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RFP's are the key to getting government contracts.

WYOMING BUSINESS TIPS from the Wyoming Entrepreneur.Biz Network, a partnership of business assistance programs at the University of Wyoming.

By Shannon Howshar, Procurement Counselor, GRO-Biz

Requests for Quotations and Request for Proposals are solicitation documents to communicate Government requirements to potential contractors. An RFQ is used in simplified acquisitions, and is a request for information. The important thing to remember is that quotes submitted in response to an RFQ are not offers and cannot be accepted by any agency to form a binding contract. An RFQ is also a method agencies can use to obtain price, delivery and other information for potential sole-source procurements. For simplified acquisitions, quotations do not have to be received in writing.

An RFP is used in negotiated procurements and is used to solicit proposals from potential vendors. RFPs must contain the information necessary to enable prospective contractors to prepare the proposals properly as an RFP and the information submitted can be used for an award document. The Government reserves the right to award a contract based on initial offers received, without any written discussion with the offering party. The intention of an RFP is to result in a contract; an RFQ gathers information to help an agency develop an RFP or a binding offer.

There is also an RFI, which is a Request for Information, which is used when the Government is not currently looking to award a contract, but is seeking information for planning purposes. Responses to RFIs are offers and will not and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.

Requests for Proposals and Requests for Quotes have requirements for information that must be contained in the document; Requests for Information do not have a required format that must be followed.

Since the Government just spends, spends, spends, you can sell, sell, sell!

By Patricia Dotter, ACAS, GRO-Biz PTAC Program Manager

A GSA Schedule is also known as a GSA Contract, Federal Supply Schedule, or Multiple Award Schedule (MAS). The schedule is an IDIQ contract (indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity). 

“Get on a schedule” is most likely what you have heard from a government agency wishing to do business with your company. This “schedule” is an easy way for the government to do business with any company wishing to sell their products, services or solutions to the government, and saves time and money. It is a “catalog” of pre-approved vendors at pre-negotiated prices, from which any agency or their representatives may purchase items, solutions or services in need, knowing that they are getting the best price and high quality. Purchases from these contracts may be paid by credit card or wire transfer and most are paid within twenty-seven days.

From the vendor’s standpoint, a GSA schedule gives you “Preferred Vendor” status and the government knows that doing business with the approved vendor is quick and easy, that the vendor is credible and reliable, and the official buyers do not have to write or post RFQ’s or other procurement procedures. The competitive procedures have already been completed simply by obtaining a schedule. Vendors holding a schedule receive more exposure to Federal Agencies over a longer period of time, potentially up to twenty years.  Schedule holders also have REDUCED competition! There are few companies that want to pursue the GSA schedule unless they are directed to by an agency. Reality is that many federal agencies are told they may only purchase off the schedule rather than bid processes.

Getting a GSA schedule does require time, commitment, patience, research, evaluation, past performance measures, etc. It is an involved process that may pay off well in the long run, but may seem a daunting task.

GRO-Biz

Procurement

Technical

Assistance

Center

offers classes to assist in the maze of paperwork involved to obtain a GSA schedule. Visit www.gro-biz.com or call the local GRO-Biz counselor nearest you for further information.

Spreading the word doesn't have to be a major expense.

By Mark Atkinson, Director, Rock Springs Region

Spread the word about your business without the expense of a major marketing campaign.

There are so many things one can do without spending a lot of money; promotions are those “things” and using them is critical for the success. And, promotions should be run often and once they are, small businesses should gather data to assess their effectiveness. Then, do it again. In other words, promoting your Wyoming small business should be viewed as a cycle, or process.

It is not necessary for a Wyoming small business to give something highly valuable away for free (necessarily) in order to run a successful promotion. For a list of basic promotional ideas, check out a document on our website (wyomingentrepreneur.biz) called, “15 Ways to Promote Your Wyoming Small Business.” Go to Forms and Links on the left and you can download the document from there.

The grand master of promotions may be the Disney Company. Although hardly a small business, Disney once again inspires us with their “What Will You Celebrate” promotion (disneyparks.com). During 2009, a visitor to a US Disney Theme Park may pass through the front gates for free, on the exact birthday of the visitor.  Currently on Disneyland.com, a one day passport (Disney's name for a ticket) costs $59.

