Identifying partners, large and small, that are #doingitright can be tricky. One team we noticed that has a focused effort on good culture and small business engagement is ICF. We caught up with Liz DeBiase, ICF Small Business Partner Advocate to learn more about her role as a torchbearer for small business, ICFs continued growth and evolution, how industry can engage with this company, and the value proposition for large small businesses.
Torchbearer for Purpose
Liz calls herself the torchbearer for ICF’s original purpose (the company was founded initially in 1969 to support minority-owned businesses in the DC area) and she is the driving force behind current leadership’s goal to do better than just compliance when it comes to small business programs. As an advocate for small business within the company, her role encompasses both presenting to business leads within ICF, and meeting with small business interested in working with the company.
“Like most large consultancies, a lot of my colleagues have been with ICF for 20 and 30 years and so that small business journey isn’t something that they would think of initially. I take a very human centered approach to leave people with empathy, to create those commonalities, to remind everyone that businesses, large and small, are just organized people, and to advocate for small business engagement.”
The Face and Voice of Small Business
Setting the goal of having her team serve as first point of contact for any small business interested in exploring opportunities to partner with ICF, it isn’t hard to find opportunities to book those introductions. “I’m a firm believer that no one can explain a business on paper as well as they can when they are speaking to someone. Our big differentiator is that we are looking to build a community, not a database, so those soulless forms you may see elsewhere are not our preferred connection point.”
Understanding that cold calling can be challenging, that pitching to someone you don’t know can be awkward, those initial calls with ICF small business leads are met with empathy and understanding, meaning perfection is not expected. “We are though looking to really understand a company’s mission and purpose. Businesses that are purely profit motivated are not going to be a strategic long-term match for us or our clients so we really look for that dedication to the mission, beyond skillset.”
Iterating like Everyone Else
As a large business ICF does not consider itself ‘there’ or cemented in a way of doing business, but rather, remains agile, moving, growing and changing like everyone else. “We have a philosophy that employee experience is a leading indicator of customer experience. That means we want to grow our people, and to use our emotional intelligence to create psychological safety to remove a lot of fear, uncertainty and doubt. We want people to stay and to be here to want to serve their customers.”
That iteration also means that, from a small business engagement view, Liz sees ICF as being at a minimum viable product level right now, which will mean evolving more events focused on matchmaking, on connecting small business partners to each other, more discussions focused on providing guidance, on opening a door where it makes sense.
Radical Candor
One thing any company dealing with ICF can expect is radical candor, the real deal up front. “No one on this team is interested in batting people around, in playing Ring Around the Rosie. Expect a high level of honesty. I always tell small business owners that they should be in the driver seat when it comes to choosing a large business because the large gets a lot of benefit from that relationship and the small should too.”
While radical candor is the norm, small business can also expect ICF will not hover or offer unwanted advice. “We may connect teams with consultants they need, and try to engage them with objective observers, but then we will step out of the equation, leaving them to run their business as makes sense to them.”
The Large Small Equation
ICF partnerships encompass mentoring and support, some shared pipelining and business development activities outside of formal agreements. “Coming from a background in growth and experience working for graduating companies, I have deep empathy for that place in the marketplace.”
“Companies moving into that mid-tier space need to recognize they are heading into that value-driven space. They must be able to articulate their value. For any business I tell them their value does not lie in their socio-economic status. Businesses of any size – brand new, experienced small and graduating small – need to articulate their value. If you can talk about why you are doing something, and when you can, continue to talk about the why, you are eventually going to get to your value.”
Success in GovCon
Saying that everything takes practice, Liz recommends getting over any hesitation about networking. “Like anything, networking takes practice and the more you do, the easier it gets.”
“I would also recommend finding two or three people in the space that you find interesting, that you can imagine wanting to be like, that seem to have something to say. Follow them on LinkedIn, see the events they are attending. Borrow their confidence. Watch as well for those events where your customers are and if there is an alignment to your purpose and skillsets, make sure you are there as well and look for ICF because we are likely there as well.”
Her bottom-line advice: Make the call. “If your first conversation with someone is ‘I was going to email you…’ or ‘I had hoped to be able to talk to you about’ you are missing an opportunity. When the impulse is there, make the call, send the email. Don’t hesitate. I have a post-it on my monitor that says just send the darn email.”
About ICF
We focus on the entire experience of partnering to ensure that our Small Business partners are well connected within the ICF organization and that ICF is focused on going beyond transactional interactions and is focused developing strategic, long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships to grow together with our small business partners.
About Liz DeBiase
ICF’s Small Business Partner Advocate, Liz DeBiase, is a former small business owner who brings more than 15 years of experience helping small business owners enter into and grow in the Federal market. Her perspective allows her to lead with empathy as she advises her ICF colleagues on small business topics and advocates for our small business partners within ICF and out in the market.
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