How OpenGov Uses Pursuit to Win More Government Deals with Data-Driven Sales
Public sector sales is a high-stakes game. The market is complex, the sales cycles are long, and finding the right opportunities can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. But companies that get it right unlock massive revenue potential.
I sat down with Eric DiProspero, Chief Revenue Officer at OpenGov, to discuss how his team is scaling public sector sales, leveraging data to drive revenue, and using Pursuit to pinpoint the right opportunities faster.
If your company is looking to generate more public sector revenue, here’s what you need to know.
Shifting from Broad Outreach to Precision Targeting
One of the biggest mistakes in public sector sales is treating every government entity as a potential buyer. With thousands of agencies across states, cities, counties, school districts, and special districts, the challenge isn’t finding leads—it’s knowing which ones are actually in a position to buy.
Before using Pursuit, OpenGov reps often worked massive, unfocused account lists, which led to wasted time and missed opportunities. By integrating Pursuit’s AI-powered insights, OpenGov transformed its sales strategy, allowing reps to focus only on high-probability accounts. Instead of guessing, their team now relies on predictive data to surface agencies with budget, procurement needs, and active initiatives.
This shift has made a measurable impact. Reps are no longer chasing government entities that are locked into contracts, too small, or lacking funding. Instead, they can prioritize agencies that are ready to buy, improving efficiency and increasing win rates.
“A dollar spent on data today saves $10 on unnecessary hiring or process tomorrow—and $100 on missed opportunities.”
Equipping Sales Teams with Instant Market Intelligence
In the past, preparing for a government sales meeting meant sifting through endless budget reports, council meeting minutes, and procurement records. This manual research process was time-consuming and, in many cases, impractical—no rep could possibly review every relevant document for their accounts.
Now, with Pursuit’s Radar, OpenGov reps can access real-time intelligence in seconds. Budget priorities, upcoming projects, procurement plans, and key decision-makers are all surfaced instantly, giving reps the same level of insight they’d get from a consultant or lobbyist—but without the time investment.
The impact is clear: reps walk into meetings fully prepared, understanding an agency’s priorities and pain points before the first conversation even happens. This not only improves sales efficiency but also strengthens credibility and trust with government buyers.
“Within seconds, a rep can walk into a meeting fully prepped with the same level of intelligence they’d get from a consultant or lobbyist.”
Why More Focus = More Revenue
A common misconception in sales is that having more accounts leads to more deals. In reality, spreading reps too thin often results in shallow relationships, less expertise, and lower conversion rates.
At OpenGov, narrowing focus has been a major driver of revenue growth. Instead of assigning massive territories, the company has structured its sales motion around deep engagement with a smaller set of highly targeted accounts. Pursuit plays a crucial role in making this work by:
- Identifying which agencies are most likely to buy based on data-driven insights.
- Helping reps align opportunities with their specific product suites rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.
- Providing regional intelligence so sales teams can build deep expertise in their assigned areas.
According to Eric, every time OpenGov has increased focus—whether by refining account selection, product specialization, or sales alignment—the results have improved dramatically.
“Every time we’ve increased focus—whether on accounts, products, or personas—the results have gone through the roof.”
The Changing Public Sector Buyer
Public sector sales used to be heavily relationship-driven, requiring in-person meetings at city halls just to get a foot in the door. But COVID-19 changed everything. Agencies now expect virtual engagement, cloud-based solutions, and digital procurement processes.
At the same time, government buyers have become more sophisticated. They conduct deep research, attend industry events, and evaluate multiple vendors before even speaking with sales. This means companies can no longer rely on just “selling the cloud”—that’s now the baseline expectation. Instead, sales teams must clearly differentiate themselves and show that they understand an agency’s specific priorities.
Pursuit helps OpenGov navigate this shift by ensuring reps have real-time intelligence on their accounts, tailored messaging based on actual government needs, and a competitive edge over less-informed vendors.
“Pursuit helps our team stay ahead by giving us real-time intelligence on our accounts—so we know exactly what each agency is focused on.”
Scaling a High-Performing Public Sector Sales Team
Winning in public sector sales isn’t just about hiring great reps—it’s about developing them into industry experts. At OpenGov, this means investing in long-term sales talent rather than relying on quick hires.
Instead of constantly bringing in outside talent, OpenGov promotes from within, moving SDRs into AE roles and building a team that deeply understands government buying cycles. This mirrors how governments think, valuing tenure, credibility, and trust.
Pursuit has played a key role in this process by accelerating rep onboarding. New hires can ramp up faster because they have instant access to market intelligence, procurement data, and role-specific insights that would otherwise take months to learn. As a result, OpenGov has built a sales team that isn’t just closing deals—they’re becoming trusted advisors to government agencies.
"Government operates on decade-long time horizons. Our sales team reflects that. We invest in tenure, build career paths, and grow our people over time."
The Future of Public Sector Sales: AI, Data & Smarter Growth
As OpenGov looks to expand to 10,000+ government agencies, their strategy revolves around three key priorities:
- AI-powered sales intelligence – enabling reps to uncover opportunities instantly.
- Precision targeting – ensuring every sales motion is focused on high-probability accounts.
- Seamless CRM integration – keeping every team aligned with up-to-date insights.
This isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about winning more deals by knowing exactly where to focus. The old playbook of relying on relationships and gut instincts is fading. The best sales teams will be the ones that combine deep industry knowledge with real-time data and AI-driven insights.
“An AI-first sales strategy isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about winning more deals by knowing exactly where to focus.”
How Pursuit Can Help You Close More Government Deals
Public sector sales is a massive opportunity, but only for teams that know how to navigate it. OpenGov’s success is a testament to the power of precision targeting, data-driven decision-making, and AI-powered sales intelligence.
If your company wants to close more government deals faster, it’s time to take a new approach. Pursuit helps public sector sales teams:
- Identify the right agencies to target.
- Arm reps with instant, actionable intelligence on accounts.
- Eliminate wasted time on low-probability deals.
- Outmaneuver competitors with deeper market insights.
The best teams don’t just chase opportunities—they create them, and we can help you. Let's talk.
