Federal Sales and Government Contracting (Neil McDonnell) - podcast cover

Federal Sales and Government Contracting (Neil McDonnell)

Neil McDonnell–GovCon Chamberwww.govconchamber.com
With over 25 years of hands-on government contracting experience, Neil McDonnell is a leading small business advocate in the federal marketplace. As a small business owner, he has personally won and supported government contracts for the US Army, Navy, US Air Force, HHS,VA, Transportation, Interior, Energy and the Executive Office of the White House.

As president of the GovCon Chamber of Commerce, Neil hosts daily LinkedIn live training and teaches the strategies and skills required to build relationships with federal buyers and teaming partners that lead to federal revenue.

Neil also brings together leading experts in federal government contracting in order to help small businesses grow as government contractors.

Neil is famous for making complicated topics easy to understand, helping businesses 'find their niche' and for providing specific, achievable, actionable steps any business owner could follow.

Discover how small businesses can research opportunities, build relationships, promote their capabilities, request small business set-aside (SBSA) opportunities and secure government business contracts.

Find out more at https://www.GovConChamber.com


HOST: Neil McDonnell
Neil is a small business owner, mentor, coach and trainer committed to helping small businesses achieve their goals. He is a motivational speaker, trainer and vocal advocate for the potential of American small businesses. His passion is drawn from his personal experience serving in the US Army, from providing contracting services to various government agencies, and from the many successful and failed companies he has founded since his youth.

Connect with Neil: https://LinkedIn.com/in/Neil-McDonnell
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Episodes

Which Agencies Award the Most Government Contracts to Women-owned Business Owners?

The majority of federal agencies say they support women owned businesses ... but they don't actually use the set-aside and sole-source tools designed for that reason! Year after year, we can see that the #wosb businesses who are landing government contracts did so in full and open competition, not because the government was committed to the official federal goals. The exception is the Army. The ARMY leads the way with women owned businesses contracts. Why it is important to hold federal agencies...

Jan 30, 202426 min

How To Find Federal Agency Buyers | Steps for Government Contractors

Where can you find the right federal buyer in the right federal agency? Today we'll walk step by step to help you find the right person who can help you with your government contracting goals. Too many amazing small business government contracting vendors say they struggle to find the names of federal buyers to call. Where can I look to find the right buyer for my contracting business? Free Download of Government Small Business Specialists Phone directories for federal agencies Who can help me w...

Jan 24, 202427 min

20 Reasons Why Federal Buyers Are Ignoring You!

Why do federal buyers ignore small business government contractors like you? Today, GovCon Chamber president Neil McDonnell shows: 20 reasons why federal buyers may be ignoring you and what you can do to fix the situation Why federal buyers ignore small business government contractors | Inbound reasons Why Federal Buyers Ignore You | Outbound reasons How to instantly improve your marketing and business development activities to get their attention ✅ Join the discussion on LinkedIn: "Why Federal ...

Jan 23, 202427 min

How to Use LinkedIn for Government Contracting Networking

LinkedIn is the only accepted social media platform accepted by the government. Small business government contractors with strong personal and company profiles can start building professional government contracting relationships. Today, GovCon Chamber president Neil McDonnell shows: How to find federal agencies on LinkedIn How contractors demonstrate subject matter expertise and knowledge before meeting with buyers How government contractors can engage with federal buyers using Linkedin ✅ Join t...

Jan 22, 202427 min

Create a 6 Second Government Contracting Capability Statement to Get Meetings

The real purpose of a government contracting capability statement is to get you a meeting with federal buyers. Capability statements are the most important marketing tools for small business government contracting. A well-written statement will open doors and persuade government small business specialists to connect you with program officers. ➣ Join the 100+ government contractors who attended our live training on LinkedIn and engage in the comment to expand your network. "The 6-Second Capabilit...

Jan 22, 202427 min

Beginner's Guide to Federal Agency Long-Range Acquisition Forecasts | Government Contracting

Do you know how to find and interpret federal agency Long-Range Acquisition Forecasts? LRAFs offer a wealth of market research for government contracting small business business development. Long Range Acquisition Forecasts signal anticipated business needs for each agency. ✅ Today, GovCon Chamber president Neil McDonnell shows how to identify critical information in federal agency budgets that will help their business development activities. Engage with other government contractors in today's l...

