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Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce | Rockville, MD
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  • About Us
    • Testimonials
    • Leadership >
      • Board of Directors
      • GovConNet Council
      • Advisory Board
      • Membership Committee
    • Our Team
    • Partnerships >
      • Business Coalition
      • Community Partners
      • Internship Pledge
    • Year in Review
  • Membership
    • Why Join
    • Member Directory
    • Join MCCC
    • Renew Membership
    • Refer A Member
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Public Safety Awards
    • NOAA Industry Day
    • Procurement Conference >
      • 2020 Conference Program
    • Business Awards
    • Sponsoring Events >
      • Morning Mixer Sponsorship
  • Advocacy
    • Advocacy Wins
    • Policy Positions >
      • 2019 State Legislation
      • 2020 State Legislation
  • GovConNet
    • About GovConNet
    • Council
    • Industry Days
    • Programs >
      • Industry Day Events
      • Forums
      • Market Briefs
    • 2020 Procurement Conference >
      • 2019 Pathway To Growth Procurement Conference >
        • Conference Agenda
        • Sponsorship Opportunities
        • Hotels
  • Foundation
    • Board of Directors
    • Veteran Institute for Procurement
    • Green Business Certification
    • Public Safety Scholarship Fund
    • VIP Golf Tournament
  • News
    • MCCC In the News
    • Coronavirus >
      • MCCC Gives Back
    • Guest Speakers
    • Blog
    • MCCC On Demand
  • Contact Us
    • Ask an Expert
    • Directions & Parking
    • Inclement Weather
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What's Happening at MCCC

Recap: Business Development Strategies - The Path To The Cash!

4/4/2019

 
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The topic of the March 22, 2019 MCCC Business EXCELerator was "Business Development Strategies: The Path to The Cash." The meeting was moderated by Erin Allen, President, CONTEMPORARIES, Inc., who is the Vice-Chair of the MCCC Small Business Committee. The presentation was made by Caryn Kopp, Chief Door Opener, Kopp Consulting.

​Ms. Kopp distinguished that the purpose of marketing is to achieve awareness; the purpose of business development is to achieve sales.  To achieve sales, it is recommended to follow this chronology:
  1. Identify the right targets. Narrow your search to those for whom you will be an obvious solution, who will also willingly pay and feel urgency around having a meeting and moving forward with next steps.
  2. Devise the right sales message. Be specific Try this: Anyone one can___________; But not everyone can __________; For example ___________.
  3. Craft the right sales approach. Use the appropriate language and delivery methods to achieve positive outcomes. Avoid long email messages and run-on voice messages.
  4. Plan the right answers to prospect objections. Prepare for the "no, thank you" reaction. Be able to pivot using better responses.
  5. Select the right colleague(s) to "open the door" and "close the deal." Consider the DNA needed for each of these important roles.
  6. Develop the right execution strategy. Appreciate that time is needed for successful business development. There is both non-revenue and revenue generating work in organizations. If you want more revenue, more time needs to be spend on revenue generating activities.
  7. Develop the right messages. Think about questions that lead to YES. Avoid questions like, "What keeps you up at night?"  
  8. Follow-up. "Nurture-Request-Nurture, repeat" to remain relevant to your prospects and clients. Be respectful of their time. Be persistent with patience without being a pest.

​This step-by-step strategy is proven to create Caryn Kopp’s The Path To The Cash®! 

Recap: Follow The Money - Get The Win

2/6/2019

 
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The topic of the February 6, 2019 MCCC Business EXCELerator was “Follow the Money – Get the Win.” The meeting was moderated by Erin Allen, President, CONTEMPORARIES, Inc. and Vice Chair of the MCCC Small Business Committee.
 
The first presentation was made by Yvette Williams, Business Diversity Coordinator, Office of Procurement & Strategic Sourcing, University of Maryland (UMD) College Park. Ms. Williams encouraged small businesses to participate in UMD procurements and to actively pursue interests.  It is important to register in the e-Maryland marketplace and participate in Maryland’s Small Business Reserve Program. Procurements at College Park provide opportunities in many business sectors, sometimes for multiple campuses. Small businesses are advised to work directly with the program officers or the awarded prime contractors. 
 
The second presentation was made by Dan Snyder, Deputy Director of Government Contracts Research, Bloomberg Government followed by Ann Sullivan, President & Founder and Elizabeth Sullivan, Director of Government Relations, Madison Services Group, Inc.
 
Mr. Snyder presented data and trends of current Federal Government spending. 75% of the government is funded until September 30, 2019. Contractors should be mindful of the funded agencies (e.g. the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs) and pursue those opportunities. He reported that the percentage of awards going to small business is relatively flat at 35% of the total spend.  Simplified acquisition procedures have increased which helps businesses compete more easily on procurements. He presented ten markets to watch and noted that many of those markets may be offered as bundled opportunities. It is imported to understand this data to develop strategic goals.
 
Ann and Elizabeth Sullivan explained the detailed steps needed to follow the budget and, most importantly, appropriations. They offered guidance on how the budget process is supposed to work, how it is working in FY19, components of the budget, and how to find programs in appropriations. Important sites to know are https://appropriations.house.gov/ which tracks the procurement process through the legislation and https://rules.house.gov/ which has great power in deciding appropriations. They identified points of influence throughout the budget process that shape procurements. While all of this information is available to the public, it is a time-consuming and complex process. It is advised to have assistance in following the process.

