Marketing Resources: Here's Help!
Marketing can be one of the most challenging issues in your business.
You can be one of the greatest manufacturing businesses in Missouri,
making the highest quality products, but if you don't have a winning
marketing strategy, you will not be successful.
It is not enough to be able to make good products. You must know who
is going to buy your product, what they will pay for it, where they
want it, and when they want your product. This article will help answer
some of these questions by giving you resources to help you locate customers.
Let's begin by looking close to home. One of the first things most
communities look at to increase economic activity in their area is called
import substitution. They ask: "What is your business buying
from outside our area that you could buy from someone in your area?"
A resource available to Missouri citizens is the Missouri Procurement
Assistance Center. Their website (www.moptac.net)
is a great place to learn more about doing business with the government.
Their central office in Columbia, Mo., can give you contact information
of a counselor near you (phone 1-573-882-3597).
The mission at the Missouri Procurement Technical Assistance Centers
(MO PTAC) is to help businesses—including small, disadvantaged
and women-owned firms—obtain federal, state and local government
contracts.
Did you know that federal, state and local governments spend more than
$500 billion annually on various products and services—much of
which is with small business?
And did you know that federal purchasing offices are required by the
Small Business Act to "set aside" contracts or portions of
contracts for exclusive bidding by small and/or minority-owned businesses?
Government buyers are looking for what you have—quality products
at competitive prices from responsible suppliers willing to participate
in contracts with the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Defense Logistics
Agency, Veteran's Administration, General Services Administration and
a host of other federal, state and local agencies.
MO PTAC has procurement specialists that can assist you in identifying
opportunities and understanding the government contracting process so
you can take advantage of government sales dollars. They can help you
compete for government contracts by accessing their computerized bid-matching
data bank.
Once your company has been entered in the system, you will be notified
daily of bidding opportunities advertised in FedBizOpps, formerly
the Commerce Business Daily (CBD), and unadvertised bids under
$25,000 from major defense-buying centers. Many state and local opportunities
are also provided. MO PTAC can also provide you with contract award
information from CBD, as well as news releases on major defense contracts.
This information can be faxed to you, allowing timely bid preparation.
The MO PTAC procurement specialists are prepared to help you win government
contracts. Through one-to-one counseling, you will learn how the system
can work for you. You will find who in the government buys your product
or service and who your competitors are. These specialists have extensive
experience and training in manufacturing, sales, finance, marketing
and government procurement. They will give you personalized service
designed to meet your particular needs.
Plan now to take advantage of the opportunities government contracting
provides. Literally billions of dollars in opportunities are available
in the government marketplace. Someone is selling to the government;
that someone might as well be YOU!
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Authored by: Rick Sparks, Business and Industry
Specialist, University of Missouri Extension
Source: Creating Quality Newsletter, Volume
11, Number 3, March 2002
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