Government Bake Off Strategy

A framework for how to sell to government agencies and compete against established relationships, focusing on product demonstrations ("bake offs") as the key strategy.

Core Strategy: Get to a "Bake Off"

• Hard to break into government/agency sales due to decades-long relationships with traditional vendors
• Focus on getting to a product demonstration competition ("bake off") against competitors
• Win through superior product performance, not relationships
• Example: Epirus winning contract by demonstrating longer-range drone disabling capability than competitors

How to Get Government Meetings

• Multiple paths to secure initial meetings:
  • Monitor and respond to RFPs (Request for Proposals)
  • Build relationships with politicians/senators
  • Hire ex-government employees as door openers
  • Network at industry events

Key Personnel Strategy

• Hire people who can be accepted by government buyers
  • Example: Palantir hiring Alex Karp as CEO specifically for relationship building
• Avoid showing up with just technical founders
• Balance technical expertise with relationship skills
• Recruit ex-government officials to help open doors

Presentation Approach

• Focus on demonstrating clear product superiority
• Make the performance gap obvious and measurable
• Use dramatic demonstrations when possible
  • Example: Epirus handing out binoculars to show how far their technology could reach
• Let the product speak for itself rather than relying on relationships

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Don't go in with tech arrogance ("we're smart, you're dumb" approach)
• Don't rely solely on technical superiority without relationship building
• Don't ignore the importance of being accepted by the buying community
• Don't skip the step of having warm introductions through trusted sources