Podcast Show Notes
2025-04-11 Federal Market Insights Episode 8 — Session Overview
WPI Podcast Episode 8 Summary
Outreach Playbook Podcast Summary
Exploring Key Articles and Insights
In this episode, we delve into several essential article that underscore the interconnectedness between understanding the background factors can assist to help position a company, give insight for maximizing the benefits of outreach events and ultimately responding to opportunities.
Firstly, we discuss the Navy’s urgent need for more ships and submarines. The need to ramp up yearly throughput is highlighted, with a particular focus on the new Executive Order that addresses shipping issues. This order aims to enhance the United States’ presence on the world’s oceans, emphasizing the strategic importance of maritime dominance.
Moreover, the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) continues to play a critical role in national security. The podcast highlights the necessity to bolster the DIB on two fronts: talent acquisition and the support of businesses. Innovation is identified as a key driver, with new technologies in manufacturing being essential to support the fleet.
Interestingly, we also touch upon how innovation and research are not confined to the Department of Defense, as demonstrated in our discussion on the USDA article.
Acquisition and execution issues are tied to these other topics. Major contracts are facing significant budget overruns and delays. However, the podcast elucidates how the entire supply chain, including even small businesses need to be concerned about both schedule issues and cost overruns.
The following are articles discussed.
Outreach is all about actively engaging with a target audience to promote a cause, product, or service. It’s a way for businesses to create meaningful connections with potential customers, partners, or stakeholders.
Actively engaging your target audience is key. However, outreach is also about preparation. Preparation is not just about staying current with various issues, crafting your capabilities statement or practicing your elevator speech. Preparation is looking for the larger themes and why those issues may be of importance to potential customers or outreach attendees. Companies are problem solvers. Outreach events are one type of venue where a business can begin to make the argument that it is one of the needed problem solvers.
Here are some examples:
- Email Campaigns: Sending personalized emails to potential clients or collaborators to introduce your offerings or share news. Disadvantage:
- Social Media Engagement: Interacting with your audience on platforms like Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, or Instagram to build relationships and share content. Choose your platforms carefully as controversial platforms may present negative associations.
- Networking Events: Attending or hosting events where you can meet potential clients or partners face-to-face. Probably the best approach.
- Content Marketing: Creating valuable content like blogs, videos, or podcasts to attract and engage your audience. Instructional videos provide a service as well as identifying your business as a subject matter expert. If you’re teaching it, you’re good at it. Tag with “goodies” that also take viewers to your marketing website.
Remember –
It’s about reaching out, making connections, and building relationships!
Where to begin?
Identify relevant success stories. Real-world examples can be engaging. Highlight a case where a business effectively used outreach to grow. What were the methods they used, like social media or community events.
Marketing (outreach) in the Federal Market Sector is a niche with its own set of rules. It’s not just about a business promoting their services/products to the government; it’s about asking the right questions, understanding the current needs and crafting the appropriate message. Companies need to understand the unique requirements and language of government contracts. Effective outreach also includes knowing what questions not to ask.
General Outreach tools:
- Capability Statements: Summarizing what your company does best, tailored for the audience at hand.
- Networking at Industry Days: Events hosted by government agencies where businesses can learn about upcoming contract opportunities, meet the buyers and potential prime partners, have professional conversations. Evaluate who does the most talking: you or the government. After leaving, count how many pages of notes you took. Notes equates to listening, not speaking.
- Teaming and Partnerships: Collaborating with other businesses to strengthen your proposal and offer more comprehensive solutions.
- Work with Wisconsin Procurement Institute (WPI)
Outreach efforts include exploring strategies on how to effectively market to the government and interview experts in the field.
Upcoming Events for the Wisconsin area and beyond:
April 22-23 The CWIMA Advanced Manufacturing Summit and EXPO is designed to create a dynamic and engaging event for Central Wisconsin manufacturing business professionals to learn about and discuss innovative solutions that can elevate their manufacturing and business processes. The event is focused on preparing manufacturers for the next 50 years by emphasizing automation, AI, and valuable networking opportunities. For more information, click here.
