Pivoting Past Plateau: How to Reignite Your Federal Contracting Growth
If your Federal sales growth has stalled, you’re not alone—and you don’t need to stay stuck.
For many successful government contractors, there comes a moment when momentum slows. Revenue flattens. Win rates dip. What once worked no longer delivers.
This is the plateau.
And the good news? A plateau isn’t the end of your journey—it’s a vantage point. From here, you can see where you’ve been, recognize where the climb has leveled off, and decide on your next upward route.
In this post, we’ll walk you through how to diagnose the stall, apply the 3R Pivot Framework, and make tactical adjustments that get you moving toward growth again. You’ll also get real, actionable steps you can start today.
Recognizing the Plateau: Five Clear Warning Signs
The first step to getting unstuck is seeing the plateau for what it is. Here are the five most common signs you’ve hit one:
- Flat Revenue – Your annual revenues haven’t grown—or have been stagnant—for two years or more.
- Low or Declining Win Rate – You’re submitting proposals but not seeing results, especially for recompetes or new work.
- Over-Reliance on One Customer – 80–90% of your revenue comes from a single Federal agency or prime customer.
- The “Sub-Trap” – You’re stuck as a subcontractor without a clear path to priming your own contracts.
- Proposal Burnout – You’re churning out high volumes of bids with a win rate under 30%, and your team is stretched thin.
📌 Quick self-check: If you nodded “yes” to two or more, you’re in plateau territory. And the longer you stay there, the harder it is to climb out.
Diagnosing the Stall
A plateau doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the product of internal and external factors that accumulate until forward progress slows or stops. The more accurately you can diagnose the cause, the better you can choose your path forward.
Internal Blockers
- Strategy Drift – Your original plan no longer aligns with market realities.
- Capacity Overload – Your team is too stretched to innovate or pursue new business.
- Founder Fatigue – Decision-making slows because leadership is burned out.
External Blockers
- Budget Cuts – Funding shifts dry up pipelines you relied on.
- Policy Changes – Regulatory or compliance shifts move goalposts.
- Agency Consolidation – Mergers or reorganizations change your customer base.
- Contract Delays – Awards get pushed out month after month.
- Incumbent Lock-In – Well-entrenched competitors make it hard to break in.
Mindset Shifts for Breaking the Plateau
Breaking a plateau isn’t just about what you do — it’s also about how you think. The most successful Federal sales pros share certain mindsets that help them push through slow growth periods and stay ahead of the competition:
- Extreme empathy – Buyers are often under intense pressure, juggling policy changes, shifting priorities, and shrinking budgets. Approach every conversation with patience and insight, knowing that their “no” might be about timing, not trust.
- Preparation as a daily habit – Use AI tools and other research to know your prospect’s mission, challenges, and goals before you reach out. Show up already informed so you can focus the conversation on solutions.
- Mission-first commitment – Sometimes, the fastest path to a long-term win is passing up a short-term sale. Protect the relationship by putting the buyer’s mission first, even if it means delaying your revenue.
- Resilience through relationships – Champions retire, transfer, or change roles. Always be deepening your bench of contacts within each account so you’re never starting from scratch.
Mindset shifts like these don’t happen overnight, but once they take root, they will pay off in every meeting, proposal, and partnership you build.
The 3R Pivot Framework
When you’re stuck, you don’t have to overhaul your entire business. Instead, focus on three targeted pivots.
Reposition
Your first step is to refresh how the market sees you:
- Update your value proposition—make it clear, concise, and tied to mission outcomes.
- Rethink your core offerings—eliminate low-margin work that doesn’t fit your growth plan.
- Differentiate your past performance—highlight relevance and results, not just contract names.
- Realign NAICS codes to match your most winnable opportunities.
- Map capabilities to specific agency missions.
- Refresh keywords and tags so you’re findable in databases and searches.
- Modernize your elevator pitch so it resonates in 30 seconds or less.
Refocus
Next, concentrate your resources where they matter most:
- Score current and target agencies using an Opportunity Fit Matrix.
- Pick your top 2–3 “ready-to-prime” targets.
- Analyze award trends using FPDS, USASpending, or premium tools like GovWin.
- Review agency forecast portals and strategic plans.
- Segment agency offices so you’re pursuing entry points, not just top-level HQ.
- Refine your BD campaign to match real buyer timelines.
