Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Veronica Clark. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Veronica, thanks for joining us today. One of the toughest things about progressing in your career is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?
Covid-19 impacted everyone. Out of concern for the health and safety of our customers and our staff during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the courses of the UT CIS Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) were moved online. Going online allowed PTAC to maintain its goal of having at least one PTAC government contracting training event per month in each region of the state. I led the way by developing and offering the online courses, just one day after returning from a professional development conference in Chicago. I eventually ended up encouraging/training the rest of the PTAC staff as well. This required me transitioning training materials and logistics, understanding the technical side of webinar technology, and possessing a teamwork attitude in order to help the rest of the staff along the way.
Between March 16-31 2020, I spearheaded four PTAC courses for the Memphis region of the state of Tennessee. By April 15, I coached, offered specialized assistance, and co-produced 10 courses through webinars sponsored by the remaining PTAC staff in their respective regions. One of these trainings, co-sponsored by the Tennessee Governor’s Office of Diversity Business Enterprise, was entitled “Becoming Go-DBE Certified.” PTAC client Ed Sheffey, of Rowan Tree Care, was able to receive his Service Disabled Veteran GO-DBE certification after taking this course. The Governor’s office was so pleased with my work, that it tasked PTAC with providing webinar courses throughout the state.
Ultimately, these trainings have enabled the TN PTAC to continue to deliver world class training to our clients. We have been able to provide more advanced training as well on topics including Bid Estimating and Proposal Writing. We have had increased attendance at trainings as well. For example, in the past, if we had 90 people register. We would have about 30 attendees. In the online setting, we no have at least 50 attendees. Clients no longer have to chose being serving a customer or attending a training. The clients are able to pop in and out of trainings as needed.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Veronica Clark, an avid community builder for over 16 years, has developed a reputation for going above and beyond to guide businesses and individuals to reach their full potential. Through life’s trajectory, Veronica has developed the wisdom to help people manifest their own goals and life’s purpose. As an active personality who was voted ‘Most Likely to Own Their Own Talk Show’ in high school, working with businesses in various industries helped Veronica gain a ‘behind-the-scenes’ perspective that can be useful and valuable
As a Procurement Technical Assistance Counselor, she provides small businesses with technical assistance through one-on-one counseling and training. Her primary responsibility is educating and assisting businesses within the West and Middle Tennessee service area on federal, state, and local government procurement processes. This includes providing information in such areas as government registrations, market research, marketing, bid/proposal/quote preparation, contract performance issues, and assistance with state and federal regulations.
She also assists clients with identified and locating federal, state and local government sales opportunities, perform market research for businesses within the government market, assist clients in completing required paperwork and online registrations for government contracting, help clients understand government contracting rules and regulations, such as the Federal Acquisition Regulations, and assist and guide clients in responding to government solicitations. Veronica was recently named one of the Nashville Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 for 2021.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
There are three words that come to mind that helped me build my reputation in the market:
1) Accountability- I hold my clients and self-accountable to action items.
2) Transparency- I am honest with my feedback. I do not send them on a wild goose chase. I do a soft hand off to other agencies that maybe a better fit. Most importantly, I am honest about what I do not know but seek to understand.
3) Consistency- I deliver the same level of customer service no matter who the client is.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
The best source of new clients for me is word mouth. By assisting other clients and being consistent and transparent, is the best way for me to obtain new clients.