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The Amtower ReportVolume 5, #20, May 29, 2006(The Amtower Report is an e-journal on the Business-to-Government market featuring the opinions of Mark Amtower, and occasionally reader comments. This newsletter is only sent to those who request it. Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.FederalDirect.net and if you like this newsletter, please pass it along to your colleagues. To unsubscribe, see directions below. The newsletter is posted each Monday at www.FederalDirect.net, and the latest “Off-Center Observations” is on the home page. All back issues available at http://www.federaldirect.net/newsletterarchives.html)
Item: VAR Wars 2005-2006 will return in mid-June. A short version will be posted with the other Off-White Papers, and a full length version will be posted inside the member section of http://www.governmentmarketingbestpractices.com/ . I am also working on an Off-White Paper on the trade press that serves the government market. This will include comments on how the general business press covers B2G. Item: To that end, the current edition of Business 2.0 has a Government Cheat Sheet near the back of the magazine. Rather than attempt to cover the market on their own, they used information from Washington Technology. Great exposure for Wash Tech, and a good move by Business 2.0. Item: You may recall I moderated a session at FOSE, which featured Ann-Marie Clark of CDWG, Alec Dann of PostNewsweektech Media and Lisa Dezzutti of Market Connections. The video from that is up – and free – at www.GovernmentExpress.com. Click on GE Video (top navigation bar). This is also where we archive my radio show, but you click on GE Radio. Item: Along these same lines, I am interviewing Eloqua CEO Mark Organ in a webinar on June 13. Our topic is online selling and the ability to monitor and fast-track sales using web-based tools. Item: Speaking of Lisa Dezzutti and Market Connections, there are three new studies out at www.MarketConnectInc.com – Effective Federal Marketing Tactics, Key Federal Factors in Vendor Selection, and Market Impact of Homeland Security. This is great stuff, check it out. Item: Headlines around the country include: .Sex, Limos and Government Contracts (The Nation, more about Abramoff fallout); FBI Raid on Lawmaker’s Office Questioned (FBI had film of a Congressman taking bribes, raided his office and home. As a member of Congress, though, the rules should be different…); Ethics Panel Stirs (Washington Post editorial regarding the opening of Ethics Hearings after 16 months of napping). Headlines like these run around the country. It is little wonder that few people bother voting – it appears that anyone that comes to DC turns into (insert your favorite appropriate phrase). Not that I have an opinion.
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY: TOWER CLUB MUSINGS {For those outside the Washington, D.C. area, the Tower Club, in Vienna, Virginia, next to Tysons Mall, is the preferred gathering place for the top players in the business-to-government market. One of the smartest things I have ever done for my business was to join over ten years ago. The breakfast and lunch crowds include a Who’s Who of the top players in our market.) When I meet people for breakfast, it is usually in the Tower Club dining room. I like to arrive early, as it helps me beat the traffic coming from Howard County (Maryland), thirty-plus miles away. I leave home before 6 AM to beat the traffic, and I always take a note pad, some work and something to read. I arrive about 6:45 AM and usually have spare time for musing. I take my table in the back corner, which affords me a view of the entire dining room. The pre-breakfast time helps me clarify my thoughts and provides me insights into myself and my activities. Am I going in the right direction? Did I say this or that the right way? Did I cloud an issue using more attitude than necessary (certainly not me!). During this time I have edited newsletters, seminars, and made random notes that I refer back to for inspiration. It is also interesting to see who dines with whom either for breakfast or lunch. Over my past few visits I have enjoyed these musings. Two AM tables are inhabited by regulars: Maurice, the business real estate pro, and Jim, the retired SAIC exec who does some fantastic photography (I have been to the exhibits). I always stop by to say Hello. One player comes in, sits at his/her table, and is joined a few minutes later by another recognizable face. My first thought is: Here is a clear case of the litigious leading the sleazy, travelers well met, each deserving of the other. Steer clear. At an adjacent table, there is a discussion of a new business blog by a second tier contractor (this is not a slam: the top tier is only 25 or so companies; the second tier is about 400-800 companies, depending on how you make the cut). The conversation centers on the inability of the blogger to clearly articulate ideas in the blog. My thoughts go back to the theory of an infinite number of monkeys, each with a typewriter, and an infinite amount of time. The theory postulates given this unlimited amount of time, the monkeys will produce all the great classics of literature. My theory is that you come up with…. blogs, multi-syllabic words and phrases emanating from uncertain and unexercised minds, each lacking a clear objective - intellectual haggis in search of an indiscriminate diner. Later I see a business development pro from a mid-size company meet with the CEO of a small, publicly traded integrator. I invest in micro-caps, so I make a note to call my broker. I have not looked at this company in a while. I will also call my friend John Sanders, who knows as much about small companies in this market as anyone. He will know something about this company. Then my breakfast guest comes in, and I refocus on our agenda, closing my note pad. If you happen to be having breakfast at the Tower Club, and you see a guy walk to the back corner table wearing all black (no tie) and cowboy boots, stop by and say Hello. That would be me. EVENTS WORTH ATTENDING Beware of the schlock vendors, producing minimal value events, events that eat your money with no significant return! The events listed below are among those I think are worth your time, money and effort. Just because an event is not listed below does not imply it is not worth attending. If you want my opinion on a specific event or producer, call me. This topic is addressed more thoroughly in the members section at www.GovernmentMarketingBestPractices.com. June 6-7, 2006 NSA SIGINT Technology Exposition and Conference, Fort Meade, Maryland June 6, 2006: Coalition for Government Procurement Spring Conference, McLean Hilton, www.thecgp.org June 15, Government Leaders at the Helm, Women in Technology, www.womenintechnology.org June 20, GovCon, McLean Hilton, (all day) Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce www.gconseries.com June 21-22, 2006, FISC 2006, Colorado Springs, Colorado http://www.fbcinc.com//fisc June 26-28, 2006, RIO Symposium (formerly U.S. ACE DIM/CIM), Miami, Florida http://www.fbcinc.com/event.asp?eventid=Q6UJ9A00B8U6 June 27-30, 2006: 7th Annual Dept of Energy Small Business Conference, Seattle, WA June 28, 2006, U.S. Department of Transportation/FAA IA Training and Workshop http://www.smallbizconferencee.comWashington, District of Columbia June 29, 2006, U.S. Department of Transportation/FAA IA Training and Workshop Washington, District of Columbia July 6, GSA Federal Technology Day – NY, Javits Bldg, http://www.fbcinc.com/event.asp?eventid=Q6UJ9A00B4Q7 July 18-19 FBI Information Security Officer Training Symposium http://www.fbcinc.com/event.asp?eventid=Q6UJ9A00AKHH
The Amtower Marketing Report Monday 5-6 PM on WBIS 1190 AM (Annapolis Md, simulcast on www.WBIS1190.com ): Upcoming guests include… June 5: TBA June 12: TBA
May 30, at 7:40 AM on The Bob Cudmore Show, WVTL 1570 AM, Amsterdam, NY. June 15, 5:20 PM, on the Greenberg News Show with Brian Greenberg, WNJC, 1360 AM, Philadelphia.
Thanks The Amtower Report is published by Amtower & Company, and is written for companies targeting the government marketplace. The opinions expressed are those of Mark Amtower unless otherwise noted. Contact us at Amtower & Company, PO Box 314, Highland, MD 20777-0314 (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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