- Update your pipeline with only high-fit, high-probability pursuits.
Rebuild
Finally, strengthen your infrastructure for sustainable wins:
- Clean your pipeline—remove dead weight and outdated pursuits.
- If your win rate is under 25%, get expert help to review and streamline your bid / no-bid workflow.
- Apply the 70/20/10 model: 70% of BD time on “sweet spot” opportunities, 20% on emerging targets, 10% on long shots.
- Organize past performance so it’s ready to drop into proposals.
- Leverage or borrow past performance through strategic teaming.
Ready To Raise Your Win Rate?
If your win rate is under 25%, start focusing your time and money on work you can win. Our Bid / No-Bid Decision Guide walks you through how to:
- Spot the early signals that an RFP is a poor fit
- Build a quick, consistent qualification process
- Say “no” with confidence so you can say “yes” to the right opportunities
Download the Bid / No-Bid Decision Guide here and start making better bid decisions today.
Case Study: JCTM’s Pivot from Stuck To Stellar
One of the most vivid illustrations of the 3R Pivot Framework in action comes from JCTM (Joint Computer Technologies & Training Management)—a certified SDVOSB/8(a) small business excelling in providing IT services in the intelligence community.
The Challenge
Despite having significant credentials—SDVOSB and 8(a) certifications, GSA/MAS vehicles, and ISO 9000 standards—JCTM wasn’t winning business. They found themselves chasing every opportunity reactively, lacking focus and strategic direction. To thrive, CEO Audie Cooper knew something needed to change.
The Response: The Federal Business Intensive
Audie engaged Summit Insight to guide his team to take these three critical steps:
- Reposition – JCTM embraced a new mindset—“we don’t sell; we solve.” This shifted their internal culture and external messaging from chasing contracts to building client-centered solutions.
- Refocus – They adopted the “Players and Layers” methodology, engaging their entire organization—HR, IT, security, contracts, finance, BD, capture, proposals—in a coordinated, layered outreach to multiple contacts within agencies that represented their best prospects. This strategic alignment transformed their understanding of how deals are won—through human relationships and integrated team effort, rather than a single BD lead.
- Rebuild – JCTM launched a custom Federal sales plan focused on their best prospects. Their research led them to formalize teaming strategies with an SBA Mentor-Protégé agreement and launch a joint venture (JV) with their large prime partner. This enabled them to tap into $60 B IDIQ pool access, win two sole-source awards totaling $7 M, and build a pipeline of $2–10 M projects rather than chasing one-offs.
Applying these adjustments takes discipline, but the payoff is lasting growth. The JCTM case study shows how targeted pivots can deliver measurable wins, and the same principles can be adapted to fit your agency focus, contract vehicles, and team resources. The key is choosing actions you can sustain, tracking the right metrics, and making steady, intentional progress toward your growth goals.
Bottom Line
By activating the whole team in pursuit of strategically aligned targets and leveraging teaming vehicles, JCTM shifted from reactive pursuit to focused growth—with significant upticks in win rates, revenue scale, and opportunity quality.
📖 Read the full story here: JCTM: Intelligence Community IT Services Case Study
Tactical Adjustments to Regain Momentum
Once you’ve applied the 3R framework, layer in these tactical shifts to accelerate results. When you’ve repositioned, refocused, and rebuilt your foundation, the right tactical moves can amplify your results and help you sustain momentum. These adjustments aren’t one-time fixes—they’re habits and systems that keep your Federal business development engine running smoothly.
Strengthen Your Teaming Strategies
Look beyond ad hoc teaming. Build deliberate, strategic partnerships that help you prime opportunities you’d otherwise miss. Consider joint ventures for set-aside contracts or mentor-protégé agreements to “borrow” past performance and expand your eligibility.
Pro Tip from Jon Juminez (Juniper): Don’t lean too heavily on one champion inside an agency. Federal buying decisions are made by consensus. If your “go-to” person moves on, you need other trusted contacts in place. Always be expanding your decision-maker network.
Build (or Upgrade) Your BD Function
A strong BD process shouldn’t depend on one or two rainmakers. Clarify roles for capture, pipeline management, and proposal development. Document workflows so your team can replicate wins—and keep deals moving—even when key players are out.
From Mike Lentine (AWS): Create a culture of trust across your entire team. Recognize contributions internally as well as externally. When customers see that you’re backed by an aligned, respected team, it builds confidence in your delivery.
