Civil Service Position your company to get government contracts.

As the circulation director for Government Computer News,Mark Amtower noticed that no one had looked at marketing to thegovernment as a "separate, distinct discipline." So in1985, he started consulting firm Amtower &Co. to help companies shape their marketing messages forgovernment buyers. Amtower is also a speaker, a radio show host andauthor of Government Marketing Best Practices.

BIZ Experiences: Are a lot of BIZ Experiencessintimidated by doing business with the government?

Mark Amtower: Yes. When you're looking at the federalgovernment, you're looking at the largest buying entity in thehistory of the world. That's frightening until you figure outwhat it's really about: niches. All you have to determine iswhere your product or service plays in that game. The governmentconsumes every legitimate business product and service imaginable,including services as mundane as plumbing, yardwork and automotiverepair.

BIZ Experiences: How can BIZ Experiencess find out aboutgovernment contracts?

Amtower: Something everybody can use is the ProcurementTechnical Assistance Program, [which has] 97 centers designed tohelp [entrepreneurs] understand the mechanics of coming into thegovernment--what kinds of contracts are available, what a GSAschedule is, how the government buys and to whom you should talk.[Find the nearest center at www.governmentexpress.com under"Resources."]

BIZ Experiences: What are common mistakesentrepreneurs make when approaching the government?

Amtower: Usually, BIZ Experiencess identify the agency theywant to work with and find the [corresponding] Office of Small andDisadvantaged Business Utilization. The biggest complaint fromOSDBUs is that company owners come in and talk about what they do,how small they are, etc. They aren't asking about what theagency needs and how they can help. The other big problem isidentifying the wrong potential client. The best thing to do isresearch upfront.