Often times our Clients determine that the best way to grow is through acquisition of an existing company with contracts and synergistic capabilities. Determining the right strategy to make that happen is a unique skill. Our team works closely with most of our Clients in some variation of this analysis. In some cases, our Clients are ready to exit their business and are looking to sell their company. We assist in all sides of this process. We are not licensed business brokers, but we have extensive experience in these transactions and bring that skill set to our clients.
Each of our Clients has a different measure of success and how they choose to manage that path. Success could be business growth, name recognition, divestiture of assets, purchase of another company, a new contract, additional staffing, lifestyle improvements or a host of other measures. Our team works diligently to understand what success means to our Clients and our end Customers and we dedicate our efforts to making that a reality.
Every company would like to be the Xerox of copying, the Band-Aid of bandages or the Kleenex of tissues. Branding is essential to market penetration and is an art form. We practice contributing to this tapestry daily. Repair of a damaged image is also a key capability that we often bring to our Clients. Many are recovering from a past event or reputation bump and need our assistance to help them through that dark time. We have extensive experience in branding and marketing of image, capability, reputation and legacy. We work with branding of companies and personnel. Both are critical to the successful positioning within the market. In addition, our team excels in messaging for our Clients. The ability to succinctly describe your capability, differentiate yourself from the pack, create interest or convey an idea is a requirement for success. Many of those in industry struggle with this aspect of business communication. Our team brings extensive experience and support to our Clients to ensure that they are prepared and stand out amidst their competitors. In addition, we work diligently to develop our Clients "30 second elevator pitch" on how to talk to a government leader in a spontaneous meeting.
Unlike the commercial space where sales cycles are often measured in minutes, hours or days, the federal sales cycles are often years in the making. Because of budgets and availability of funds, the FAR, competitive procurement and the convoluted requirements process, managing the sales cycle within the federal market is not for the faint of heart. Our team has extensive experience in taking our Clients from concept to production, new market to incumbent, and innovation to standard practice. Our experience is second to none. We assist the management teams in understanding the process to assist with internal support and planning. For the Government Customer we assist in the process of setting requirements, identifying funding, coordinating acquisition strategy and delivering a capability that meets the mission. We know this process, we live this process and we are successful at this process.
Our team is available at an unprecedented level. We work as a group to provide access to our skill sets as needed with passion and diligent response to the demands of our Clients and the Government Customers. Because we maintain deep relationships and technical expertise in all areas of our market we are able to bring this knowledge and support rapidly to our Clients and the Government Customers. Our response times are second to none.
Our team consists of senior leaders with vast experience in government, industry, technology, politics and management. We have walked in the shoes of our Clients and Customers at all levels of the organization. We have sat in the seats of the Government Customers and have dealt with their issues and environment first hand. We work side by side with those with whom we do business and act as mentors for many as they progress through their careers. We are constant confidants to the executives of our Clients as well as to the workers who make things happen. For the Government Customer, we are career coaches and partners with those we now serve. It is both an honor and a grave responsibility that we cherish and protect fanatically.
As opportunities present themselves, many of our Clients struggle with the process of pursuit. From the Call Plan (who should we meet with), the Messaging (what should we say), the Marketing of the capability to the response to the procurement or acquisition strategy; to the winning of the proposal to the delivery of the service – Grace and Associates is a key teammate to our Clients and Government Customers in every aspect of this process.
It is our commitment to prepare our Clients in every way to be successful in this marketplace. We ensure that they understand the environment and the Customer that they wish to serve. We ensure that they are prepared for every meeting and that their materials are relevant, easy to comprehend and complete. We ensure that they know the acquisition strategy and what is needed to compete. We ensure that they know the competitive landscape and can defend their turf. We ensure that they are the best prepared in the marketplace – and they are! Another key element of being prepared is the impression that is left with the Government Customer. We work to ensure that every encounter with the Government Customer is a very positive experience for both sides. This is a critical success factor that we do not take lightly. We strive to provide value and make a difference at all levels of this experience.
Although the Federal Marketplace seems appealing and flush with opportunity, it is not for every company. It is difficult to establish and maintain a strong brand in such a vast environment. Our team has extensive expertise in Market Development for our Clients and we have successfully implemented multiple technologies, processes and transformations within diverse markets. We ensure that our Clients are Market Ready or in some cases our role is to redirect our Clients away from futile pursuits and ensure that they are placing their efforts where they can be successful. We ensure their marketability to the end customer and their partners.
Know your adversary and know your enemy. The Art of war calls for this as a key factor for success in battle. Competing in the Federal Market is a very complex process. Analyzing, respecting and being prepared to match your competition is essential. We know the marketplace and provide insights on incumbents, key players, diverse technologies, competing entities and hidden agendas. We live in this space and know our neighbors. We bring this intelligence to our Clients and assist in the proper battle plan for success.
In order for us to be effective we must know how our Clients define success and where they want to take their company. This requires a Business Plan to get there. Our team has extensive experience in the development, adoption and implementation of a vast array of Business Plans and Strategy. By working as a teammate and partner in this process we can better serve our Clients to help them achieve their goals.
Each of the members of our team received hundreds if not thousands of briefings in our roles in government. We know what sells and what is rejected, what is of interest and what gets you a call back as opposed to giving presentations that are discarded and forgotten. We work on every aspect of our Clients presentations and review them for content, technical merit, messaging, consistency, interest and value to the customer. We are always invited back, which means that our Clients can fully support their Government Customers and Partners to provide the right technology, at the right time for the right mission.
We work closely with our Clients and coach them on how to interact with their Government Customer, their Partners and within the marketplace. We have long standing relationships and are able to share insights that assist the customer in avoiding pitfalls of ignorance, bad behavior, poor judgment from inexperience or miscalculations of the environment. This is critical in all of our engagements and an area in which we are consistently recognized and acknowledged.
Every Company should have a strategy that represents their end game or how they define ultimate success. For smaller or mid sized Clients, this could be to grow sell their Company at a profit after achieving a level of success. For other privately held entities, it could be maintaining a lifestyle Company that provides the owners with their financial, social or personal needs with no desire to sell or exit the business. For larger or even publicly traded Companies, it may driving their stock price or meeting their quarterly earnings; every Company should have a series of goals that they seek to achieve. Our team works diligently with every one of our Clients to ensure that we know and understand those goals, the actions required to achieve their success and metrics to determine course corrections. This is essential to ensure that we are pulling in the same direction as desired by our Clients.
