Deb Yeagle ⋅ Tampa, FL Plan To Win, Inc. ⋅ 39 years experience

William-
Thanks for your service!

Based on my observations throughout my years in BD, I will answer your last question first, with candor, and as a reality check. I can tell you that those barriers are real, and here's why. Realizing that knowledge of the customer environment is the #1 key to winning any bid, most companies are seeking BD professionals who have an established, current network within the Government customer environment.

However, your skills (business development, consultative selling, untangling complex client scenarios and creating winning capture strategies) and proven success in the commercial market can still be applied to break into the Government market. A larger company would be looking for you to hit the ground running and start generating revenue with Government customers. However, there may be a mid-sized or small business that needs a second BD guy or gal and is willing to make an investment in you. If you can leverage your relationships in the commercial world with partners who also have Government business and can get you into subcontracting deals, then that would be a good starting point. Meanwhile you can build up your own Government network in preparation for pursuing prime bids.

In fact, I'd start to leverage that network (partners with Government customers) now to start building up that Government network, as you are still hunting for Federal IT BD positions.

Another factor is having the understanding of Government contracting, which as you know is MUCH different than commercial contracts. You can learn the ropes through a subcontracting role, but again, that assumes someone is going to be willing to make the investment in you for that OJT. I'd recommend learning as much as you can on your own so you can at least speak the language of Government contracting when seeking these Federal IT BD jobs. I have some training resources that I'd be glad to offer you. You can send me a private message as to what areas of Government contracting you need help with, and I can provide you with further information.

Thanks again and best of luck-
Deb

ACP AdvisorNet Staff ⋅ New York, NY ⋅ 10 years experience

Hi William,

Thank you for your service and for your question. I would recommend utilizing the community section of ACP Advisor Net to seek out advisors within the DC area. You can enter your zip code and filter by areas of expertise to find advisors who may have insight on networking and best practices that could be helpful in breaking into the job market.

I hope this was helpful!

Best,
ACP Staff

William Jones ⋅ Reston, VA U.S. Navy, Lieutenant ⋅ 8 years served

Drew,

Thank you for the reply and suggestion. I would love to connect and get your insights. I'm at joneswmc@gmail.com

Drew Schildwächter ⋅ Wilmington, NC Salesforce ⋅ 8 years experience

William: one method might be through the consulting or sales consulting wing of a vendor (I'm thinking of the Public Sector Teams for Oracle, Salesforce, Servicenow, Microsoft, etc.) where your consulting expertise and your understanding of the environment (being a former gov't employee) go a long way. They have the entre already to those markets and so your personal credentials become less urgent in that respect.

Glad to connect off-line and talk in more detail about some example roles.

William Jones ⋅ Reston, VA U.S. Navy, Lieutenant ⋅ 8 years served

Hi Francis,

Thank you for your reply.

Yes. I have an MBA from Pepperdine University and a Bachelor of Science (Engineering) from the U.S. Naval Academy to go with 20+ years of management consulting experience in small to large global firms.

Thanks again.

William Jones ⋅ Reston, VA U.S. Navy, Lieutenant ⋅ 8 years served

It was helpful and thank you for the quick reply.

FRANCIS TEPEDINO, ESQ. ⋅ San Diego, CA THE CONDOR GROUP ⋅ 30 years experience

William:

I read your statement.

However you did not include any information about your formal education.

I do not know about your experience as a consultant. My experience, over some 30 years, informs me that clients considering contracting with me, or my firm, always looked at, and weighed carefully, the education side of a potential consultant or employee, as well as the experience side.

Do you have an advanced degree? MBA; PhD, or JD?

If not, it seems to me that that might be a major impediment.

Good luck.