Category: Business

Communicate Better

Break through the digital noise when you use these basic rules to communicate better. Good communication is required on the job for success.

If you want people to understand you better, follow these basic rules to communicate better and increase your success in life.

Shelves with collectibles
The KISS principle did not follow me to my home; only to my writing. I need to be watching more Marie Kondo https://konmari.com/

18 basic rules

  1. Adhere to the KISS principle – keep it simple stupid. Use it when you talk, write, and design.
  2. Use the BLUF principle – bottom line up front.  Great advice especially if you send out emails. Your response increases when your readers know what you want from them first thing. Buried calls to action (CTA) usually fail to be read.
  3. Follow the Golden Rule. Treat others the way you want to be treated. In the digital world when you do this, people will like you best. Especially when conferencing online as demonstrated with the Netiquette points from Touro College that I shared in Let’s discuss this — online.
  4. Remember the 4-1-1 rule when posting to social media. For every post about you, share four posts about other people/companies that compliment your personal brand. Make these original posts. Also share at least one post from another source. I often choose data on industry trends from sites like Harvard Business Review and Pew Research.
  5. Write in the active voice. Be direct. Have the person as the subject of the sentence connected to the action (verb). This rule took a while for it to be natural to me. I still fall into the “is – was – were” syndrome at times.
  6. Write in the positive. Eliminate negative words in your vocabulary as much as possible. How often do you like to hear a statement like — Your hair looks great, but did you intend to cut it that short? Each time you use the word “but,” you could be scratching a reader’s pain point. | If you want to ping an insecurity in your readers, you can lead with a negative and solve it in the positive in your blog’s title. For example: Why you were not chosen and they were?
  7. Use plain language. Write to 6th-grade understanding. Microsoft Word now has built-in grammar and spelling check that gives you the Flesch-Kinkaid grade level of your writing. This post scored at 4.8th grade. | You will find this tool under the “Review” tab far left — “abc Check Document.” I use mine so much it’s under the “Search” tab.
  8. Develop gender inclusive writing. If you listen or read any Seth Godin, you’ll notice his usage of female pronouns. I admit that at first this threw me off a bit. Lately he has moved more towards gender inclusive with his use of they and theirs. I have a blog that touches on inclusive writing – Equal Strokes for Equal Folks.
  9. Follow William Zinsser’s four principles for writers from his book On Writing Well. His book introduced me to humanity which could help to improve your writing. An excellent blog on the subject can be found at The Lone Technical Writer blog.
    1. Brevity
    2. Clarity
    3. Simplicity +
    4. Humanity
  10. Be sure to use real words – ban acronyms. Too many acronyms exist in this world to be clear on what your one means. Gone are the days where you can mention the meaning once and use the acronym thereafter. If the name of an organization is I Like Art and the Artists who Make Art, real words you could use to shorten it can be many. Just choose one to use consistently. You could use The I Like Art Organization, I like Art dot org (if that’s the URL), or even The Organization in short emails. Notice you can capitalize “the” when using the words “The Organization.” Be clear, use real words, and be consistent.
  11. Industry lingo can also be confusing to your readers. Use words that describe what you want to say. Help your readers feel smart.
  12. Edit content multiple times before publishing. Even when you think you have completed your editing; edit one more time. I edited cornerstone blog posts with each improvement of my skills or due to additional knowledge gained. This original blog post appeared while attending Quinnipiac for my masters. Today is September 27, 2019 and this is my 10th revision since January. I review for clarity, to add additional tips, and update current trends.
  13. Keep sentence structure simple.
    1. Keep sentences short – less than 20 words.
    2. Break a long sentence into two.
    3. Avoid connecting stand-a-lone phrases that create run-on sentences.
  14. Follow the rule of 3 in your writing and design.
    1. In writing, use lists of three words, sentences, or phrases. Pair words together in threes like mind, body, and soul.
    2. In design, divide your drawing board into threes — horizontally and vertically. Place the visual point of emphasis off center at one of the cross lines. That simple step adds movement to a 2-dimension piece of work.
  15. Add visual clues for your reader; they’ll appreciate you. Keep paragraphs at 1 to 3 sentences each. Use subheads when a topic changes or for emphasis. Bold words in paragraphs to draw readers to your message.
  16. Design for eye movement. People scan before they read. Your eyes follow a “F” pattern online. Your eyes travel across the printed page in a “Z” pattern offline. On web pages with minimal copy, your eyes may also travel in a Z-pattern depending on the layout.
  17. Use white space in your design. Our eyeballs get bombarded every millisecond we have them open. Guide your readers’ eyes to your important messages with the lack of noise. It works.
  18. Understand the Rule of Seven in your promotional messaging. Simply stated, if you want people to act on your “call to action,” they need to hear or read your advertisement seven or more times in relative short period of time. So if you want your audience to “buy, sell, or trade,” you need to tell them 7 times.