Disney understands the promotional process and likely has fairly solid ideas for 2010, 2011 and beyond. Wyoming small business can use the same process by habitually scanning the environment for consumer trends in their respective industry and responding with promotional ideas to induce sales. I would strongly recommend every Wyoming small business consider using the free service of the Wyoming Market Research Center.  This group of professional researchers can assist you in capturing critical market information that leads to targeted and effective promotions. Access their services by going to our website.

Your logo - your identity!

BY: Mike Lambert, Director

Wyoming Market Research Center

In the middle ages when a traveler came to town he could find the local blacksmith, boot-maker or tailor by the sign out front of the shop. No words were needed since an anvil, a boot or a needle and thread provided all the information the traveler needed.

Today a company’s logo serves much the same purpose. It is a shortcut consumers can use to tell what your company is about. It is a quick visual cue that conveys the essence of your brand in a day and age when people’s time and attention span is short.

The right logo can make you look professional, established, stable and may be the only thing a potential customer uses to judge whether to or not to do business with you. Your logo should be used everywhere. It should be on your signage, business cards, advertising materials and website.

Fortune 500 companies can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to create a new logo.  You don’t need to go that far, but it is probably a good investment to have a professional designer work on your design. There are a lot of independent graphic artists / designers who charge reasonable amounts for this kind of work. A good logo should last a minimum of 10 to 12 years, so a few hundred or even a thousand dollars spent up front can be a good investment.

John Williams at Entrepreneur.com suggests 5 cardinal rules for creating a logo. These are:
1) Your logo should reflect your company in a unique and honest way. Think about what you are trying to say about your company and make sure your logo supports that message.
2) Avoid too much detail. Check out some well-known logo’s such as McDonalds, Nike, Prudential. They all feature something unique or unexpected without being overdrawn.
3) Your logo should work well in black and white (one color) printing as well as in color. Remember, you may want to use this in a number of ways, and something that only works in multiple colors could be very expensive to print or put on a shirt.
4) Your logo should be scalable; it should look good on anything from a business card to a billboard.
5) Your logo should be artistically balanced. No one element should overpower the others.
If you would like more information on logo creation, the services of WYOMING ENTREPRENEUR.BIZ or the Market Research Center, contact Mike Lambert, mikelamb@uwyo.edu.

Tips on naming your business

Elizabeth Parks, Wyoming Market Research Center

First impressions can make or break you in business and your business name is part of the critical first impression to help generate traffic…or not.

The name of your business should let customers know what it is you do and should also convey the value and uniqueness of your product or service. Your name can also function as a descriptor for your business. For example, do you want to convey quality or convenience or low-cost? The more the name communicates to consumers, the less effort you will have to exert in explaining it.

Think about a name by taking a methodical approach. Develop a list of keywords relating to your business. Include in this list verbs, nouns and adjectives. Begin searching the Web and magazines to generate ideas. Use a thesaurus to determine alternate words for your product or service. Talk to friends about the message you want to convey and ask for suggestions. Enlist the help of people you don’t know for feedback on proposed names.

Focus on the experience you want customers to have by using your product or service. For example, if you have a bakery, you may want to focus on bread coming right out of the oven. Instead of “Hannah’s Bakery”, you might decide on “Warm and Wonderful Bakery”.

Don’t forget to include in your list common sayings, mottos or clichés. For example: Chapter and Verse Book Store or Head Over Heels Dog Training. Rhyming words are also easy to remember.

Consider your competition when considering a name. What is it they do you do better? Use your name to differentiate yourself from them. You want customers to remember your name before your competitors.

Keep the name flexible. As you add new product lines, your name may no longer fit. Even large corporations have made this mistake. 3M started out as Minnesota Manufacturing and Mining. Southwest Airlines has now expanded beyond the Southwest. In the Rocky Mountain Region, the Vitamin Cottage in Fort Collins now has several stores and is no longer a “cottage”.

