But doing business with government is very different than typical business-to-business selling. Sales cycles are often much slower. There is a process that must be followed, and you'll face stiff competition from larger companies with more experience.

In fact, process can seem overwhelming, especially if you're just starting out, and you need to be prepared to spend a lot of time and effort before you start bringing in large contracts.

So how do you get your foot in door, start bringing in money NOW and cut down on your learning curve?

Start by selling to locally. Municipal agencies in your city, town or county government, such as water and sewer commissions, parking bureaus or even boards of education — regularly do business with small, local companies.

How to Get Started:

1. Who is your ideal client? Make a list of your local government agencies. Which ones might be interested in your product or services? Target top two or three agencies that you think will be most likely to need your products or services. Don't try to be all things to all people.

2. Find out what their needs are: Go to your local library and read newspaper archives. Attend a couple of city council meetings. What are issues they are faced with? What actions are they taking? How can your products or services help them to solve their problems? Knowing what their problems are and having an instant solution can go a long ways in getting you contract. 3. Find out who you need to see: Find out who is responsible for creating RFPs for agency. Who is in charge of purchasing? How do they prefer to be contacted? Get as much information as you can about process as well. 4. Determine your Price. Remember that local agencies are usually required to get three bids and take lowest one, so they can show that they're not wasting taxpayer's money. But…before you lowball yourself into losing money on deal, carefully look at each aspect of your bid. Make sure that you can live with amount you bid, because once accepted, it's very difficult to make changes later.

Looking for a way to make extra money, meet lots of interesting people, spend quality time with your family, enjoy great outdoors ... and do it all without missing a day of work? Or maybe your goal is to make two or three-day weekends only working days of week. You may be able to do all of that and more as a Swap Meet/Flea Market marketer! You can find regularly scheduled Swap Meets and Flea Markets in cities and towns of all sizes across nation, each attracting many hundreds, even thousands of bargain hunters. They may be held at local drive-in theatre, in large parking lots, warehouses, parks, and community centers - just about anywhere there's enough room to put up some booths and bring in a crowd. The majority of time these meets are held on weekends, although in some locations you can find them starting on Thursdays and running four consecutive days. Swap meets and flea markets are fun, profitable, and can be a great launching pad for your business. Many people who began with Swap Meet sales have gone on to open Gift Shops, or run sizeable Mail Order businesses. A SWAP MEET BY ANY OTHER NAME…
According to our FAR HORIZONS Business Coaching staff, there are actually three distinct types of Swap Meets.

Note: (In interest of simplicity, from here on in when we say "Swap Meets," we're also referring to flea markets, craft fairs, and similar events as noted below).

1.Outdoor Swap Meets
These usually run gamut in terms of merchandise. Here, you can find anything from high end stereo systems to fashion jewelry to families clearing out Auntie Emma's garage of old tools, toys, and various parts and pieces from who-knows-what. Ordinarily these events attract folks looking for some bigtime discounts and bargains.

2.Indoor "Malls"
These usually attract a more professional class of marketer. The displays tend to be more organized in appearance, and merchandise is generally of a consistently higher quality throughout meet. Rather than tables there may be booths, and each marketer tends to specialize in specific product categories.

3.Craft Fairs
These may be held indoors or outside; you'll find them in parks, or as part of a local carnival, fund-raiser, county fair, or other similar event. Usually marketers show their wares from booths, and offerings can vary from homemade to high-ticket, (or homemade and high-ticket) depending on location.

WHEN YOU PACK FOR THE SWAP MEET, DON'T FORGET THIS

We've heard from scores of successful Swap Meet sellers over years, and they tell us that two most important things you can bring with you are:

1. A friendly, upbeat attitude.
2. Willingness to barter and "play game."

As one member puts it, "People come to shop at Swap Meets looking for a bargain, and they come because it's fun. So I keep a smile on my face and I'm always ready to enter into bargaining game. I have my 'bottom line' price in mind, and I don't go below it - but I'm always willing to give a little on original asking price. That way my customer feels good about purchase, and I still make a nice profit. We both come out winners."

Whatever type of Swap Meet you choose to begin with, there are some simple, basic steps you'll need to take before event, during event, and after event.

Let's start with ... well, beginning!