Jan 19, 202428 min

How to Get Value from Federal Agency FY2024 Budgets

As a small business contractor, don't limit your research to RFIs, Sources Sought, or RFPs to learn about government contracting opportunities. Today, GovCon Chamber president Neil McDonnell shows how to identify critical information in federal agency budgets that will help their business development activities. ✅ Join the discussion on LinkedIn: • "How I Help My Customers Get Value from Federal Agency FY2024 Budgets" ––––––––––––––––––––––––– ✅ HOST | Neil McDonnell, president GovCon Chamber of...

Jan 19, 202424 min

Learn to use USASpending for Government Contracting Market Research in 2024

USA Spending is an essential tool for government contracting market research. In today's government contracting training, GovCon Chamber president Neil McDonnell explains how to identify and understand spending patterns and government contracting trends, as well as information about other government contractors who might be potential teaming partners. USASpending.gov gives government contractors access to massive amounts of information about your buyers – everything you need for government contr...

Jan 16, 202425 min

Which Federal Agencies Love 8(a) Government Contractors?

In today's government contracting training, GovCon Chamber president Neil McDonnell deep dives into the contracting award data for the SBA's 8(a) business development program to showing exactly how much government funding and contracting is going to 8(a) firms. Join the discussion on LinkedIn: "Top Federal Agencies Who Love 8(a) Small Businesses Government Contractors" https://www.linkedin.com/events/7149542942259507200/ ✅ SEE ALSO GovCon Chamber blog: "11 Ways Federal Buyers Will Find Small Bus...

Jan 14, 202424 min

11 Ways to Find Small Business Government Contracting Opportunities in 2024-11-Jan

Do you know the 11 best places where Small Businesses learn about upcoming federal government contracting opportunities? How can you complete unless you know when and where to look? Opportunities lead to Sales. Join the discussion on LinkedIn: "How Small Business Government Contractors Will Find Opportunities in 2024" | https://www.linkedin.com/events/7149542812332552192/comments/ ✅ In today's training, GovCon Chamber president Neil McDonnell explains: How to create your clear focused offer (in ...

Jan 13, 202427 min

Using Dollars & Ratios to Build Stronger Government Contracting Sales Pipelines 2024 10-Jan

Sales are lagging indicatorsin government contracting. You need to identify the leading indicators that will guide your Sales Pipeline Planning for 2024. ✅ Today's topics: 2024 Sales Pipeline Planning with dollars & ratios How big should your sales pipeline to hit your revenue goals? Why 2024 prime contracts are really 2025 dollars How many proposals you must write in 2024 ✅ Overview: Different Types of Business Goals Revenue Goals FTE Goals Sales Goals (How much do I need to win?) Other Goa...

Jan 13, 202427 min

11 Ways Federal Buyers Will Find Small Business Contractors in 2024

In 2024, small business federal contractors must be 'findable' and 'attractive' to federal market researchers. Don't blame federal buyers for ignoring you if you're invisible. ✅ In today's training, GovCon Chamber president Neil McDonnell explains: How and where federal buyers find small business government contractors What federal buyers want from small businesses What buyer's don"t want The shortlisting process federal buyers use to find you The federal sales life cycle overview Step by step b...

Jan 12, 202428 min

Create Your 2024 Government Contracting Strategic Plan in only 30 Minutes

In order to achieve your 2024 federal government contracting revenue goals, you need to create a Strategic Sales Plan. In 30 minutes, you can create a one page document that will guide your strategies for the year's activity. ✅ In today's training, GovCon Chamber president Neil McDonnell explains: The purpose and scope of a Strategic Plan for government contracting How to determine your Revenue Goal and set your vision for 2024 How to breaks strategic goals Into clear achievable objectives How t...

Jan 12, 202427 min

The 2024 Federal Sales Life Cycle for Small Business Government Contracting

In this training, Neil McDonnell goes step by step through the 2024 Federal Sales Lifecycle: ✅ TOPICS Overview to the Common Procurement Lifecycle 06:07 Shift Left Strategy 07:26 7 Step Process for Federal Sales Success 11:00 ✅ Three Stages of Contracting ➣ Business Development: the process of understanding an agency, building relationships, and finding opportunities 13:21 ➣ Capture Management is the process of shaping the technical requirements and acquisition approach on a single opportunity 1...

