, as a business owner who works directly with the Federal government, I am here to tell you that the Small Business Administration (SBA) is making it easier and easier to conduct business with the Federal government.

Here's why: In 2012 a special committee at the SBA was asked by the President to make it easier for small businesses to sell to the Federal government, and for the Federal government to buy technology from the private sector. Thus, the website RFP-EZ was born. Here is the link. rfpez.sba.gov

This easy to navigate website helps business owners find, read and apply for Federal government business within a matter of ten minutes. The process is streamlined and extremely easy. According to the SBA, " the system has a feature inside of it called SOWComposer, which allows government contracting officers to easily share statements of work (SOWs)—just like developers can share open source code on websites like GitHub. This allows contracting officers to collaborate on templates and share best practices, so they don’t need to reinvent the wheel along with each new procurement. And finally, with RFP-EZ, bids come in all in one place, where they are easily sortable so that contracting officers and program offices can figure out which ones are the best ones."

The program has had great success in such a short period of time. Over two hundred businesses that never competed for Federal government contracts are now in the game. So you see, there is time to apply for Federal government business. You don't need a Master degree to start the process, either!

Have detailed questions?

Leave me a message and I will be happy to respond!

Twyla