Recap: Marketing Strategies - Leveraging Social Media

1/22/2019

 
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The topic of the January 9, 2019 MCCC Business EXCELerator was “Marketing Strategies: Leveraging Social Media.” The meeting was moderated by Suzanne Rotbert, Principal, Miles & Stockbridge, P.C. and Vice Chair of the MCCC Small Business Committee. The presentation was made by Nancie McDonnell Ruder, Founding Partner of Noetic Consultants.
 
The presentation focused on the “art and science” of social media marketing. There are two types of social media: organic and paid. Organic does not mean free; there is a cost to create and manage the channels as well as the time associated efforts.
 
For strategic planning, it is recommended to follow these steps:

  1. Identify the audience. Create a prototype of the ideal person you want to reach
  2. Establish a SMART objective i.e. specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timed
  3. Ensure your content meets the CRAVe criteria: consistent, relevant, authentic, valued
  4. Determine channels. The 5 leading channels are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the only service exclusively intended for business.
  5. Analyze results. Many of the platforms offer this service. Create a dashboard to keep track of results.
  6. Listen. Observe what others are doing, where results are achieved to gain insights on how to build success over social media channels.
 
Social media marketing is dynamic medium and the plan you develop should be dynamic as well. Brainstorm ideas and test the market to see what works best. 

Recap: Meet the Award Winners and Learn from the BEST

12/17/2018

 
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The topic of the December 13, 2018 MCCC Business EXCELerator was "Meet the Award Winners and Learn from the BEST." The meeting was moderated by Erin Allen, President, CONTEMPORARIES, and Co-Chair of the MCCC Small Business Committee.  Featured panelists were:

  • Lisa M. Firestone, MHSA, President & Owner, Managed Care Advisors, Inc.
  • Joe Brown, President & CEO, The Insurance Exchange, Inc.
  • Billy Peel, Executive Vice President, Datawatch Systems, Inc.​

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How to Effectively Communicate Your Capabilities to Existing and Prospective Clients in the Commercial and Federal Marketplaces

10/19/2018

 
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The topic of the October 19, 2018 MCCC Business EXCELerator was Find Your Voice – How to Effectively Communicate Your Capabilities to Existing and Prospective Clients in the Commercial and Federal Marketplaces.

The two guest speakers were Wesley Stith, Vice President of Purchasing and Small Business Development at Clark Construction Group, LLC, and Dr. Michelle Street, Deputy Director for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSBDU). The speakers provided Chamber members and invited guests with their perspectives on government contracting, creating opportunities for your small business, and the importance of relationship building. Each speaker brought their unique perspective to the conversation, as professionals in the private sector and within the Federal government structure.

Mr. Stith kicked off the morning’s conversation by asking attendees, “are you ready?” He spoke to the importance of being prepared, shared his Five Key Components of a Tiered Agreement, and described the features Clark looks for in small businesses that would like to partner with Clark as subcontractors. Additionally, he took some excellent questions from attendees and made himself available to attendees following his presentation. 

Dr. Street provided the EXCELerator attendees with the tools they need to find their voice and create opportunities to work with HHS. As she shared during her presentation, “if you don’t know where to begin with trying to work with HHS, they don’t know where to begin to try to help you.” She presented some organizational information to help attendees understand the magnitude of HHS, as well as some helpful charts about the missions of different agencies within HHS and how they work with small businesses.

Suzanne L. Rotbert, MCCC Vice-Chair of Small Business, helped moderate the conversation and provided some insightful commentary.

Biz EXCELerator -  June 28, 2018 - "Employee Engagement - How We Make It Fun!"

6/28/2018

 
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The June 28, 2018 MCCC Business EXCELerator featured the topic Employee Engagement – How We Make It Fun!  Each panelist offered first-hand experiences about the work they do to attract and retain employees in a highly competitive job market.


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MCCC 59th Annual Dinner Recap

6/12/2018

 
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The MCCC 59th Annual Dinner on June 12, 2018 recognized leadership, partnership and innovation as the 2018-2019 Board of Directors was sworn in and five outstanding leaders were recognized. "We put our innovative and forward thinking institutions and people on the nation's map and on the world's stage, making Montgomery County a destination for opportunity." said Gigi Godwin, President and CEO. 
​
Congratulations to our award winners and thank you to all the award presenters and event sponsors.
2018 Photos
2018 Videos

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Biz EXCELerator - May 2, 2018 - "Conference Preparedness – Marketing Yourself"

5/2/2018

 
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The MCCC Business EXCELerator meeting on Wednesday, May 2, 2018 focused on “Conference Preparedness – Marketing Yourself”   The speakers were Ira Koretsky, CEO, The Chief Storyteller and Gloria Larkin, President & CEO, TargetGov.

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44th Annual MCCC Public Safety Awards Luncheon

3/16/2018

 
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Highlights from the 44th Annual Public Safety Awards
  • Leon Harris and Eun Yang, News Anchors, NBC4 Washington, DC expertly emceed the valor awards portion of the event which recognized individuals involved in heroic acts in 2017. See the details in the press release and program book.

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2017 MCCC Annapolis Legislative Reception Event Recap

1/31/2018

 
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Montgomery County employers and policy makers gathered for high-powered networking in downtown Rockville at locally-owned Trapezaria Kuzina.

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51 Monroe Street, Suite 1800, Rockville, MD 20850
P 301-738-0015   /   F 301-738-8792
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