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1) Amtower Off-Center Observations
2) The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly: Advertisement Review & Marketing Tip
3) Business Partner Profile
4) Events & Other Items

Amtower Off-Center Observations

2002 was a good year for the Federal market. It was the only bright spot in the economy. During the year I was interviewed by over 15 publications, and to each I delivered the same message: What recession? In the government market, things are healthy – as always. Get in the game, but get smart before you come in. Many of us have seen some "name brand" companies enter this market only to exit rapidly after having their butt kicked by more savvy players. And we’ve also seen small, smart players come in and do well.

I don’t care if you’re a "Mom & Pop" hardware store in Peoria, or IBM in Armonk. If you know the rules, understand the marketing nuances, and come in intelligently, you cannot help but make money – open market, GSA Schedule, or other contract. There are ways for any legitimate provider of business products and services to make money in the government market.

If you’re not in this market, someone is eating your lunch and getting ready to move into your house. You will be fodder for a sad country song in the near term.

Amtower & Company is starting 2003 fast and furious. We’ve signed six clients to our "Government Marketing Group" (invitation only, you won’t find info at the web site), and are scheduling visits to each.

Government Marketing Best Practices (with six new sponsors!), our most successful seminar ever goes on the road to 11 cities starting in March (see events section below). So I’ll be on the road more frequently in 2003.

For those who say they cannot attend our events for any reason, we now have audio CDs available for sale at www.FederalDirect.net. The B2G Catalog Summit (from November, 2002; the second B2G Catalog Summit will be in Chicago in November, 2003) with the workbook, and audio CDs from the December 13, 2002 Government Marketing Best Practices, also with the workbook, are both available. More audio programs are scheduled.

And the first Government Marketing Forum of 2003 is January 14 – be there!


The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Ad Reviews & Marketing Tip

I can’t wait for the first publications of 2003 to reach me (FCW, GCN, GovExec) so I am combining the "Marketing Tip" with the "The Good, the Bad & the Ugly" this week. And our target is the CDW-G web site.

For those who have seen me speak in the past year or so, I always use the CDWG web site as the one to measure your site by – it is the Amazon.com of the government market: easy to find, use, browse, buy, and it loads quickly.

The first thing you see are the market segments: Federal, state and local, and education. Also on the opening page are multiple highlighted products, various "resources" (order status, account team, etc), feedback, online help, the site map and more - all very easy to find. Click on the "Federal" and we have another quick load (even on my 56k). Then we have highlighted contracts, agency listings (click on one and it takes you to the contracts which apply), and more (and different) featured products. And each page has a "printable version" button.

Very easy to use (absolutely critical), easy to find stuff, online help is good (functional) and the 800 # is on every page.

Marketing is often the art of adapting – borrowing and making things work for you. Take a look at this site. Measure what your site can do against this. "Borrow" some ideas!

CDWG web site grade: A- (like I’ve said, I find it difficult to give an "A", because virtually everything needs some tweaks.


Business Partner Profile

Last fall I was introduced to BrainBox by Joyce Bosc (Boscobel, Silver Spring, MD) when I was interviewed for a Department of Interior contract video.

BrainBox is a full service agency that I use for video and audio production for my seminars (remember, I am now selling CDs – they come from BrainBox). They’ve also produced specials for television. They do film/video, editing & production, web, multimedia, audio, print, and more.

I liked the label they produced for my CDs so much that I asked them for new stationary.

They are responsive, reasonably priced, and deliver quickly. And they are nice.

Call or email Nick Panagopulos at nick@brainbox.tv.

BrainBox Productions, Inc.
8113 Fenton Street
Silver Spring, Md 20910
phone 301/657.3700 fax 301/495.0829
http://www.brainbox.tv/

Events & Other Items
Government Marketing Forum, January 14: Lisa Dezzutti on Federal Marketing Mix. $35; 7:30-9:00 AM, Tower Club, Vienna, VA Call 301-854-9493 to reserve your seat.

Government Marketing Forum: February 11: Topic TBA $35 7:30-9:00 AM, Tower Club, Vienna, VA Call 301-854-9493 to reserve your seat.

The Government Marketing Best Practices 2003 Road Show starts in March!

March 18: Atlanta – University of Georgia Alumni Club
March 25: Denver – Metropolitan Club (Greenwood Village)
March 26: Chicago - DoubleTree O’Hare
April 4: Boston – Newton Marriott
April 15: Austin – University of Texas Club
April 16: Kansas City – Marriott TBA
April 22: Seattle – Columbia Tower Club
April 23: San Jose – Silicon Valley Capital Club
April 24: Los Angeles – TBA
April 29: Philadelphia – TBA
May 1: Westchester/White Plains, NY – TBA

Seminars are 3-3 1/2 hours. Fee: $225; email mark@federaldirect.net or visit www.FederalDirect.net for registration information.

Each venue is limited to no more than 50 attenders, so reserve your seat(s) Today!

Our sponsors for the 2003 Road show are CapITal Reps, Coalition for Government Procurement, Federal Business Council, Grant Thornton, Input, and MeritDirect.

Feedback is always appreciated: let me know if any of this helps & what else you might be looking for.

Thanks
Mark Amtower

The Amtower B2G Market Report is published and copyrighted by Amtower & Company. It combines our former newsletters into a single, bi-weekly newsletter for companies targeting the government marketplace. Contact us at Amtower & Company, PO Box 339, Ashton, MD 20861-0339 (301-924-0058). This material is copyrighted and may not be duplicated, reprinted or otherwise replicated without written permission of the publisher. EMAIL subscriptions are free by request: sign up at www.FederalDirect.net.

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