The more people you have that understand you, the more successful you will be in life, work, and happiness.

graphic of document w/two figures trying to communicate better Flaticon by geotatah
It takes two people to communicate and plain language to communicate better.

For more information on how to communicate better, check these sites out.

CMS Wire How people read online by Marisa Peacock on June 20, 2013 | Retrieved in March 2019 from https://www.cmswire.com/cms/customer-experience/how-people-read-online-infographic-021421.php

Company Folder How to Use the Rule of Thirds Effortlessly   by Vladimir Mandela on Company Folders on July 21, 2015 | Retrieved in March 2019 from https://www.companyfolders.com/blog/rule-of-thirds-graphic-design  

Goop The Scary Power of Negative Words by Habib Sadeghi | Retrieved in June 2018 from https://goop.com/wellness/mindfulness/the-scary-power-of-negative-words/

Plain Language.gov Federal plain language guidelines | Retrieved in March 2019 from https://plainlanguage.gov/guidelines/

Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) Gendered Pronouns & Singular “They” | Retrieved in March 2019 from https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/grammar/pronouns/gendered_pronouns_and_singular_they.html

Science Daily True or False? How Our Brain Processes Negative Statements by the Association for Psychological Science on February 13, 2009 |  Retrieved in March 2019 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090211122147.htm

Touro College 15 Rules of Netiquette for Online Discussion Boards [INFOGRAPHIC] by Rachel with the Online Education Department at Touro College on May 12, 2014 | Retrieved in March 2019 from  http://blogs.onlineeducation.touro.edu/15-rules-netiquette-online-discussion-boards/

 Wikinut The Subconscious Mind Cannot understand Negatives by Mark Gordon Brown on August 8, 2010 | Retrieved in March 2019  from https://guides.wikinut.com/The-Subconscious-Mind-Cannot-understand-Negatives/q-qvv29w/

Watch this video for visual examples

I included some of the above in my first Pecha Kucha video that I completed for a master’s class on User-Centered Design in 2012.

No marketing? No problem.

Rising above the noise of marketing requires having a plan that guides you through decisions. These 5 strategies can help you succeed.

5 Strategies you can start using today

You have no excuse now. Use these basic marketing strategies to build your plan. Jot down your ideas. Make your plan simple and to the point. Include something you can do now that will help build your future.

The five marketing concepts that guide me the most when developing marketing strategies include:

  1. Inbound Marketing
  2. Content Marketing
  3. Permission Marketing
  4. Relationship Marketing
  5. Target Marketing

1 Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing places you where your customers expect you to be. The four other strategies support inbound marketing.

Graphic of hands from Flaticon

Where are your customers?

If your customers expect to find you when they visit a strip mall, then that’s where you would be. You would make sure:

  1. Your storefront is in order and attracts people into your store;
  2. Your merchandise is displayed for easy access and purchasing; and
  3. Your staff is trained to engage and build a loyal customer base.

The same goes with your online presence — and the number one place people expect to find your business is online. Today without a website, you do not exist.

Inbound marketing strategy focuses on attracting your customers with your message by:

  1. Designing websites to search engine standards so people can find you;
  2. Providing original content that site visitors value; and
  3. Engaging customers to trust in you and your passion which builds your online community or “tribe.”

HubSpot has been my go-to site for training me on Social Media. My daughter received her Inbound Marketing Certification from HubSpot University. Their comparison chart from my original post on this subject in 2012 continues to be a great visual comparing inbound with traditional, outbound marketing.

