PROFILE | NEIL MCDONNELL

FEDERAL SALES and MARKETING EXPERT

• LinkedIn Influencer  • Motivational Speaker • Trainer • Podcast Host
• Founder and President of the GovCon Chamber of Commerce

Neil McDonnell makes Business Development Easy to Understand

With his signature energy, clarity, and passion, Neil generously shares his hard-learned knowledge from years of skin-in-the-game experience. His daily live LinkedIn trainings, podcast, YouTube channel and newsletters are viewed an average of 1 million times monthly. 

Small businesses– especially 8(a), WOSB and veteran-owned small business owners – trust Neil to show them HOW to build relationships that lead to federal government contracts and subcontracts.  The GovCon Chamber of Commerce was originally founded at the HUBZone Chamber of Commerce. (see Neil's ABC GovMatters interview below)

Over the last 5 years, Neil has presented more than 500 federal sales training events – more than the SBA itself – and has helped thousands of small business contractors collectively achieve an astounding $3 billion in federal contract value. 

Experience matters. 

Neil's sales journey spans Silicon Valley to the Pentagon; from Army private to tech advisor for 3-star generals. 

As a small business Technology and Professional Services federal contractor for 25 years, Neil personally won contracts worth hundreds of millions for the DoD and civilian agencies, including:

• US Army • US Navy • US Air Force • HHS • VA • the Executive Office of the White House
• US Departments of Education, Transportation, Interior and Energy
• plus, numerous large prime contractors

Leveling the Playing Field. 

Neil is removing barriers to entry in order to diversify and grow the federal industrial base. In 2023, he published several free Federal Buyer Directories sharing contact information for 1000s of federal buyers and showcased hundreds of in-house vendor portals across various federal agencies and large primes. 

Emphasising action over policy, he has taught 8(a) minority-owned and women business owners how to market themselves strategically to compete for federal contracts. His signature 7-Step Process for Federal Revenue Success is an actionable step-by-step roadmap for BD activities that lead to federal revenue.

Public Speaking: Teaching the Process and Building Relationships

As a dynamic speaker and trainer, Neil McDonnell has been  featured at numerous federal outreach and conference events, including:

• Department of Labor Vendor Outreach sessions
• Department of Energy HUBZone conference
• Regional SBA district and SBDC programs
• APEX / PTAC small business educational sessions