Don’t forget to do your homework. Regularly check resources like fedbizopps.gov to find current federal procurements. The Small Business Administration website (www.sba.gov) also lists valuable information like prime contractors who are looking to subcontract with small businesses. Visit procurement fairs and conferences if your calendar and budget permits. Many resources are available to you including local SBA offices, Small Business Development Centers and Procurement Technical Assistance Centers. Thousands of Small Business Representatives and Liaisons from every government agency are available to assist you. Find Small Business resource in agency you want to work with and let them point you in right direction.

Stay in touch! Maintain relationships you begin with people in government. Call and e mail regularly. You want to be in front of their minds when they think about purchasing in your industry. Let them know when you introduce new products or services. Also, find out what their needs are, you may have just what they are looking for.

Remember! Government employees are under strict ethical rules and are not permitted to take gratuities. However, nominally-valued samples available to public are permitted.

Finally, don’t get discouraged. The government feels like a maze of organizations, agencies and divisions. It can be a challenge to find right people. Take advantage of resources that are available to you and learn as much as you can about procurement process. Be confident in your products, your systems, and in yourself. The government buyers are like any other buyers; they want to work with people who offer value for money. Your persistence and dedication to customer satisfaction is best way to show government buyers that you mean business.

Melanie Corbett works at TargetGov, helping businesses do business with the government. She can be reached at 410-579-1346 or mcorbett@targetgov.com

After creating a composite Acrobat file, you can add headers and footers. These can include title, author, client information, copyright information, date, and page numbers. 5. Comments:

Although intended for team review and editing of publications, you can use Acrobat’s Comments feature to draw your reader’s attention to specific passages or discuss their relevance. You can use Comments to add a personal touch to formal documents intended for specific individuals, (for example, “Fred: I inserted this after you requested it when we met in July in Las Vegas. Roger”) 6. Web browser:

Adobe Acrobat Distiller can capture and save web site pages. This works better than saving or printing from your web browser. It avoids cutting illustrations or lines of text in half as often occurs when printing from a browser. By saving at frequent intervals, you can keep track of how your competitor’s web site changes over time. 7. File size:

The smaller file, faster it can be downloaded or sent as an e-mail attachment. Always choose appropriate resolution when creating a .PDF file. Documents intended for on-screen reading and desktop printing do not require as much information as publications intended for four-color printing on glossy paper by commercial printers. After deleting pages or extensive editing, use File>Save As... to save your publication under original filename. (A prompt will appear warning you that original file will be over-written. This purges unnecessary information. Adobe Acrobat is a powerful tool that few people take full advantage of. Using these seven techniques, your documents will be more effective.