Inbound comparison chart to outbound marketing by HubSpot
HUBSPOT COMPARISON CHART OF IN- AND OUTBOUND MARKETING FROM 2012 HTTPS://WWW.HUBSPOT.COM/RESOURCES

You can find good explanations of Inbound Marketing by searching in your browser. This HubSpot article integrates their services so they kept it easy to understand. Check out their 2019 version at What is Inbound Marketing?

This graphic comes from that article and I found it helpful also.

HubSpot inbound marketing graphic with table

Graphic explanation with table from HubSpot’s What is Inbound Marketing?

Traditional Marketing

Outbound marketing, also known as traditional marketing, can factor in when customers expect to find you in a store front as mentioned above. They also may expect to hear you on the radio, or find you advertising in a lifestyle magazine. Today demands you show up where your customers are already present.

Social Media

Reliance upon inbound marketing skyrocketed because of social media and instant communications. People no longer went to the newspapers or TV for their news, they came to rely upon social media and the internet.

These numbers demonstrate that social media is impacting our lives. Would you feel lost without it? I know I’ve come to rely upon the various social media channels.

Screen gab of social media usage | retrieved 5/4/2019
Link up to this site to see the numbers fly before your eye! Snapshot taken at 11:33 on May 4, 2019. http://www.internetlivestats.com/

2 Content Marketing

Your content is critical for your inbound marketing success — and you can’t fake passion so stick with something you know.

King Hat

1996 Way Back Machine

“Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet, just as it was in broadcasting.”

Microsoft Founder Bill Gates
Content is King

2012 Search Engine Watch

“It is more important than ever to write from your own experience, on topics on which you have first-hand knowledge, in order to create something not only original in sentence structure or word choice, but in essence.”

Formerly Google “Spam Czar” Matt Cutts
Talks Infographics, Differentiation & More SEO Topics

2018 Forbes

 “Content marketing has taken over because it’s so useful to every function of marketing teams today. Content is one of the best tools you have for earning trust, building your brand, generating site traffic and qualified leads, and everything in between. Content marketing is marketing, and the brands that understand content is core to effective marketing — and, ultimately, to their entire business — will set themselves up for success.”

Writer and Forbes Contributor John Hall
5 content marketing trends to watch in 2019

Content is King

I use these quotes to emphasize that content was, is, and always will be –king.

That’s why becoming better at communicating with people will increase your success in your career. We are already seeing artificial intelligent computers take over more white color tasks like robotics took over blue color of the last century. Your ability to problem solve and communicate clearly will be instrumental in helping your customers to become loyal customers. Bots may be able to deliver static information; however, people need people to be a part of a community of loyal customers.

You can check out our rules for How to communicate better. We keep it current when we discover new information or trends. Our Equal Folks blog will help you write for humanity.

Be a thought leader.

Choose an area where you can distinguish yourself as a thought leader. Focus on the most interesting or profitable side of your business and become a “SME” (pronounced “smeee”) — subject matter expert.

The best content offers your original thoughts in an entertaining way. You can offer your content by blogging on your website, posting on social media platforms, or distributing your stories through emails, eMagazines, or eBooks. Photos, videos, and graphics all add to the written word. Vary your delivery.

Always remember to comment on other people’s posts. This is especially true when you have something to contribute of interest to their audience AND compliments the author.

It used to be critical to post often – almost every day. Today, however, people just want you to be consistent in quality, provide topics of their interests, and engage with them. You want to especially be responsive when they initiate the engagement.

3 Permission Marketing

To be successful, inbound marketing requires your customers to want your content, product, or service. Today your customers and potential customers give you permission to keep them informed with your latest offerings. If you earn their trust, they will let you keep sending them content or follow you on social media.

Email graphic

Ask for Permission

You may want to offer incentives to entice people to “opt in” to your eNewsletters and to accept push notifications. Remember to always offer an easy “opt out” process. Many people will return when they cannot find a “you” and your content anywhere else.

The Can-Spam Act of 2003 clarified requirements for permission marketing and emails. You can refer to it or just follow the Golden Rule —

Treat others they way you want to be treated.

The most successful incentives usually focus on alleviating one “pain point.” The most popular incentive today is wrapped up in a webinar. Video is fast becoming the medium of choice. Remember, you also have people who learn through reading, so be sure to offer a written transcript or summary.

