Aligning Sales with State Messaging - The Go-to-Market Public Sector Strategy
- Melody McDonald
- Jun 3
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 4
Chapter 2 of the How to Become a Sales Unicorn series | Aligning Sales with State Messaging - The Go-to-Market Public Sector Strategy
If you’re selling to government or education agencies and you haven’t aligned your sales message to the language being used at the state level, you’re not in the go-to-market public sector game.
Too often, companies approach state sales with a “features and benefits” mindset. But the real path to traction begins much earlier, by understanding what your buyer believes they’re solving for, how they’re being measured, and what language they’re using to talk about it publicly. That’s where alignment begins. A deep dive is provided on this topic in the Rainmaker Sales Readiness article, from the How to Become a Sales Unicorn series.
The Trail of Alignment: Beyond Discovery
In Chapter 2 of the Sales Unicorn Sales Strategy, I described the importance of wearing down a path until it becomes a visible trail, one where your product’s value clearly aligns with your buyer’s mission. This blog builds on that metaphor and shows you how to implement the process using real examples and 5 repeatable, tactical steps.
Step 1: Decode the State's Public Narrative
Before developing a consistent message, take the time to study how the state is positioning its education and government priorities. You can begin by:
Reading the Governor’s State of the State Address
Reviewing press releases from the target state agency
Using AI to analyze state budget proposals and funding memos
Set up Google or AI alerts for key terms in local agencies you are targeting
Look for repeated phrases such as “literacy crisis,” “workforce readiness,” “school choice accountability,” “teacher pipeline,” and “whole child wellness.” These are not just slogans. They are directional cues. Messaging typically cascades from the Governor’s Office through legislators, down to state agencies and local entities including K-12 systems. These key terms are embedded into the ecosystem and are what agency leaders will be listening for.
Example 1: In 2025, 33 governors explicitly prioritized workforce development and career and technical education. If your product enhances CTE readiness, that becomes your opening. But it only works if you use the language they already recognize rather than inventing your own.
Example 2: In 2025, 21 governors explicitly prioritized student mental health. Social Emotional Learning (SEL) was initially the dominant term for school-based mental health. However, as federal legislation around school safety evolved, SEL began to carry political weight. In conservative narratives, “school safety” became preferred. In liberal contexts, SEL remained prominent. The bipartisan consensus eventually settled on neutral terms like “mental wellness” and “resilience.” Using language such as “mental wellness” keeps your positioning focused and politically neutral.
Step 2: Translate That Narrative into Buyer Messaging
This is the most overlooked step in sales strategy: connecting your product’s value to the buyer’s public-facing narrative without changing what you do or overreaching.
Each state will have its own version of the narrative. Settle on messaging that can span multiple regions within your targeted territory. This is message mapping.
Ask:
What language is the state using to describe the problem?
What KPIs are they trying to move?
How does your solution logically fit into their mission?
If a state agency official were to announce a success story, how would your product help tell that story? What specific public challenge does it solve?
Step 3: Pressure Test the Language Collaboratively
Words matter. What sounds polished in a deck may not land in conversation. Build a collaborative sandbox to refine your messaging. Include team members from sales, marketing, and product.
Conduct short interviews with current customers in similar roles to uncover what resonates
Host internal sessions to test how the messaging sounds out loud
Role-play natural conversations using real agency language from public documents
Pay attention to emotional responses. Where do people nod? Where do they hesitate? What emotions are triggered? These insights will shape the working narrative and strengthen your tools.
Step 4: Build Tools that Reflect Alignment
Once your message is tested, translate alignment into concrete assets. Use the words that work. If messaging diverges sharply between regions, consider developing separate assets for conservative and liberal audiences. The best option, when possible, is a unifying message that works across the board.
Develop:
Sales deck slides focused on buyer pain points and goals
Email frameworks that lead with state priorities rather than product features
Touchpoint sequences aligned to legislative sessions and budget calendars
Pre-crafted responses to anticipated objections, embedded in your outreach
The goal is not to pitch a product. It is to enter the conversation your buyer is already having internally and with leadership about what problems matter most and what success looks like. Remove “features and benefits” from the initial discussion.
Step 5: Prioritize Buyers with the Right Alignment
Not every buyer will be ready. Some will not be a fit, and that is okay. Use your CRM to manage timelines and a rubric to score alignment. Prioritize based on readiness to close in the current cycle.
Use this process to:
Score and prioritize prospects based on alignment and timing
Take what won't close this year and look at next year's political agenda and budget
Focus your energy on buyers where message and mission are already converging
Maintain engagement with others who may come into alignment later
Final Thought: Alignment Is Not Glamorous, But It Is Strategic and it Works
This is not the glamorous side of sales (wait, is there a glamorous side?) But this is the work that separates opportunistic outreach from predictable, high-conversion relationship building strategy. When your product language mirrors the public messaging that drives agency agendas, you stop sounding like a vendor. You start sounding like a strategic partner.
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