Engaging with Empathy: Four Keys to SLED Outreach

Government is under fire and in defensive mode right now, particularly at the federal level, but SLED leaders are also sensitive to the current skeptical and even hostile mood. Many government employees truly care about their work and the services they provide for their customers and communities. However, empathy and support for government staff is sometimes lacking. SLED managers and purchasing teams are interested in making good decisions and operating in efficient and accountable ways but they always appreciate being respected and appreciated for their hard work and achievements on behalf of the public.

In this article, I want to share a few key ideas and suggest that in the current uncertain environment, greater success can be had with increased empathy and communication rather than remaining disconnected and in a “wait and see” mode.

With so much attention focused on DOGE’s cost cutting, scrutinizing federal budgets and reductions in grant funding that might affect SLED contracts, some companies may be wondering if they should be building relationships with government staff or hold back during this time of uncertainty. At GovWin IQ, we share how vendors, suppliers and contractors can compete and win on a proactive rather than reactive basis—regardless of market conditions.

These are proven principles that are widely accepted among SLED thought leaders and insiders. The best or most successful firms will:

• Continue to schedule sales calls and introductory meetings to build relationships, and not wait around to only respond to bid requests or RFPs when they are issued.
• Develop a forward-looking pipeline of upcoming purchases so they can make informed “go/no go” decisions.
• Be flexible during the process and provide educational content that might help procurement teams better understand your industry.
• Build long-term consultative relationships with buyers and end users.

In the current confusing and uncertain state of the market, we urge companies to not ignore the public servants and government departments. Instead, we suggest that companies regularly touch base and engage with a sense of empathy, respect and desire to meet needs, solve problems, be available and present in the market.

• During stressful times, it’s important to remember that there are human beings on both sides of the procurement table. Continuing to provide outreach can add value and be helpful to those in government.
• Buyers and stakeholders are incredibly busy, overwhelmed and worried with the potential changes and challenges during these political times. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t need the input, advice and active participation of the vendor community to do their jobs effectively.     

In recent months, I’ve spent time on site with two different leading national companies on the front lines of SLED outreach. Both reported they are continuing their customer outreach and not reducing their efforts during the uncertainty of the First 100 days of the new administration. While they recognize there is more indecision and uncertainty in terms of budgets and what resources will be available, they engage anyway in a positive, helpful, respectful and confident way.

• Vendors can use it as an opportunity to demonstrate value and invest in long-term partnering relationships.
• Even if their sales remain slower, doing this kind of outreach can help them compete and be relevant both now and in future years.
• Due to procurement rules on vendor communications, it’s important to build these relationships at times other than during an active procurement cycle.
• It can help protect their market share and maximize win rates in 2025. 

Tammy Rimes, Executive Director at National Cooperative Purchasing Partners and a former purchasing agent at the City of San Diego, addressed an annual event in early 2025 by encouraging sales and BD reps to engage and not be afraid of developing those relationships.

She explained that, “The old paradigm of SLED buyers wanting to maintain a strict separation or firewall with vendors is only in place during an active solicitation process. Otherwise, there is a growing sense that the government and vendor community need one another for the entire marketplace and procurement system to operate effectively.”

She pointed out how:

• Buyers can be more focused on structure and rules and making sure a purchase is done in the right way and cost-effectively, while suppliers know their industry and what potential solutions may be available. Building great partnerships can help both sides meet their needs and goals.
• End users are more into defining the kind of item and features they need. In other words, they want what they want, when they want it. Procurement then must ensure the process is fair, competitive and transparent.
• Procurement professionals are interested in being as informed as possible about specifications and industry knowledge since they don’t have time to become experts on every product or service being bought. That’s where great companies can help fill the gaps in knowledge.

In her experience, not every buyer or official will agree to meeting regularly with suppliers. However, most will be open to the opportunity as it is to their advantage to gather intelligence from the industry while also having companies show up to compete who come already prepared and interested.

The four high level outreach strategies below are not a complete list but good to keep in mind, especially right now. They include a focus on the customer, offering the right competitive solutions, building long-term relationships and having a sense of purpose as a committed and trusted supplier.

