We published three things for contractors to focus on last week.  Now it’s time to understand what’s on the mind of your customer?  Why?  Knowing what your customer is thinking – and what’s distracting them – is vital if you’re going to both get their attention and build the relationships you need to be successful.  Here are three things on the minds of many feds now: 1.  Pay freeze – President Trump announced last week that he is going to freeze federal civilian pay going into 2019.  That’s not great news to feds and you can bet that those in civilian agencies are unhappy.   Make sure you empathize.  2.  Government shut-down:  While Allen Federal isn’t predicting one, federal budget expert Stan Collender currently thinks the odds are 60-40 in favor of a shut-down.  Shut-down talk is not only distracting, it requires feds to do real planning work ahead of time.  This could take time away from closing deals with you.  3. Will senior leadership support innovation?:  Everyone in the federal space talks about innovation, and it does happen on occasion.  More frequently, though, when thought turns to action the innovative approach may be scaled down some, or even a lot.  Plan your business proposals accordingly.  Understanding your market means understanding the pressures on your customer.  Make sure you know what they are and how you can help.