Who's on first?

The title for this post is a little misleading, but with a growth rate I have not seen before in this market. I think Carahsoft is poised to move up the ranks of the Washington Technology Top 100.

At the end of year  7, Craig Abod's dynamo, Carahsoft Technology Corp, will post sales of $840 million.

Say WHAT?!?! Yes, $840 million. This growth is all organic, no mergers or acquisitions. And Mr. Abod is not interested in being acquired, so don't call. However, he is interested in hearing from select companies that can help maintain the growth.

The goal for year 8 is $1 billion- and he has not missed a goal yet.

Carahsoft is a "boutique reseller"- a company that represents selected manufacturers in very specific niches. How they select the companies they represent remains a company secret, but suffice it to say that Abod knows when a trend is becoming "hot" in the government market. Hot in government terms does not mean being talked about, it means being funded.

I am almost hesitant to write about Craig or Carahsoft. I did so in my latest book, Selling to the Government, but with a caveat that I repeat here: "I hesitated in using Carahsoft as an example because the model devised by Craig Abod is very difficult to replicate."

How does he do it? Well, I can only guess parts of the puzzle, but here is a thought. He provides information needed by buyers and influencers before, during and after the sale. The preferred method of information delivery seems to be webinars, but it is not the only method. A healthy dose of face-to-face events is in the mix as well.

Check out the web site- www.carahsoft.com

I used Carahsoft as an example in the book and I use them as an example in my seminars. The next Government Markeing Best Practices seminar is March 22. Register here:

http://som.gmu.edu/gmm

Come see other best practices discussed by industry experts!