I break down why benchmarking by industry—not your buddy's revenue—decides whether you actually win in Government contracting. We walk through a real case: an overseas firm that "owned" its home market but had zero U.S. traction. The fix? Become a trusted authority before selling—answer questions on LinkedIn, stack credible backlinks, show up at trade shows and community/government programs—then circle back to prospects. The result: within 2 years of entering the U.S., they were profitable and making more in 2 years than in 7 years back home. We also talk relationship math (why salespeople churn every 14 months), and why keeping warm ties pays off when your buyer changes badges.

Then I get tactical on growth discipline: only take the work you can execute—because poor growth is horrible—and redesign process/people/tech to hit the highest profit with the resources you've got. I share the sweet-spot org size I like to help (10–5,000 employees) and how to calm "automation panic" by reallocating talent instead of cutting it. If you want more federal wins, stop chasing vanity metrics, build trust first, and execute a playbook that compounds—one relationship, one process upgrade at a time.