Your business name will have far-reaching effects; it your #1 marketing connection and it will touch many different people and organizations in different ways. Here are some things to consider:
• How will it look on your website, business cards, ads and other marketing materials?
• Is it easy to pronounce and spell?
• Is it easy to remember?

Some don’ts:
• Don’t use acronyms – spell out the name to avoid confusion.
• Avoid trends in names, which go stale after a while. Examples are “R Us”, “ N’ Stuff”, “N Things” and “N More”.
• Because of e-Commerce, geographic locations as part of a name are no longer a good idea; for example, Jones Street Hardware.

If you are already in business under a poorly thought out name, don’t be afraid to change it. Bundy Very Used Cars changed its name to Rent-a-Wreck and quickly became a household word.

Lastly, in the State of Wyoming, it is not mandatory you register a DBA (doing business as) name. However, you may register a DBA by filing a Trade Name Application. More information can be found by clicking on the following websites:
State of Wyoming Statute:
http://legisweb.state.wy.us/statutes/statutes.aspx?file=titles/Title40/T40CH2.htm.
Find the Form (click on Business for forms):
http://soswy.state.wy.us/Forms/FormsFiling.aspx.

Name games…get a grip! Start from the start – with an end in mind.

By Jill Kline, WSBDC Regional Director
WyomingEntrepreneur.Biz, Wyoming Small Business Development Center

There are a varying opinions and strategies on how to select an appropriate name; I’ll provide some resources for you to consider. Choosing a name should not be taken lightly.  The right name is your first step in developing a brand for your business, which is how your customers see you and what they will come to expect and value as far as your product or service is concerned.

The Entrepreneur.com web site has a vast list of resource articles outlining strategies to help you name your business. Steve Nubie, author of a May 2000 article titled “Why A Good Business Plan Can Help You Name Your Company” offered a concise approach that should help you get started.

Nubie suggests that your written business plan can be the blueprint for determining your name. A good plan clearly defines your product or service, your customers, your competition and your industry. Your plan outlines your goals and strategies to achieve those goals. Your plan forms a framework for your brand strategy and leads you to critical issues to think about when determining your name.

Nubie provides four considerations: First, visualize your customers. What do they look like? What are their ages, genders, lifestyles and locations? If you target a specific demographic or type of customer, your business name should be customer-driven. A good example of this is the high-end clothing store, La Petite Femme, which specializes in smaller women’s sizes.

Next, think about what makes your company distinctive. What is your company's emphasis? This uniqueness or competitive edge describes the primary nature of your business. Identify the words that define the nature of your business and highlight that attribute in your name.

Third, understand your business category. Are you highly specialized or are you selling a commodity? For instance, Meals-on-Wheels, the catering company, has a specialized product and market; Melissa's Catering, has a broader market yet it clearly identifies the business and adds an element covered in the next consideration.

Finally, are you or another individual essential to the company's day-to-day activities and functions? This is often the case for service type businesses and best exemplified when you see a name or a list of last names for lawyers, doctors or insurance agents. 

According to Dave Batt, president of Everest Communications Inc. in Genea, Illinois, "In time, the name will be less important than what you make of it through hard work, dedication and customer satisfaction. It's at that point that you’ll know you've not only successfully named your company, but also given birth to a brand.”

See other topic related articles on the Entrepreneur.com web site.

Pitchin' to the Media - How to get good press

By Tom Lacock, WBC

I just flew in from Baltimore and my arms aren’t the least bit tired. I spent three days this week at the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (typical editors put the “E” before the “W” in the title of the organization) Conference on the east coast.

While the job duties are a lot more specific, it is basically my job to help people say pretty things about Wyoming in print or television and SABEW lets me hear specifically what the media is looking for.

Spencer Ante, an editor at Business Week, opened his playbook and offered his checklist of how he decides who he is going to cover. He won’t listen to a pitch without knowing about:

Management - He wants the story on a company interested in getting ink to tell him who the managers are, what is their story, why did they arrive where they have? Who have they surrounded themselves with to insure success?
Level of innovation - Sure you have a new product, but how is this changing people’s lives?
The company they keep - Who is using this product or who are the investors?
Evolution of their business plan - They might be innovative, they might be making money, but where are they as opposed to where they want to be and how they intend to get there.

