Obtaining a Schedule contract can be a bit overwhelming and time-consuming. However, when you are finally awarded a contract, your hard work is definitely not over. If you want to really capitalize on your new opportunity and generate sales against your hard-earned contract, you will now have to actively market your contract to potential buyers. As many GSA Contracting Officers will tell you, getting "on schedule" and having a GSA contract is only a license to "hunt" for opportunities.

Here to help you in your hunt is a five-step approach to marketing your company to all the federal agencies that shop for supplies and services through GSA. Note that the first two steps--the Federal Supply Schedule Price List and the GSA Advantage!--are not options; they are required by regulation to be included in every GSA Schedule contract.

Step 1 -- Design your authorized Federal Supply Schedule Price List and develop a distribution list. When you are awarded a GSA Schedule contract, you are required to prepare, print, and distribute a document called the Federal Supply Schedule Price List. Think of this price list as an important marketing piece for your new GSA Schedule contract. The price list, which is designed by each individual contractor, covers 26 specific points designated or negotiated in the contract itself, such as, FOB Point, Discounts, Foreign Items, Warranty Provisions, Production Points, Delivery Times, SIN, Minimum Order, and Maximum Order.

When designing your own Federal Supply Schedule price list, it is best to keep it simple and short. A one-page flyer covering only the required 26 points specified in your contract usually is best. (You can give details about your product details in your brochure or catalog.) It is very important to make sure that all the information in your price list is correct.

Step 2: Prepare your electronic company catalog and submit it to GSA Advantage! The GSA has a very sophisticated online shopping and ordering system known as GSA Advantage! Using this menu-driven database system, government buyers can search for the products they need, compare prices and product information, and place their orders.

As a GSA Schedule contractor, you are required to submit your electronic company catalog to GSA Advantage! no later than six months after your contract award. However, it is best to do this within the first 30 days, if possible.

You can submit your electronic company catalog into the GSA Advantage! system by using the Schedule Input Program (SIP) software, available for downloading at the GSA Vendor Support Center (VSC) web site. The VSC staff is there to assist new contractors with the submission of their electronic catalog data and can be reached at 877-495-4849. Note: New Schedule contractors must first register at the VSC web site in order to get a password to use with the SIP software.

When entering your information, be sure to:

• Use either the Option or the Accessory Tool when listing the sub-categories for each of your products, such as color or style choices.
• Mark any special categories for each product, such as "recycled materials" or "energy efficient."
• At each product listing on GSA Advantage!, add the link option to your company's web site.
• Include a product photo.

Warning As you prepare your electronic catalog, it is critical to your success to keep in mind that GSA Advantage! is the principal marketing tool for a Schedule contractor to the buying agencies that will use it. There are some things you need do to maximize your marketing potential. First, when entering your product data into the SIP software, don't use only two or three words to describe your product -- take advantage of all the lines that you are allowed for this purpose. This allows you to do some marketing by including important keywords or unique details about your product. Second, make sure that the words and phrases you are using are the most effective possible. (The "most effective" are those that will lead government buyers to your product listing and convince them to buy your products over other similar items in the system.) The best way to do this is to do some research and searches of your own in GSA Advantage!. Experiment with various words and phrases to get a sense of what "works" in a listing and what does not. For example, which terms work best as search words? Do sentences or just phrases work best for your type of product? Which listings come up first? Look at how your competitors have their information in the system. How do they list product part numbers? How are names listed--e.g., HP or Hewlett Packard? Lastly, make sure that all the information that you have entered is correct, including grammar and spelling. Your information will appear in the system exactly how you key it in, errors and all. We realize that the initial set-up on GSA Advantage! can be very time-consuming, especially if you have many products to enter. But because submitting your company's electronic catalog is basically a one-shot deal, your efforts to make it right--and to make it marketable--are worth it.

Step 3: Place an ad in GSA's MarkeTips Magazine. GSA's MarkeTips Magazine, which is mailed to more than 150,000 federal and DoD buyers and end-users worldwide every two months, provides an opportunity for you, as a GSA contractor, to promote your products or services to the federal marketplace. Best of all, the advertising space in MarkeTips is free of charge for GSA contractors. But because space is limited, advertising space is offered on a first-come, first-served basis and vendors are limited to one ad per GSA contract. But, again, the ad is free.

To get started, visit the MarkeTips web site and download the latest advertising specifications and guidelines. Go to this site and enter the word MarkeTips in the Search command. At the MarkeTips home page, you can download past issues of the magazine as well as locate the MarkeTips field editor serving the GSA Acquisition Center that covers your contract.

Make getting your free ad in GSA's MarkeTips a priority in your marketing efforts. It should be done within the first 30 days after award of a new contract.

Step 4: Use GSA logos on all your marketing materials. A great way to market a new GSA contract is by incorporating one of the "GSA Schedule" or "GSA Contract Holder" logos, along with your contract number(s), into your company's marketing materials and brochures. Be sure to also include a GSA logo on your company's home page. Simply go to this site, use the search term "logo" and this will link you to the logo site. Then download the logos you prefer.

Step 5: Make your web site "GSA-friendly." Some companies have a separate web site for federal agencies via their link from the GSA Advantage! system. But an even easier approach is to make updates or changes to your company's web site to reflect your new GSA contract. Here are just a few possible changes to consider:

• Use one of the GSA logos with your contract number on your home page.
• Provide a link from your company's web site to your company's product listing on the GSA Advantage! web site. Contact the Vendor Support Center staff (see Step 2) for help, if needed.
• Establish a special company e-mail just for GSA Schedule inquires. Be consistent by also using this new e-mail address on the Federal Supply Schedule Price List form and on the GSA Advantage! web site.
• Use any of the special symbols (e.g., energy-efficient, recycled, environmental items) for which your company's products qualify on your company's web site. Again, be consistent and use the same symbols on products listed on the GSA Advantage! web site.

In addition, here are some more miscellaneous marketing ideas:

• Market your GSA contract to any local federal agencies in your area that might have a use for your product or service. Consider your local U.S. Post Office, IRS Office, VA Hospital, FAA Authority, Social Security Office, federal court house, National Guard facilities, etc., as possibilities.
• Subscribe to professional journals and industrial or trade magazines that cover your line of business. Run ads in the publications that government employees might read. Be sure to include the GSA logo with your company contract number in the ads.
• Participate in GSA's Small Business Outreach events. For more information, call the Office of Small business Utilization (OSBU) at 202-501-1021 or e-mail to small.business@gsa.com.

For information on how to "get on schedule," see step-by-step guide for multiple award schedules.