Make It Happen Mondays - B2B Sales Talk with John Barrows

Alabama football Coach Nick Saban doesn’t set lofty goals, but his teams win national championships. Guest John Talty, who covers the Crimson Tide as sports editor at Alabama Media Group, says Saban is “much more focused on what we need to do on a daily basis to put ourselves in a position to have success.” Creating a system where players and coaches share understanding of their roles and how they...

As founder of The Sales Evangelist, consultant Donald C. Kelly “sells sales to salespeople.” When he sat down with John they declared the conversation “just two sales guys talking.” But it was more a crash course in selling with observations like: Showing genuine curiosity engages clients; get “yesses” along the way; an empowered consumer “will buy all day;” avoid “fake personalization” in outreac...

If you’re a sales professional whose job revolves around procurement, you’ll want to listen to my discussion with Mark Raffan, CEO of Negotiation Ninja. Mark provides a master class in negotiations because he knows all the tricks in this field as he used to work on the procurement side. “I come from the dark side, the other side of the procurement world,” he said. “I started in sales and moved int...

After battling a brain tumor as a teenager and depression as a young entrepreneur, wellness advocate Chris Mirabile “grew to appreciate that I was here, living still.” Today the founder and CEO of longevity company Novos Labs says he has slowed his aging process by 31% through a holistic approach to mental and physical health that includes meditation, aerobic and strength training, and a good diet...

Lisa Catto caught John’s attention with her self proclaimed title on Linkedin as the Queen of Automation. John has been saying for years that automation is turning sales reps into robots so he had to have her on to discuss where automation can help and hurt throughout the sales process. Lisa says digital selling tools can be effective as long as they are “being valuable, not being creepy.” From fi...

Shelton Banks is someone who embodies the “Make it Happen” mentality. He was a high school dropout who lived in a tough neighborhood growing up but didn’t want that to define him. He found a job on Craigslist that didn’t need a high school diploma and worked her way up to then get himself into finance and now runs two non-profit organizations focused on improving diversity in the workforce and “em...

People looking for answers need to ask questions first, advises consultant and writer Christie Hunter Arscott, author of the upcoming “Begin Boldly.” You see children “asking so many questions about the world,” she says, adding that we should encourage curiosity and “teach people to approach life with a spirit of inquiry.” She says that trait is part of being successful, describing the high achiev...

Sales trainer, and self proclaimed “King of Sales,” Jeffrey Gitomer has been in the sales game longer than most and he has the stats and social following to prove it. With over 15 books, many of them on the NYT Best Seller list, 70k followers on LinkedIn and thousands of followers on other social channels he has influenced millions of sales professionals throughout his career. In this episode...

Brandon Bornancin, CEO and founder of  Seamless.ai , has known John for more than a decade, back to when they started their respective companies. In that time Seamless, which helps clients broaden and deepen their business connections, has become one of the country’s fastest growing tech companies. On the podcast they discuss how passion can sometimes put people off, the difference between eg...

After landing his dream job, Sean Castrina was set. Then new management spoke the dreaded words that the company was “going in a different direction.” His response: “I'm never ever going to depend on anybody again,” and an entrepreneur was born. He has since launched 15 companies, coached other business owners, and started a podcast. Among the traits of a successful entrepreneur, Sean says, “Numbe...

When Chris Schembra visited Italy and feasted on its food and love of life he realized he “was lonely, unfulfilled, … (and) overwhelmed.” After despair led him to self-harm, he discovered that embracing gratitude in the face of adversity is good for the soul and the bottom line. Today he is a successful consultant and author, having just released “Gratitude Through Hard Times,” a follow-up to 2020...

Successful selling requires being able to “push past the concept of just the transactional mindset of sales,” says Dale Dupree, founder of the Sales Rebellion sales training company. He gained that perspective during his time selling copiers, which went from expensive tools to commodities. Rather than trying to win “a race to the bottom” on pricing, Dale says successful salespeople earn business b...

In building his sales career, Jamie Shanks found he could make more genuine connections on LinkedIn than trying to “shake hands and kiss babies” at in-person networking events. Eventually, people were more impressed by his “social selling” skills than his products, and a career in training was born. The CEO of Pipeline Signals sales intelligence company shares how savvy account executives can “rev...

Laura Palmer got into sales because she “always wanted to be paid what I was worth.” She sharpened her skills at Google and today Laura is a Web 3.0/Metaverse pioneer as global vice president of sales for Unity Technologies, a major video game industry supplier. As she scaled her career, she says it became even more important to listen to her team. That helped her identify why account executives i...

Growing up poor in an affluent community could have left Scott MacGregor bitter, but he chose to be grateful for family and being born in the United States. The founder and CEO of the recruiting firm SomethingNew says appreciating what you have is a catalyst for “building relationships with amazing people” who share that outlook and can become business connections. Scott says be ready to “pump the...

Pioneering designer Richard Banfield calls the product “a non-human salesperson” that can promote brand affinity and help generate revenue. He says meaningful communication between design and sales teams is “when you can get that truly innovative insight” to create products that don’t just dazzle consumers, they solve problems. Banfield credits his insights to the “fortune and misfortune of doing...

Mindset coach Amber Deibert: helps Silicon Valley business leaders get past impostor syndrome, which she once battled herself. She says too many top performers miss out on life’s joys because their accomplishments only reinforce a sense of unworthiness. She turns that thinking on its head, saying, “You cannot feel impostor syndrome unless you’re a  success.” Her advice to those afraid of achi...

Business and brand development consultant Kasey Jones, CEO of A Better Jones, found inner peace and a fresh approach to business while recovering from a near-fatal dog attack. The growth strategy coach explains that healing her soul along with her body was part of “a period of personal discovery in a very, very powerful and rewarding way.” Hear how she learned to embrace emotional pain and today a...

Roderick Jefferson, Global Vice President of Enablement at PRO Unlimited, Bestselling Author and Keynote Speaker talks about his experience surviving a near fatal stroke and his renewed outlook on life, faith, family and friends. We also discuss focusing on what you can control and the importance of asking for help.

Dave Gerhardt, Founder of ExitFive.com and author of Founder Brand, talks about sales and marketing alignment and how we should all be using our personal brands to promote ourselves instead of outsourcing. We also explore the idea of sales reps becoming marketers and the struggle companies now have with employees who have strong personal brands.

Melanie Fellay, CEO at Spekit and Forbes magazine 30, under 30 women CEOs, talks about the need to adapt herself through the different stages of her leadership role along with managing the pressures of being a young woman leader. We also focus the conversation on her personal values and the impact they have on company values and the importance of using her voice to support the different causes tha...

Todd Caponi, sales author and historian, discusses the history of sales, the evolution of the profession of sales throughout recent history, and the importance of transparency in the future of sales.

Amy Volas, founder and CEO of Avenue Talent Partners, discusses decision-making and energy management versus time management. We also learn about her passion for journaling and how she uses journaling as part of her decision making process along with being meaningful and purposeful in ones career.

Kyle Porter, CEO of Salesloft, joins us today to talk about what it’s like to go from startup all the way to acquisition. Kyle dives deep into his experience, how he grew as a leader and what he did to stay consistent on his journey. We also chat about the future of sales tools and the necessary skills we must acquire in order to advance as sales professionals.

Larry Long Jr. Chief Energy Office at LLJR Enterprise discussing the importance of understanding your why and your core values. We also talk about the importance of staying positive through tough times and how to stay motivated.