April 24 2025 City of Milwaukee Vendor Fair! Come join us at BMO Tower on 790 N Water for a day full of connections. This in person event is a great opportunity to grow your local businesses, discovering upcoming contracts. Where else can you connect with contracting departments and access to valuable workshops? Don’t miss out on this fantastic event, hosted by the Department of City Development and the Department of Administration. For more information, click here.
May 1 Chicago District US Army Corps of Engineers Industry Day – This event offers an opportunity to explore U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) – Chicago district’s latest and upcoming projects, advancements in engineering, and to meet the team driving their mission forward. This Open House is an occasion to connect, collaborate, and celebrate the contributions of the engineering community. As part of the event, there will be a limited number of 20-minute elevator pitch slots for companies to present their capabilities. These slots will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are interested in briefing the district leadership, please respond to the post-registration email. Link: Chicago District Corps of Engineers Open House
May 5-8 2025 Army Contracting Virtual Outreach for Industry Small businesses and other interested industry partners are now able to register for the fifth-annual Mission and Installation Contracting Command Advance Planning Briefing for Industry virtual contracting forecast event scheduled for May 5-8, 2025. The virtual APBI event is the MICC’s single, command-wide effort that is available nationwide to everyone from small businesses to large industry representatives. Attendees will hear directly from mission commanders, senior contracting officials and a variety of contracting planners detailing their forecasted contract requirements planned for the remainder of 2025 through early 2028. Registration closes April 21. For more information, click here.
May 9 2025 Wisconsin Small Business Academy – Regional in-person events will be held throughout the state on Friday, May 9 from 8 a.m.-Noon. Attendance will give access to testimonies from established businesses owners, community business development leaders, business topic roundtables, educational sessions, and technical assistance resources. Information including an agenda for the in-person locations will be sent in a follow-up email closer to the event. Link: Small Business Academy | WEDC
May 14 Winning Government Business – In an era of escalating regulatory demands, the path to securing government business is fraught with compliance challenges that can threaten even the most established organizations. Ensuring Your Strategic Advantage offers a unique opportunity to gain critical insights into navigating these complexities. Join industry leaders, compliance experts, and government insiders as they reveal strategies to fortify your business, protect revenue streams, and outpace competitors in an increasingly regulated environment. Whether you’re a C-suite executive, part of a large or small business, in business development, supply chain, contracts, or legal, this event will equip you with the knowledge to stay competitive and safeguard your organization’s future. Sponsorship and Exhibitor opportunities are available! For more information, please contact info@ndia-greatlakes.org.
May 15 – DoD Contract Management Update – Doing business with the Department of Defense presents great opportunities but also complex challenges. In order to be successful, the Defense Industrial Base must keep current with ever changing regulatory requirements, industry trends, and DoD priorities. Whether you’re a current or prospective DoD prime or subcontractor, you won’t want to miss the updates and discussions presented by a mix of Government and Industry experts. Join Wisconsin’s DOD contractors and subcontractors for this annual event. This in-person event will be held in Milwaukee, WI. Link: 11th Annual DOD Contract Management Update (In-Person) Tickets, Thu, May 15, 2025 at 7:30 AM | Eventbrite
More events and networking opportunities are always available at www.wispro.org , the Wisconsin Procurement Institute website.
Ultimately, this episode serves to underscore the idea that creating an outreach playbook often starts well before the event. Articles and other sources can be a great source of information about future customer needs at both the Prime and Subcontracting level. The information in articles might provide key ideas for questions and also ideas for how a business should position itself. It is also important to recognize that the information in the article can be extrapolated. As discussed during the podcast, cost overruns and delays are not singularly attributable to the prime. There can be many factors and small business subcontractors/suppliers may be one. Knowing these are key issues may also a small business to better position itself for success. We hoped to point out the relationship between future opportunities and the type of information provided by these topics and suggest to listeners how grasping the broader context may provide insight to be used for informed decision-making.