Jan 06, 202428 min

Why Your Small Business Should Only Sell to Federal Agencies in 2024

In today's LinkedIn live for 2024, Neil McDonnell explains why you should go 'all in' as a federal government contractors. If you are pursuing federal contracts, do it to the exclusion of commercial, federal and state. ✅ TOPICS ➱ What are the major differences between 3 basic markets for B2B (commercial, federal and State, Local, and Education market (SLED) ) ➱ Why is federal is best for small businesses? ✅ COMMON TOOLS used for federal government contracting ➱ Common Supplier Portal ( https://s...

Jan 05, 202424 min

From Subcontracting to Prime: The 3 Stages for Making Money as a Government Contractor

In his first week of daily training for 2024, Neil McDonnell returns to the basics. Today, let's review the "The 3 Stages for Making Money as a Government Contractor." After all, "government contracting is not a secret, it's just a process." ✅ TYPICAL PATH of a Government Contractor → You work for someone else ↳ Hire others to work for you and your small business ↳ Your company works for larger companies or directly with federal agencies. This is the fundamental journey from subcontracting to pr...

Jan 05, 202426 min

Learn the 3 Paths for Making Money as a Federal Contractor

In his 2nd government contracting training for 2024, Neil McDonnell explains the Three (3) Paths to Federal Revenue and the differences between subcontracting and prime contracting. Your best path depends on the maturity of your small business and your core competencies. Understanding the federal government trillion dollar marketplace 00:49 ✅ THREE REVENUE PATHS for Federal Government Contracting. 05:23 👉 Subcontracting under other small businesses 08:00 Understand the Math: sales by the number...

Jan 03, 202427 min

The 7-Step Process to Win Federal Contracts | Government Contracting in 2024

Government contracting is not a secret, it's just a process. In his first daily training for 2024, Neil McDonnell explains the "7 Steps for Success" in government contracting. Research Targeting Outreach Relationships Opportunities Proposals Sales Watch Neil's live training on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7147277160381087744/about/ ––––––––––––––––––––––––– HOST | Neil McDonnell, president GovCon Chamber of Commerce Small business owners​ trust Neil to​ show them HOW to earn federal...

Jan 02, 202427 min

How To Do Business with HHS | Department of Health & Human Services

This week GovCon Chamber president Neil McDonnell explains how small businesses get contracts with 5 key federal agencies: HHS, DHS, DOE, NASA and HUD. If you are a qualified small business contractor interested in working with the US Dept. of Health & Human Services (HHS), Neil McDonnell will show you how to find key HHS information: Neil's live demonstration can be watched on YouTube: How To Do Business with HHS (Department of Health & Human Services) HHS Organizational Structure (Org ...

Nov 28, 202325 min

How to Earn Your First $100K as a Small Business Federal Government Contractor

When you are just starting in government contracting, the temptation is to jump in the deep end and try to land big contracts. Unfortunately, that rarely works. There are 3 sources of federal revenue and subcontracting with other companies is the key. This lets you establish your government contracting business and a process for slow, incremental growth. Take the time to build performance expertise, expand your network, develop your reputation as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) and learn from othe...

Nov 11, 202328 min

How to Create KPIs and Metrics that Lead to Predictable Repeatable Success (in Government Contracting)

As a federal sales expert and LinkedIn thought leader for government contracting, GovCon Chamber president Neil McDonnell's trainings receive close to 2M views on average. ✅ Today he explores best practices for creating predictability in government contracting. Learn to identify the KPIs and metrics that provide the right information for predictable, repeatable success in federal government contracting. 👉 What are the key KPIs and metrics that determine success? 👉 Why is predictability so vita...

Nov 10, 202327 min

Why Your Small Business Isn't Getting a Second Meeting with Federal Buyers | Government Contracting

How can you build strategic relationships when you can't even get a second meeting for government buyers? How can hear about opportunities that are perfect for your small business if you aren't getting in the door? This is a huge problem for small business government contractors. ✅ Join Neil McDonnell in this training to learn: 👉 Why a second meeting is vital to your success 👉 How to use your FIRST meeting to get the second meeting 👉 What to do AFTER a first meeting to get a second meeting ✅ ...