Tune Up Your Proposal Engine
High proposal volume without wins burns resources. Improve color team reviews, strengthen compliance checks, and create reusable templates for faster, sharper submissions. Track proposal costs and win rates so you know what’s worth pursuing.
From Lee Fisher (DocuSign): Preparation is everything. Use AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini to research your prospect’s mission, pain points, and leadership priorities. Show up knowing their challenges before you ask a single discovery question.
Invest in Capability Maturity Upgrades
Certifications and process maturity can be differentiators in competitive bids. Align your systems with CMMI, ISO, or other standards your target agencies value, and make that part of your positioning. This isn’t just about compliance—it’s about giving buyers confidence in your ability to deliver reliably at scale.
Explore Alternative Acquisition Pathways
Not all wins come from the same well. Consider OTAs, BPAs, IDIQ on-ramps, and small business reserves to bypass crowded, full-and-open competitions. These paths can get you in front of buyers faster and with less competition.
From Bethany Blackwell (Carahsoft): Federal clients increasingly prefer integrated solutions over piecemeal buys. Partner with complementary providers to offer a complete, acquisition-friendly package.
Use Metrics That Matter
Don’t just track the number of bids submitted. Monitor win rates by agency, measure the ROI of each BD activity, and analyze the time from first contact to submission. This helps you double down on what works—and stop what doesn’t.
From Amy Johanik (Okta): If there’s no budget, get to “no” faster. Ask directly, “So is that a no?” Often, you’ll get the truth—or even an opening to continue the conversation when funding returns. Either way, you free resources to focus where you can win now.
Prioritize In-Person Engagement Where It Counts
While digital engagement is essential, face-to-face still matters in Federal sales. Target your travel and in-person presence where it builds the most trust.
- Attend agency-run industry days, especially in the DC/MD/VA hub.
- Host or co-host small roundtables to foster deeper discussions.
- Ask satisfied clients for warm introductions to their trusted peers.
From Fred Diamond: “Love your customer’s problem more than your product.” In-person time is your chance to prove it.
Lead With Value and Empathy
Buyers are under pressure—shrinking budgets, changing procedures, and leadership turnover. Show up to solve, not to sell. Put their mission first, even if that means passing up a short-term sale for a long-term relationship.
From Mike Lentine (AWS): Earn trust by standing beside your customer when it matters most. That commitment will open more doors than any sales pitch.
These tactical adjustments work best when they’re practiced year-round—not just in Q4. Whether you’re breaking out of a plateau now or safeguarding against the next one, consistency is what turns them into a competitive advantage.
From Awareness to Action
A plateau is only permanent if you let it be. The 3R Pivot Framework isn’t about one big gamble—it’s about calculated course corrections that compound over time.
Here’s your quick-start action list, with examples to help you get moving:
- Do the Plateau Self-Assessment – If your win rate has been under 25% for the last 12 months, it’s time to examine your capture process and qualification criteria before adding more bids to your pipeline.
- Identify Your Top Blockers – Separate internal vs. external causes. For example, if delays are coming from your side, you may need more proposal resources; if they’re coming from the agency, adjust your forecast timelines.
- Choose One “R” to Start With – If your targeting is scattered, start with Refocus to narrow in on the 2–3 agencies where you have the best fit and highest win potential. If buyers aren’t seeing your differentiators, start with Reposition.
- Set a 90-Day Target – Make it specific: “Secure two new meetings at a target agency” is better than “grow relationships.”
- Review & Adjust – If your tactical adjustments aren’t moving the needle within one quarter, re-evaluate your approach before continuing down the same path.
Your Call to Action
If you’ve read this far, you already know:
What got you here won’t get you there.
It’s time to pivot—strategically, intentionally, and with tools that work in today’s Federal market.
We’ve helped hundreds of Federal contractors break past growth stalls, win prime contracts, and diversify their revenue.
Let’s talk about how we can do it for you.
Book your complimentary Federal Business Breakthrough Session to identify:
- Your most urgent growth blockers
- The best opportunities in your pipeline right now
- Specific steps to start winning again
This post draws from content presented by panelists at the Institute For Effective Professional Selling, and developed with Chelsea Roberts, CEO of Collaborative Compositions – discussed in detail in our webinar When Federal Growth Stalls: Pivot and Grow Again.
📅 Watch the full session here: Register now on our site