One of the biggest mistakes I see in government contracting is this:

People are proud of how many meetings they’re getting.

But they’re meeting with the wrong people.

I’ve managed over $80 billion in Department of Defense contracts. I’ve sat inside the acquisition system. I’ve seen how decisions actually get made.

And I can tell you this with certainty:

Not all government meetings are created equal.

In fact, most of them don’t move you any closer to a contract.

The Real Problem: You’re Talking to the Wrong Person

In commercial sales, you can often win deals by influencing users.

Government doesn’t work like that.

You can have great conversations.
You can get positive feedback.
You can even hear, “We love this.”

And still never win a contract.

Why?

Because the person you’re talking to doesn’t have the authority to buy anything.

This is where most companies get stuck.

They confuse interest with influence.

The Three Types of People You’ll Meet

When you start engaging with government, you’re typically talking to one of three groups:

1. End Users

These are the people actually using the product or service.

In the military, that might be operators.
In a civilian agency, it could be analysts or internal teams.

They’re important — but not for the reason you think.

End users can:

• Validate your idea
• Give feedback
• Help refine your solution

But they cannot buy from you.

They don’t control funding.
They don’t run acquisitions.
They don’t award contracts.

If all your meetings are with end users, you’re spinning your wheels.

2. Program Managers

This is where things start to matter.

Program managers are responsible for:

• Defining requirements
• Managing programs
• Working with vendors
• Translating needs into acquisitions

They don’t sign contracts — but they shape them.

If you want to influence what gets bought and how it gets structured, program managers are critical.

They’re your strategic entry point.

3. Contracting Officers

This is the person with real authority.

Contracting officers:

• Control the acquisition process
• Ensure compliance with regulations
• Run solicitations
• And most importantly… obligate funds

They are the only ones who can legally award a contract.

No contracting officer = no deal.

It’s that simple.

Why Most People Stay Stuck

Here’s what usually happens:

Someone gets a meeting with an end user.
The conversation goes well.
They think they’re making progress.

So, they keep going deeper… with the same person.

Weeks turn into months.

Nothing happens.

Because they never moved up the chain.

Government contracting is not about activity.

It’s about alignment with authority.

The Three Questions That Change Everything

When I’m talking to someone in government, I’m constantly trying to understand one thing:

Can this person actually move a contract forward?

There are three questions I use to figure that out quickly:

1. Is there funding available?

If there’s no money, there’s no contract.

Simple.

You need to understand:

• What type of funding exists
• What fiscal year it’s tied to
• Whether it’s already allocated

If they can’t speak to funding, they’re likely not close to the decision.

2. What contract vehicle would this go through?

Government doesn’t just “buy things.”

Everything runs through a contract vehicle:

• GSA schedules
• IDIQs
• BPAs
• OTAs

If your contact doesn’t know how something would be purchased, that’s a red flag.

Serious buyers understand pathways.

3. Which acquisition office is responsible?

Every purchase is tied to a specific office.

Not the entire agency.

Not a general department.

A specific buying office.

If you don’t know who actually executes the contract, you’re guessing.

And guessing doesn’t win deals.

This Is Where Most Companies Waste Time

They skip the research.

They rely on conversations instead of data.

That’s backwards.

One of the biggest advantages in government contracting is this:

The data is public.

You can see:

• Who bought what
• How much they spent
• Which office awarded it
• What contract vehicle they used

There’s no excuse for going in blind.

Road Mapping: The Smarter Way to Sell

Instead of chasing random meetings, I teach something called “road mapping.”

It’s simple in concept, but powerful in execution.

You start with:
👉 What does the government already buy that’s similar to what I offer?

Then you reverse engineer:

• Which office bought it
• Who manages that program
• What contract vehicle was used
• What the timeline looked like

Now you’re not guessing.

You’re targeting.

Instead of 100 random conversations, you might focus on 3–5 offices that actually buy what you sell.

That’s how you build a real pipeline.

Relationships Still Matter — But in Context

Now, this doesn’t mean you ignore people who don’t have authority.

Government is hierarchical.

People move up.
Roles change.
Influence grows over time.

Someone who can’t help you today might be a program manager in two years.

So yes — build relationships.

But don’t confuse relationship-building with deal progression.

They’re not the same thing.

The Shift That Changes Everything

Once you understand this, your entire approach changes.

You stop asking:
👉 “Who will talk to me?”

And start asking:
👉 “Who actually buys this?”

You stop chasing conversations.

And start building strategy.

Final Thought

Most companies don’t lose in government contracting because their product is bad.

They lose because they’re talking to the wrong people for too long.

If you take nothing else from this, take this:

Meetings don’t win contracts.

The right meetings do.

Focus on:

• Program managers for influence
• Contracting officers for execution
• Funding, vehicles, and offices for clarity

When you align with how the government actually buys, everything gets easier.

And when that happens, you stop hoping for contracts…

…and start building them intentionally.

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