1. Understand the Customer. To succeed in the SLED market, it's crucial to understand your customers. Here are some tips:

• Research Decision-Makers: Learn about the key players and their unique needs. This includes their backgrounds, agendas, and current challenges.
• Prepare Thoroughly: Never go into a meeting or respond to an RFP without doing your homework. Read annual reports, strategic plans and stay updated on recent news.
• Use Available Tools: Leverage resources like GovWin IQ for detailed profiles, including expenditure data, budget details, growth metrics, and access to agency planning and budget documents.
• By understanding your customers, tailor your approach and offer solutions that truly meet their needs.

2. Offer the Right Solutions. Use outreach to help offer the right effective and trustworthy solutions and stay competitive. This requires some homework, competitor analysis and understanding of preferences among prospects and clients and how well they’re satisfied with the previous solutions or products they bought.

• Have information and background collected prior to the RFP coming out to be as responsive and prepared as possible. Don’t be afraid to ask clarifying questions.
• Satisfy them over the course of the contract to help generate positive experiences, goodwill, and referrals/endorsements.
• Build a reputation and corporate resume one win at a time and maintain momentum.

• Use available tools such as GovWin IQ to research RFPs, past contracts and competitors, pinpoint specific products and solutions and see market size estimates with our niche Smart Tags™ including thousands of individual categories.

It’s a marathon rather than a sprint as you provide solutions over time. You may need to start small to get a clear win or foothold meeting needs in one place then go after bigger fish like major state contracts. All government clients are not the same.  For example, a small water district might have a higher need for heavy equipment and chemical systems than a nearby school district that has a higher need for playground equipment and office supplies.

3. Build Relationships. Outreach should ideally not be about “one-off” occasional conversations. Commit to building and maintaining long-term consultative relationships that:

• Seek to regularly check in on a list of target or preferred partner governments who know your company and see you as a “go-to” resource.
• Gather intel, offer advice and best practices in your industry. If there is pending legislation, new safety standards, etc. that may affect your market, then share that information as well. 
• Have an influence and be a constant reliable presence in the market. That may mean attending local procurement conferences or “how to do business” workshops with a particular entity.
• Keep in mind government staff are working hard, may be over-extended, and dealing with lots of uncertainty, but they still need these relationships. In fact, sometimes the smaller purchasing teams need more help as they don’t always have the bandwidth to keep up with all the intel needed for every product and service purchased.
• Remember agencies like to use proven solutions and examples from their peers. If you have use cases with other government agencies, be sure to share those. They like to know others have used them with success.
• Consider using tools such as GovWin IQ’s government contacts database and our free resources.

Engage with empathy and stay in front of decision-makers to help build a longer-term informed pipeline to make go/no-go capture decisions in advance of the actual RFPs being issued.

4. Make a Commitment and Have a Compelling Purpose and Vision. Government staff will be more interested in long-term and “sticky” supplier partnering relationships when they sense that a company is fully committed to this market.

• Identify with and champion the noble cause/purpose of serving individual communities and making life better for them in a somewhat personal and locally accountable way.
• Understand, value and try to relate to the actual people that your solutions ultimately help. Personalize your sales presentation to that specific entity rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
• Respect the public servants and the tough job they have. Care about them and their mission as they are serving the public good.
• Develop a genuine motivation to serve this market in a dependable way and be available through the ups and downs rather than be a “fair weather” competitor that dabbles in it only when conditions are optimal.
• Utilize GovWin IQ articles and reports discussing emerging themes of interest and positive impacts of SLED government actions and initiatives (all of which help the reader better grasp the importance of the market, its challenges and values).

This vast market recently passed the $2 trillion mark in addressable size. While one of the largest on the planet, it’s also fragmented and lends itself to a scalable, intelligent and disciplined marketing and sales strategy. We believe outreach is important to compete in the most effective way and must come across as genuine and sincere.

When government staff can see that companies really care and are committed, it will go a long way and help them trust and appreciate a firm’s business development team and seek out their advice as needed. At the end of the fiscal year, when an emergency situation occurs or when they just don’t have the time to research it fully and issue a time-consuming bid request, procurement teams often call on their trusted business advisors. Building a professional relationship helps place you and your company in that group.

Further SLED Reading and Resources through GovWin IQ:

Statewide examples of DOGE-like government efficiency initiatives

Headwinds facing the SLED market in 2025

The Impact of Trump's 2025 Executive Actions on State, Local and Education (SLED) Government Funding