Seven Keys to Selling Successfully to the U.S. Government

By Mark Amtower

Just four years ago, selling to the United States government was easy. That was the first time I saw a memo from a CFO establishing guidelines for online purchases using government issued credit cards. Those guidelines were short and sweet:

(a) the Web site must offer secure purchasing; and
(b) buyers should purchase from known vendors.

That was it!

During the past several years, things have gotten noticeably more complex. In that time, I have been monitoring vendor Web sites and government list servers and consulted with some notables in the industry.

As a result, I have evolved a list of Web “basics” for B-to-G (business-to-government) sites. These are seven things your site must have in order to attract government buyers. I will list them (not necessarily in order of importance), then discuss each.

By the way, some of the experts I’ve consulted for this list include Amy Africa of Creative Results, Williston, VT; Ralph Drybrough and others at MeritDirect of Stamford, CT; Don Libey of Libey/Concordia, Philadelphia; and Neil Sexton of Corporate Greetings, Trinidad, CO.

B-to-G Top Seven
1) Clearly post your security and privacy policy, including your ability to offer secure purchasing.
2) Post your return policy on your purchasing page.
3) Index your site.
4) Use the SmartPay government credit card logo on your site.
5) Offer complete information that helps the purchasing process.

6) Create quick loading pages.
7) Make the purchasing process easy to follow and easy to complete.

Many of these items will improve your success rate with all your customers, not just government purchasers, so it pays to implement them.

Here’s why they are important:

1) Developing an intelligent privacy policy and clearly posting it is critical to any successful Web site. In the public sector, online buyers are often instructed to visit only those sites that have a clearly posted privacy policy. So if you don’t have one, the visitor won’t get far enough into your site to consider purchasing.

2) Develop a return policy that is fair and simple, then post it clearly on your purchasing page. The Amazon.com policy is an excellent example: it’s simple and easy to find. At the bottom of the shopping cart page, you find “Here’s Our Return Policy” and click on it to find:

Returns are easy, and for most returns there’s no need to contact us. Once you’ve read the policy below, visit our Returns Center for a shipping label and packing instructions.

Within 30 days of receipt of your shipment (including gifts), you may return any of the following items, for any reason, for a full refund (We’ll even refund the shipping cost if the return is a result of our error).

Then it clearly states what can be returned. In many ways, Amazon.com sets the standard for the ultimate in user friendliness. It encompasses all the elements listed here and more.

3) Indexing allows visitors to find what they want quickly, without wasting time. As you add information and features to the site, they need to be included in the search index.

Make sure the search tool you provide is easy to use and gives reliable results. Test the search engine using inexperienced people. Remember that visitors to your Web site may try to search using “non-standard” terminology (e.g., a description rather than a part number), and your search engine must be able to handle the inquiry anyway.

4) The SmartPay government credit card logo should be posted on the purchasing page, and anywhere else you post AmEx, MasterCard or Visa logos. If you have a government section on your Web site, it should also be prominently posted there.

Even after several years of the SmartPay credit card program, many government employees don’t think of the card as a regular Visa or MasterCard, so it is important to state clearly and repeatedly that you accept government credit cards.

You can download the SmartPay logo and related information at http://www.fss.gsa.gov/services/gsa-smartpay/business.cfm.

5) Post general information, or links to information, that help the buyer make a decision. One example for a furniture seller might be a “white paper” about ergonomics. Such information gives the buyer a reason to visit you again: You are providing a service that helps the buying decision.

Second, and perhaps more important, it positions your company as a trusted partner. This is “viral” marketing—providing information to a targeted community that will share it with other members of the community.

6) It is critical that your page load quickly to get people to visit the first time. A large percentage of people will not wait more than several seconds for a page to load. Although many federal employees have faster access, some still rely on slower (56K) connections, and consequently have longer waits. Test every page of your Web site using a dial-up connection. You may be shocked at how long it takes for some of your graphics-laden pages to load.

The goal here is simple: design every page to open quickly, especially over a slow connection. Even if visitors have the patience to wait for an overstuffed page to load initially, they probably won’t come back to it a second time.

If you don’t make your first impression a good one, you are going to be another roadside attraction with no customers.

7) Your purchasing process has to be seamless. Suffice it to say that the process has to be easy, like Amazon.com’s. If a visitor gets confused, that could cost you sales. I have been at business-to-business Web sites where I couldn’t find the products promoted in the company e-mail newsletter or marketing e-mail.

Amazon.com has a “one click” ordering system that requires registration but saves time overall, as well as a “standard” ordering process—both of which are designed to make it easy to order from them. Give your customers a choice of whichever method they prefer.

These items are a baseline for you to begin the process of creating a Web customer base. There are many more (see sidebar). I welcome any additions you might think of!

After you have implemented the seven suggestions in the article, you’ll be ready for the next step. Here are seven more tips for making your Web site attractive to government and other purchasers.

1) Embed key words, or metatags, on each page. Search engines use key words to sift and sort information. If these words and phrases don’t appear on each of your pages, the engines will not drive traffic to you.

2) Carry news about your niche. News items could include recent information about your market, new products, information from trade associations, and mergers and acquisitions within the industry. This turns you into a “vortal” (vertical portal) for your business niche.

3) Create an e-mail newsletter. Send a bi-weekly newsletter with highlights of your industry’s news (see above), as well as product specials and other press release material. You can include information on your staff, but don’t go too far in this regard. This is an excellent way to stay in touch with buyers and others who register on your site to receive this free publication.

4) Acknowledge various federal holidays. Date your main page and then recognize all holidays. Last year we saw two military sites that did not recognize Memorial Day—a real oversight.

5) Carry links to other informative sites. Link to all pertinent, non-competitive sites, such as trade associations and controlled circulation publications. You can link directly to articles in publications that mention you favorably. Make certain the links stay active.

6) Create a best seller list. List your best-selling products and your up-and-coming products. People like lists, and this should make your best sellers perform even better.

7) Monitor all of the above! Monitor every aspect of your site on a regular basis, and don’t let any area fall through the cracks.

The way to encourage Web visits, and translate these visits into sales, is to be as proactive as time allows.

Mark Amtower is a partner in Amtower & Company, a federal marketing consulting firm. He can be reached at amtower@erols.com.CS0