Your incentive can also be check lists, ebooks, challenges, group memberships, templates, and training videos. It just needs to be something of importance to your audience and most importantly, to your paying customers and potential customers. We always recommend you provide something of value that would naturally evolve into your paid services and products.

I think you might be the same as me. When I do decided to check out a person or company through their incentive, I expect to be satisfied with the offer. Remember to go through the entire 5-step process:

The 5-step process

  1. Focus on one pain point I have.
  2. Help me solve it.
  3. Let me feel good about it.
  4. Engage with me and make me feel special.
  5. Then do a soft sell to get me to purchase the full product or services.

I find that over half of the incentives take you through steps one and two, then jump to step 5 with a hard sell. I become loyal and actually help promote people who have taken me through the 5-steps.

Best Practice

One of the best followers of the 5-step process that I have found is Natalie Ledwell and MindMovies. I believe I first took her quiz on Facebook, downloaded the free visualization videos, devoured reviews, and then enrolled in her mastermind class — all the while being asked to join the class. She made it my decision. Her mastermind class continues through live call-ins and a monthly online magazine full of interviews and downloads with additional free and paid offers. I have met other students by attending motivational speaker Mary Morrissey’s Dream Builder Workshops offered for free to Ledwell’s students.

4 Relationship Marketing

Social networking sites are all about building relationships and developing trust with customers; critical to effective inbound marketing efforts.

hands holding arms

2019 Change This

 “You build customer loyalty when the people in your organization show empathy for customers, take responsibility for helping them reach their real goals, and treat them generously.”

Franklin Covey authors Sandy Rogers, Leena Rinne, and Shawn Moon
Leading Loyalty: Cracking the Code to Customer Devotion

Building Relationships

Take time to generate mutual respect relationships between you and your followers. Develop a human voice when you engage. Schedule time out for 30 minutes a day to check any reactions to your posts.

Say thank you; then make it two-way

When people direct message (DM) you or comment on your products and services, strike up a conversation – even to say, “thank you.”  Make the conversations two-way so the customer will talk back to you.

Conduct live call ins, interviews, and other ways for groups of people to interact with you. In addition to Facebook Live; LinkedIn is now offering video streaming. You can check out this TechCrunch article LinkedIn debuts LinkedIn Live, a new live video broadcast service. HubSpot offers How to Use Facebook Live: The Ultimate Guide online that you can reference for free..

Remember to keep it simple and personal on a business level. Building relations with your customers is a key piece in moving from the traditional one-way to two-way communicating with inbound marketing.

Be real; integrity is everything. Have fun; enjoy meeting new people. Learn everything you can about your customers; keep an open dialogue with them.

5 Target Marketing

Defining your customer base helps you to narrow down your business and promotional strategies. It helps you make decisions on spending time cultivating customers who help you be profitable. Somewhere I read that organizations could let 70% of their customers go to be more successful. When you try to please everyone, that’s probably a true statement.

head with target

Your loyal customers

Who are they? Write out your ideal customer. Build the demographic details from your current customer base. Who can you help and who helps you succeed?

Creating personas for the types of customers you want – and even the customers you do not want – can help define your target market. If you want loyal customers, you need to be engaging with the right customer. Personas are fictional people with enough detail for you to be able to focus in on their demographic type.

Again, HubSpot has a blog post about building personas for your business at How to Create Detailed Buyer Personas for Your Business. It offers a good guide. Social Media Today’s How to Create a Buyer Persona for Your Business [Infographic] can also help you.

Media and Civic organizations

Cultivating news media relationships in person and online can improve your odds of gaining free press. Industry organizations, tourism bureaus, civic organizations, and chambers of commerce provide other target groups for your product/services. Personal support of these groups in your communities is a good business practice. Most often organizations help promote their members – especially chambers.

Working as one

Integrating these five marketing concepts into one, inbound marketing strategy will help you succeed where others fail. It’s a serious game we play to rise above the noise of instant communication and network ourselves with the right people at the right time.

Your challenge

If you do not have a strategy yet, set aside an hour and come up with your marketing plan using these five strategies. Keep it simple. Make it happen. Change as things change. Be sure you can accomplish your goals. Grandiose goals are fine for the long term — short term goals will get you there.