If you can answer those four questions in a way that is fun or interesting, let me know and we can find a publication to plug you in.

Sounds easy, but here comes the tough part. Any lemonade stand can knock through those first four. You have to be willing to back your story up with solid financials - doesn’t mean you have to make money, doesn’t mean you have to be getting close, it just means you have to be willing to open your books.

Here we have a personal space alert just like that time in second grade gym class when the girl behind you got into your bubble and her glasses went flying across the room because she had no idea you were about to do a helicopter. This is personal, this is closer than we want to let someone in.

Granted, I don’t walk around with my credit score on a t-shirt or tell anyone on the street my amount of credit card debt, because it is personal. It’s a pretty personal thing to have your entire life on bank statements and just show that to a guy you just met. The flip side to that is a reputable reporter isn’t going to risk his/her rep for someone who isn’t about to show that off. Keep in mind, the financials aren’t necessarily going into the story, but it will legitimize you.

In a lot of cases you can talk to the reporter about using percentages of growth in a story or another measure that doesn’t necessarily give away a financial position to a competitor.  Think about it like this - if someone is writing for the Denver Post, Business Week or any other reputable publication, they are probably a smart cookie and didn’t get where they are by putting a knife in the back of the businesses they write about.

Green Business: NOT"oh come on!" How about, OH YEAH!

By Diane Wolverton
State Director
Wyoming Small Business Development Center

A movement is afoot. Some call it sustainability; others call it green business. Patricia Aburdene, author of Megatrends 2010 has dubbed it “Conscious Capitalism” and she says it will change the way we conduct business in the USA and around the world.

“Change the way we conduct business” Wow. That warrants attention. Smart entrepreneurs are taking note and looking for ways to be part of the change so it works for them and not against them. Here are a few things you can do to get started.

Learn the basics. Today’s working definition of sustainability is “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” In the context of business, this means operating profitably today without negatively impacting our environmental and societal infrastructures to compromise the future. Sustainable businesses work toward a “triple bottom line”: one that supports people, planet and profits.

One way to orient yourself to the movement is to learn its language. Check out the online sustainability dictionary by the Presidio School of Management. You’ll discover cool concepts like biomimicry, eco-labels, cradle-to-cradle, SRI (social responsible investing), global reporting initiative and more.

Connect with others: Lots of organizations are cropping up to support the sustainability movement. Co-op America has been around the longest. They offer a ton of information, plus an opportunity for sustainable businesses to sell products through Green Festivals and their catalogue of sustainable products, The Green Pages.

Another great resource is LOHAS, an organization dedicated to the $209 billion U.S. marketplace for goods and services focused on health, the environment, social justice, personal development and sustainable living. Just a few minutes on this website will show you that the sustainability movement offers a lot of opportunity for businesses who can tailor their products and services to meet the needs of this huge market. LOHAS also puts on a great annual conference loaded with information and networking opportunities.

Revisit your plan: Getting on the wave of sustainable business requires revisiting your whole business – your mission, your product, your processes, your people, your location. It may seem overwhelming. But there are lots of resources to help. The Wyoming Business Council offers an energy audit to determine what your carbon footprint looks like and how you can reduce its size. Contact Tom Fuller, tom.fuller@wybusiness.org. Manufacturing-Works offers an environmental assessment. Contact Carol Stark, cjstark@bresnan.net. The Small Business Development Center can help you look at your compete business plan through the lens of sustainable practices. Contact Diane Wolverton, ddw@uwyo.edu.

