How to Nail your next 1-on-1 with the Government

Why 1-on-1 Meetings Matter in GovCon

For government contractors, 1-on-1 meetings are golden opportunities. They often follow Industry Days and give you rare access to program leaders and decision-makers. In just 30 minutes, you can strengthen relationships, influence acquisition strategies, and position your company to win.

Championship-winning GovCon teams don’t leave these meetings to chance. They prepare with discipline. And so should you.

5 Steps to Nail Your Next 1-on-1

1. Gather Intel Early

Find out as much as possible about the session before it happens. Talk to peers who have already met with the same customer. Ask about the agenda, flow, who attends, and what questions come up. If recordings are available, review them. Every detail helps.

2. Research Attendees: Customers and Competitors

From Industry Day, capture attendee lists and emails. Use LinkedIn to research government participants: their roles, career history, and interests. Pay attention to competitors too. If you know who else is meeting with the customer, you can anticipate their messaging and sharpen your own.

3. Define One Clear Objective

Don’t go in with a laundry list. Decide on your one primary outcome. Do you want to influence a set-aside decision? Highlight a qualification that should be non-negotiable? Make that objective the centerpiece of your conversation.

4. Be Customer-Centric

Tailor your message to what matters to them. If they’re long-time locals, emphasize your commitment to the community. If they’re veterans, spotlight how you support former service members. Connect your objective to their priorities so it resonates.

5. Practice, Then Practice Again

Hold dry runs with your team. Assign someone to role-play as the Government and challenge your messaging. Prepare smart questions to ask. The more prepared you are, the more natural and confident you’ll be in the meeting.

A Real-World Example

One contractor we know walked into an Army 1-on-1 meeting after an Industry Day. Their competitors all used the time to talk about technical features. Instead, this contractor came in with a single, clear objective: demonstrate their long-standing commitment to hiring veterans in the region.

They backed it up with hard numbers, local community ties, and a brief story from a program manager who was a veteran. That focus paid off, the agency later made “local veteran hiring” a highlighted evaluation factor in the RFP.

The lesson: when you’re aligned with what matters most to the customer, your 30 minutes can have an outsized impact on the acquisition.

Key Takeaway

1-on-1 meetings with government buyers are short but powerful. With the right preparation, you can walk out having advanced your strategy, strengthened your relationship, and set yourself apart from competitors.

Follow these steps and you won’t just show up, you’ll make an impact.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

If you want to sharpen your team’s approach to customer engagement, start with a simple tool:

It’s the same framework high-performing GovCon teams use to prepare for critical meetings, qualify opportunities, and increase their probability of win (P-Win).

Your next 1-on-1 with the Government is too important to wing. Prepare with discipline, and you’ll be ready to compete at the highest level.