Nov 10, 202327 min

Why Federal Agencies Aren't Returning Your Call | Government Contracting

Are you frustrated that federal agencies are not returning your calls? How can you succeed as a small business government contractor if the government buyers aren't talking to you? 👉 Why success depends on persistent follow up 👉 Where your outreach process is failing you 👉 Reasonable expectations about getting in the door and connecting with government buyersIn this training, Neil McDonnell explains – ✅ Watch the live video training on YouTube "Why Federal Agencies Don't Take Your Call as a G...

Nov 10, 202319 min

How to Beat Incumbent Government Contractors in the Federal Market

Even though many contracts are 're-competes', small business contractors can definitely compete against and beat existing "incumbent" government contractors in the federal market. For example, SeaPort NxG – Incumbents lost more than 50% of the awards – which mean NON-incumbents WON more than 50% of the awards! ✅ Join Neil McDonnell in this training to learn: 👉 How you can beat out an incumbent on government contracts 👉 How to research the incumbent contractor and contract specfics 👉 Specific ...

Nov 06, 202328 min

Invisibility is the WORST MISTAKE Small Business Government Contractors Make Every Day

The WORST mistake small business government contractors make is being INVISIBLE to federal agency buyers. It is also one of the EASIEST to correct. ✅ Join Neil McDonnell in this training to learn: 👉 The importance of VISIBILITY to your success 👉 Where Federal Buyers Look for Companies Like Yours for contracts 👉 5 Fixes to Immediately Make Your Company 'Attract' Buyers ✅ Watch the live video training on YouTube Being Invisible is the WORST MISTAKE Small Business Government Contractors Make Eve...

Oct 19, 202328 min

3 Essential Things Small Business Government Contractors Must Do Daily

As a federal government small business contractor, you're a busy person. Are you tracking at your time management to be sure you are maximizing the value of every day? ✅ 3 Key Daily Tasks for Effective Results 👉 Hold Daily ‘Stand Up’ Meetings 👉 Determine Your ‘One Thing’ 👉 Network and Brand Yourself on LinkedIn ✅ Watch the live video training on YouTube First 3 Things Every Small Business Government Contractor Must Do Daily | Time Management ✅ READ this blog for more depth "7-Step Process for...

Oct 17, 202327 min

Maximize Your FY2024 Federal Contracting Revenue - Small Business Government Contractors

If you are a Small Business government contractor trying to get in the door of your target federal agency, you need to understand the scope of the market and how the contracting timeline will unfold. The FY2024 total spend in contract-dollars is projected to be approximately $700B. ✅ Today’s Training: 👉 How much will each federal agency spend in FY2024? 👉 When will agencies spend their budget throughout the year? 👉 Three ways to increase your chances of a contract or subcontract ✅ Watch the l...

Oct 17, 202326 min

10X Your Network of Federal Agency Buyers and Teammates

If you are a Small Business government contractor trying to get in the door of your target federal agency, you need to grow your federal network before you advance your sales : ✅ TODAY'S TOPICS 👉 Why you need to have a large network 👉 Who should be in your network and how to find them 👉 Steps you can take to 10X your government contracting network ✅ Watch the live video training on YouTube 10X Your Network of Federal Agency Buyers and Government Contracting Teammates ✅ READ this blog for more...

Oct 17, 202325 min

How Government Contractors Can Get in Any Federal Agency in just 3 Steps

If you are a Small Business government contractor trying to get in the door of your target federal agency, watch this training to learn exactly how : 👉 To "break into"- ie research to learn the best doors to approach 👉 To identify the best people to help you get in agency doors 👉 To knock on the right federal doors and get in the room ✅ 3 Easy Steps Step 1 – Research the Agency Step 2 – Target the Right People Step 3 – Outreach to Agencies Following a Proven Process ✅ Watch the live video tra...

Oct 16, 202325 min

Make your #smallbusiness 'visible' to Federal Buyers | FY2024 #governmentcontracting

There are over 200,000 acquisition professionals and federal buyers in the Federal Market but most small businesses only reach 1% How can you reach the other 99% in FY2024? If federal buyers can't find you or see you, how can they buy from you? How can you make your #smallbusiness 'visible' to Federal Buyers for FY2024? https://www.govconchamber.com/focusvisibility ✅ Today #GovCon Chamber President Neil McDonnell explains– The power of your 6 Second Capability Statement | https://youtu.be/iikVP9...

Sep 30, 202327 min
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