Take care and happing strategizing,

Jan

P.S. No endorsements to buy anything is intended, and no one is paying me to link to them. I’m just sharing with you quality content I have found.

Loyal Customers Wanted

Find out what technology to use to improve your customer relationship management.

Since the beginning of stone-age, traders have understood the importance of managing customer expectations. For over a century Dale Carnegie courses have taught students that same principle of “putting customers first.” I know because I am a Dale Carnegie Sales Course graduate.

We now call this awareness of customer service — customer relationship management or CRM for short.

With technology, our world has also become smaller while the number of people with whom we communicate has grown larger. The “Dunbar Number” of 150 people we relied upon in our past has exploded. Even in the smallest of businesses we require thousands of repeat customers to succeed.

CRM Software to the rescue

In our digitally networked society of today, we need help. We still want our customers to:

  • Feel important,
  • Find what they want, and
  • Come back for more with their friends.

Customer relationship management software takes a personal approach with your customers onto the digital platforms. It helps managers provide timely and customized information about products and services that interest your targeted audiences.

Customer purchases, social media followers, and eNewsletter subscribers can all be used to define your target market.  You can also use them to place specific sales items or products  in front of a smaller customer base.

You’ve experienced this. When you search for a product like bicycles, do advertisements for bicycles populate your feeds? That’s the search engine of Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft using the equivalent of CRM software. You just use it with a much smaller scale when you target your customers through your channels.

Placing products in front of your customers makes their purchasing decisions much easier. These product-feeds serve the same purpose as the aisle end-caps and window displays in brick-and-mortar stores.

One of the best articles that I found about CRM Software comes from Business News Daily. Check out Best CRM Software 2018 by Mona Bushnell, B2B Tech Writer at https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7839-best-crm-software.html. Read about their recommendations of the top suppliers and with a detailed review. They also include an extensive alphabetical listing of other CRM software suppliers. You will find help in their companion piece about choosing a CRM supplier at https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7838-choosing-crm-software.html.

Customer Relationship Management is here to stay

Even you have big data to mine in your social media, email lists, and sales reports. Take advantage of it. Using CRM software can help you manage customers’ expectations and provide a personalized experience through automation.

Post Script: Giving Credit where it’s due

I have not had the pleasure of using a customer relationship management software program yet. My knowledge is limited to research on the various CRM supplier websites. That being said…

I must give credit to HubSpot as a mainstay in my continuing education. HubSpot freely shares their knowledge and research through their blog, eBooks, and courses. I have encouraged staff to take courses in HubSpot Academy certification programs. My daughter earned her certificate in inbound marketing through them.

A recent example

Since we must adapt to technology, I want to better understand search engine optimization or SEO. A seismic shift  has occurred because voice-activated search invaded our living rooms with Google’s Home and Amazon’s Alexa.

I went to HubSpot for help and found How Do You Optimize for Voice Search? Our Experts Weigh In at https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-optimize-for-voice-search. Check it out if you’re interested.

Business News Daily identified HubSpot as the “Best CRM Software for Very Small Businesses” in their HubSpot Review. This is the extent that I know about their software.

I am not paid by HubSpot. I am just a grateful user of their knowledge base and wished to share this resource with you.

Acronyms defined

AI - Artificial Intelligence
aka - also known as
CE - Continuing Education
CRM - Customer Relationship Management
SEO - Search Engine Optimization

Reference sites

Business News Daily
https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/
HubSpot
https://www.hubspot.com/

Dunbar Theory

I find the Dunbar theory intriguing and have for years. This theory states there is a limit to the number of people we can truly socialize with — around 150. Find out more online to include these articles:

The Limits of Friendship by Maria Konnikova in The New Yorker magazine
https://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/social-media-affect-math-dunbar-number-friendships

Dunbar’s Number in Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar%27s_number

How to prepare for government contracting Certification

Certification can open doors for your business. The Federal Government offers opportunities that include set-aside contracts for small and minority-owned businesses. To compete for government contracts as designated, you must first be certified. This process is an investment in your future.

Small Business Administration Logo

This blog is a result of the research I completed for a client on the certification process. I decided to share what I found with you as an educational overview. I am not an SBA advisor. Please get professional help to complete the certification process. I have included links to the website sources I used for your convenience and to give credit where credit is due.

