Time is perhaps the most important asset of people in government contracting.  Just ask any CO. He or she will tell you that they certainly don’t have enough of it.  When you finally get that chance to sit down in front of a customer, make sure you’ve done your homework.  Way too many BD people, though, don’t follow this simple step.  It’s helpful to have answers for questions like these in advance:  Do you know what problem the agency/office is trying tosolve?  Do you know if they have the funds to solve it?  Are you ready with not just the solution, but information on how they get easily get to you?  If you don’t know, postpone the meeting until you do.  It’s the same thing with partners.  What do you bring to the table that they don’t already have?  Why is that important to a specific piece of business that’s in play now?  Although some of these steps seem like common sense approaches, we’ve known several companies who thought they’d get business just by showing up.  Worse, we’ve seen some come prepared with information on another agency or company.  Your company won’t get any business that way.  You will have wasted their time and yours.  Develop a reputation for that and it’s a quick walk to the exit doors.  Make sure you’re always prepared and respect the time of others.