Yesterday's free Community Call turned into such a great conversation around something that doesn't get talked about enough in government contracting: How do you actually approach manufacturers, suppliers and potential teaming partners? We talked about why there isn't one script that works for every situation. You have to research who you're approaching, understand the company, learn their history in the government space, know what you're asking for, and sometimes adjust your approach based on what you learn. We discussed building relationships with manufacturers and suppliers before you need them, keeping track of companies that could become future partners, using your past performance strategically, and learning from both your wins and your losses. We also had @Shanaé Murraine one of our new community members who previously worked on the government side, join the free call. I asked her to share her perspective, and it added another great layer to the conversation. One of my biggest messages yesterday was: Government contracting isn't learned from one place. You research. You make calls. You build relationships. You join communities. You listen. You learn from other people's experiences. You learn from your own experiences. And then you take a little from here and a little from there and develop strategies that work for your business. I'm posting the full free Community Call replay here this morning for anyone who missed it. We then continued this conversation during our paid Member Program Call, where we went deeper into these strategies and had another great discussion. Both replays will be added to the paid Government Contracting Program library so members can return to them as they build their own supplier and teaming relationships. Don't just watch the replay and move on. 😊 Think about the products or services you want to offer the government and ask yourself: “Who should I start building relationships with NOW—before I need them for an opportunity?”