You can get help through an approved third-party contractor or you can certify yourself through the SBA – Small Business Administration. They too will help you.

The federal government’s goal is to award at least five percent of all federal contracting dollars to small disadvantaged businesses each year.

Source: https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs/8a-business-development-program#section-header-2

Benefits of disadvantaged businesses certification

  • Sole Source – Instead of having to request bids from three different businesses, millions of projects each year can be awarded to a certified, disadvantaged business. If you can complete the project at the standard or at a higher standard required for the job, you could be awarded the contract as a “sole source.” In this case the governing agency can award the contract in less time than normal. The government wants these certified suppliers – it makes their jobs easier. Be sure to promote your certified status.
  • Evaluation Preference – Small and minority owned businesses receive preference in open bid contracts. If the quality of work is there and the proposal aligns with other bidders, the work is to go to the certified small/minority business. That five-percent award goal reaches across to all agencies. Contracting offices want to achieve that goal because it is part of their performance rating.
  • Subcontracting – You can subcontract out the job that was awarded to you to ensure you have the skill sets to meet the contract requirements. I recommend you have a working relationship with your subcontractors well before you answer any federal request for bid. As project manager, you will be the responsible party. Future business will rely upon all work completed being of the quality you promised. Reputation is everything.
  • Direct contracting – Larger government contractors can count subcontractors’ disadvantaged  business certification as part of their Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) obligation to their Federal Government contracting program. Again, be sure to let people know of your certifications.

Overview of certification programs

I found a great overview article on business certifications by MBO Partners published in May of 2017. I recommend you take a few minutes to read it at https://www.mbopartners.com/blog/five-small-business-certifications-to-consider, Five Small Business Certifications to Consider. You’ll find short descriptions on:

  1. Women Owned Small Business and Women Business Enterprise
  2. Minority Business Enterprise
  3. B Corp Certification
  4. Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB) and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Certification
  5. LEED Certified: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)

Certifications

8(a) Small Business Certification

The federal government uses special programs to help small businesses win at least at 23 percent of all federal contracting dollars each year.

Source: https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs

Because the government sets aside 23 percent of their contracts for small businesses, there is an advantage to get certified. Find out more at https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs/8a-business-development-program#section-header-2

The small business eligibility survey

Qualifications depend on your North American Industry Classification System or NAIC. Take the quiz to see if you qualify at https://www.sba.gov/size-standards/.

The disadvantaged eligibility survey

I found out my business is in a HUB zone which qualifies me for additional consideration in government contracting. Find this quiz at https://certify.sba.gov/am-i-eligible.

Women Owned Small Business (WOSB) Certification

Self-Certify: complete initial certification then — you’ll need to update your certification information through both SAM.gov and certify.SBA.gov once a year to maintain your status with the program. I believe your certification lasts 9-years before you need to fill out new paperwork. Self-certify at https://certify.sba.gov/

Source: https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs/women-owned-small-business-federal-contracting-program#section-header-4

The SBA has approved four organizations to provide third-party certification. Contact them to find out about their certification process. They are:

  1. El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce http://www.ephcc.org/
  2. National Women Business Owners Corporation https://www.nwboc.org
  3. US Women’s Chamber of Commerce http://uswcc.org/
  4. Women’s Business Enterprise National Council http://www.wbenc.org/certification/

The National Women Business Owners Corporation offers the following certification programs. You can find out information on their website at https://www.nwboc.org.

Even if you self-certify, check out these applications. This will give you the information you need better prepare for the certification process. For example a brief history of applicant’s facilities is required for submission. Fee of $400 per certification plus incidental fees appears to be the norm.

Source: https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs/women-owned-small-business-federal-contracting-program

Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses program

The Federal Government sets aside contracts specifically for Veteran-owned small businesses. To access these contracts, you must be verified through the Vets First Verification Program. You will go through four stages to be verified: Intake, Assessment, Federal Review, and Decision. Find out more at https://www.va.gov/osdbu/verification/.

Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Program

Again, you can self-certify through your SBA account online. Email correspondence will finalize your registration once you deliver specific documents. What those are I am unsure. I believe they would be documents that verify your offices are headquartered in a HUB zone.