Make Your Website Work for You Seminar

By Wyoming Small Business Development Center

So you've built a web site, now what? Don't sit in front of your computer helplessly "hoping for hits". At this seminar, you will learn internet marketing and optimization strategies that will bring visitors to your site and convert them into paying customers. Sponsored by the Wyoming Small Business Development Center and the Casper Area Chamber of Commerce, the seminar will take place on Dec. 6 from 9-11:00 am, in the SBDC Conference Room, 300 S. Wolcott, Ste. 300. Stuart Hill, owner of Smart WSI Web Solutions, will demonstrate how the combination of an online and an offline marketing plan can work for you. He will also cover search engine optimization techniques, email marketing campaigns, video (email and online), informational pages, online paid marketing, online reporting, and conversion techniques. Stuart Hill has been involved with computers and business since 1979. In 2005, he started Smart WSI Web Solutions. The Casper business is a WSI franchisee, the world's largest internet solutions provider. Smart WSI Web Solutions focuses on building, maintaining, and marketing internet solutions for small to medium- sized businesses in the Rocky Mountain area. Registration fee is $20 and deadline to register is Nov. 17. Contact the SBDC at 234-6683 to register. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made, if requested at least 2 weeks in advance. The WSBDC is a partnership program funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, and in part by the Wyoming Business Council, and the University of Wyoming.

Getting to know you, Part 4 - Once you're in front of the camera

By Tom Lacock

The advice continues......

Never look directly into the camera. Imagine it is the sun, or your dog begging for table scraps. Ignore it, it isn’t there; don’t even acknowledge it unless it falls on your toes. Looking into the camera and talking is a creepy thing for the folks watching you on the other side. Always look at the interviewer, act like you are talking conversationally to them and try to ignore the camera. Never look down while speaking, you know what your shoes look like already – or at least you should.

Always start off each interview by saying, then spelling your name. No matter how easy you think your name is, spell it anyway. Then, offer your title. The reporter should ask this right away, but if they don’t, remind them to – like asking your proctologist to wash his hands when he walks into the exam room, it is a good way to avoid a potential mess.

Don’t sway or slouch. Try a 15 degree lean forward. If you need to know how far 15 degrees is… You are not alone, but that is what Bulldog Reporter suggests.  Find a comfortable position to sit or stand in right away and go with it. Use a natural positions and natural hand gestures - unless those gestures involve pounding a table or desk.

Remember the microphone is always live and by saying, “this is off the record”, doesn’t necessarily mean anything in a legal sense. As an editor once told me, “Because he said, ‘off the record’ doesn’t mean he can tell you what you can use and what you can’t.” Unless someone grants you “off the record” protection verbally you are not off the record. And even then there is nothing forcing the reporter not to use that statement.

Dress simple: For men, this is dark suits with light shirts and solid ties. Light colored shirts are better, but white can look washed out sometimes. Bringing a sport coat or suit jacket to the offices and leaving it is a good idea. For women, darker muted colors are best. Red is fine, but darker colors over the top are better. Don’t wear dangly or distracting jewelry. Ted, this means you.

Stick to three message points. Lay them out one at a time and then keep your responses fairly brief. Give the reporter something to work with, but don’t ramble.

Glossary of terms you might hear the TV personality mention:

B-roll: secondary footage (video) in a news story. This video should match what the reporter is talking about in their story (e.g. the reporter is talking about a cow, we should see a cow in the video).

Soundbite: A soundbite is what comes from an interview.  The reporter will go back to the station, look at the interview and pull out the soundbites, he/she feels get the point across.  Typically, reporters will not chose soundbites that are longer the 12 seconds long, so try to keep answers as short as possible...ideally 7-10 seconds.

VO/SOT: Voice Over/Sound on Tape: VO is voice over and SOT is Sound on Tape. Together it is a VO/SOT: This is a short, 45 second-or-so, story; which the TV anchor will read. As they read the story, b-roll will play, hence the Voice Over.  The Sound on Tape comes in when 'you,' the interviewee gives the soundbite.

Package:  A package is the longest version of a story in TV News.  This is when the reporter who interviewed you has their voice over the b-roll and 'you,' the interviewee has 2-3 soundbites in the story.  Packages can run from 45-90 seconds long. This is your best opportunity to get your story/point across.

Tom will be at the Wyospace.com Idea Expo (Coming up in TWO WEEKS!) along with his coleagues from the PR/Marketing Department of the Wyoming Business Council, to offer free advice on marketing and PR to Wyoming's Businesses.  Be sure to visit them at their booth on the main floor!  If you still haven't registered, go online now to www.wyomingideaexpo.com.  Hotels are filling fastly, and you don't want to miss this!