Find more information online at https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs/hubzone-program.

Minority Business Enterprise Certification

For this certification, contact the National Minority Supplier Development Council at http://www.nmsdc.org/about-nmsdc/. Find what documents you need at http://www.nmsdc.org/mbes/mbe-certification/. For re-certification, MBEs must provide current tax forms and any changes in their contact information. This is probably true on all certifications.

Again I found some good general information on MBE Certification program. This time it is from Inc. Magazine at https://www.inc.com/guides/2010/05/minority-owned-business-certification.html,
How to Get Certified as a Minority-Owned Business SBA 8(a) Business Development Program. Some high points in this that I thought would be good to share include the cost of certification. These costs can run between $350-$1,200, depending on region and company size.

Eligibility includes being

  • Socially disadvantaged 51% direct business owners “refers to individuals who are ‘subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice’ and includes, but is not necessarily limited to, Black, Hispanic, Native American, Asian-Pacific, and Subcontinent Asian.”
  • The company must have been in business for at least two years prior to applying.

To wave the 2-year waiting period you must meet 5 criteria found at https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2006-title13-vol1/xml/CFR-2006-title13-vol1-sec124-107.xml. These are:

  1. The individual or individuals upon whom eligibility is based have substantial business management experience;
  2. The applicant has demonstrated technical experience to carry out its business plan with a substantial likelihood for success if admitted to the 8(a) BD program;
  3. The applicant has adequate capital to sustain its operations and carry out its business plan as a Participant;
  4. The applicant has a record of successful performance on contracts from governmental or nongovernmental sources in its primary industry category; and
  5. The applicant has, or can demonstrate its ability to timely obtain, the personnel, facilities, equipment, and any other requirements needed to perform contracts as a Participant.

SBA Training

You can find the Small Business Administration’s online training for 8(a) programs at https://www.sba.gov/content/pre-8a-business-development-program-training-series.

These sessions include an “Overview of federal contract markets and a description of how the government buys goods and services.” That sounds like a great place to begin.

That’s the end result you desire – certification. Now to get there…let’s talk

Preparation Outline

SBA Business Comparison Chart

Business Name and structure

Government Codes

Be familiar with government codes and what you may need (if any) for your registration to work for the Federal government. Read the brief descriptions on the various codes at  https://gsafsddev.service-now.com/fsd-gov/answer.do?sysparm_kbid=85d0e67e6f585100211956532e3ee43a&sysparm_search=

  • More than likely you will want to obtain an Employer Identification Number EIN online FREE; some states may require it depending on your business structure
    • Finish in one session and get immediately
    • Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
    • https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/apply-for-an-employer-identification-number-ein-online
  • Obtain a Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number FREE at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do
    • Number assigned to you
    • You will need all of the information listed below to obtain a DUNS number:
  • Determine Industry code with North American Industry Classification System NAICS – FREE at https://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/sssd/naics/naicsrch?chart=2017
    • Find all the ones that apply to you
    • 541 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (T=compatible w/Mexico and Canada)
      • 54151 Computer Systems Design and Related Services
      • 541613 Marketing Consulting Services
      • 541820 Public Relations Agencies
  • Register with the System for Award Management (SAM) FREE at https://sam.gov/portal/SAM/##11
  • Create your Marketing Partner ID Number ( MPIN ) FREE. It will be required during  your SAM registration.
  • Create your CAGE Commercial and Government Entity Code. This unique identifier is for contracting with the Department of Defense.
    • 5-character alphanumeric value, no spaces, , uppercase
    • Build your own identifier or one will be assigned to you in SAM

Get certified

Summary

This quote from MBO Partners sums up the certification process from their article at https://www.mbopartners.com/blog/five-small-business-certifications-to-consider.

Certifications can be a great way to differentiate your business. Once you’ve obtained your new status, be sure to maintain certification by applying for renewal each year, and let your clients know by advertising on marketing and promotional materials. Be sure to take advantage of perks that come with certification as well such as attending member events, participating in mentoring programs, or actively applying for new contracts.

Start Here

To find out more information on the certification process or to apply, you can start here with the SBA at https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs.

Best of luck,

Jan