Make It Happen Mondays - B2B Sales Talk with John Barrows

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 “empowering untapped talent.” In this episode we talk about his journey and what he learned along the way. We also talked about the work he is doing now with organizations and why diversity isn’t just a good thing to do from a social standpoint, it actually helps companies become more successful and profitable!Connect with Shelton on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheltonbanks/Find out more about Re:Work Training:https://reworktraining.org/home

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 achievers she deals with in her coaching business as “the craziest curious people I've ever met.”Christie has been called “one of our generation’s foremost thinkers” on women and the workplace. Hear her help John better understand how his daughter looks at the world, where fear of failure can weigh more heavily on women than men. Her advice: Share stories about women who overcome adversity on their paths to success.Connect with Christie on LinkedInOrder her book “Begin Boldly: How Women Can Reimagine Risk, Embrace Uncertainty & Launch a Brilliant Career”

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 John and Jeff talk about the power of personal brand, how the phone (cold calling) isn’t exactly a great way to sell but it is a great place to learn, characteristics of the best sales professionals and much more. John and Jeff also spar over the value of having front line sales professionals trying to catch the eye of prospective client’s CEO. Connect with Jeffrey on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreygitomer/

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 ego and confidence, why sales sometimes gets a bad rap, the state of entrepreneurship, dealing with toxic people, and what leadership means today.Hear how abiding by one of John’s guidelines to success — that you can learn something from anybody in any situation — helped Brandon connect with a Hollywood dealmaker.  Connect with Brandon on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbornancin/ 

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, “Number one is you see problems, and you naturally want to solve them.” He cautions that leaving work early is a thing of the past for entrepreneurs, but relying on yourself brings peace of mind.Hear John and Sean discuss how to navigate the “Bermuda Triangle” of startups, where companies can disappear because of lazy management.Interested in connecting with Sean?https://www.linkedin.com/in/seancastrina/When you’re done listening to “Make it Happen Monday,” check out Sean’s podcast, “The 10-minute Entrepreneur.”https://seancastrina.com/podcasts/10-minute-entrepreneur/

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’s “Gratitude and Pasta.” He says too many of us suffer from “the plague of the ungrateful man, when you think that you've done everything yourself.” His remedy: Appreciate the contributions of others. Hear Chris open John’s mind about how his recently deceased father helped — and continues to help — shape him as a parent, husband, and person.Want to get in touch with Chris?https://www.linkedin.com/in/schembra/www.747club.org

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 by helping companies be more efficient and profitable. He also credits introspection and finding “something much deeper” for his recovery from depression and a suicide attempt — and he uses those skills today to better engage clients.Hear Dale and John discuss their shared histories in copier sales and how that shapes their approach to selling today.Interested in connecting with Dale?https://www.linkedin.com/in/copierwarrior/

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 “reverse engineer somebody's LinkedIn social network to look for referrals.” He adds that LinkedIn can provide a trove of data as well as connections to its 60 million active U.S. users.Hear Jamie tell John that because they forged an “authentic relationship” as competitors more than a decade ago, “good things will come out of each of our lives and businesses because of that.”Interested in learning more about Jamie and Pipeline Signals?www.pipelinesignals.com

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 in Asia were so conservative in booking sales: They feared a loss of face if the deal got derailed, which is much less a concern in the West.Hear Laura and John share in the excitement that business travel is returning, even if her “packing muscle” is out of shape. (Laura’s tip to beat jet lag: Force yourself to exercise in the morning.)Interested in connecting with Laura?https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-r-palmer/ 

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 brakes, and do things right the first time and not try to score easy quick wins,” whether that’s choosing fitness over a fad diet or building long-term business relationships over a fast buck.Hear how contributing to Scott’s book on gratitude helped John better realize the many opportunities life places in our path.Interested in connecting with Scott?https://www.linkedin.com/in/macgregorscott/

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 many different things,” including being trained as a microbiologist, serving in the South African army, and living off-grid on a remote island — all part of his path to becoming an innovative product leader.Hear how Richard is helping John grow his company by making sure vision and values, mission and strategies remain aligned.interested in connecting with Richard?https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardbanfield/IG: richardmbanfieldhttp://www.richardbanfield.com/https://richardbanfieldart.com/

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 achievement: Accept anxiety as a natural response to the mind being challenged, just as muscle ache follows a workout.  “Don’t make it mean anything about you,” she says.Hear Amber help John deal with his own impostor syndrome, which she says stems from a long-standing fear that he’s not smart, despite a successful business career.Learn more about Amberhttps://amberdeibert.comLinkedIn.com/in/amberdeibertAnd check out her podcast "The Achiever’s Podcast" available wherever you get your podcasts and at amberdeibert.com/podcast 

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 applies those lessons in business. She says many entrepreneurs waste too much energy worrying about what the competition is up to instead of serving the customer. “There’s room for all of us”.

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 that are close to her beliefs.

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.

Ralph Barsi, VP of Global Inside Sales at Tray.io breaks down accountability and how to hold yourself and others accountable along with removing obstacles as a leader and what your role is in that. Finally we look forward to five years into the future to see how we will feel about ourselves and our actions today.

Doug Landis, Growth Partner at Emergence Capital, discusses the importance of core values, and how recent events have forced companies and individuals to rethink those values. The great recession and how to attract and retain talent. Discussions and opinions on NFTs and the metaverse and the impact they're having on business.

Chris Merrill, Meghan Forgione, and John Barrows come together in the last episode of 2021 to reflect back on the year and talk about why 2022 will be even better for JB Sales. With the addition of new trainers, big company moves, the community growing legs of its own, and continuing to provide impactful events and experiences for revenue-facing professionals, this team is ready to amplify this next chapter.

In the spirit of giving thanks this past week, we are recognizing our membership community, who truly show up and show out for every webinar, livecast, AMA, and event we have. Thank you for bringing your greatness and energy!This episode, James Buckley talks with member Sterling Frandsen, inside sales representative at Tiled, about his career start in sales, early realizations, and how the JB Sales Membership has shaped his goals, performance, and mindset.

Nick Cegelski, AE at Time by Ping, frequently participates with the JB Sales teams on their webinars and is always a welcome guest, so we are thrilled to bring him back onto Make It Happen Mondays. This is a very tactical episode talking about what you can do before, during, and after the sale. Listen in for advice on how to manage deals, how to ensure you are moving in the right direction, and getting out of deals that you shouldn't be in.

This week Alice Shaff joins John to talk about how his trainings have helped her over the years launch a career from starting as an SDR, to Head of Business Development at Anjuna. She talks about mindset, how important it is to have mentors in business, and how you have to launch your sales career first because no one else will care as much. Alice's energy and motivation to stay successful is contagious.

Suneera Madhani, mentor, investor and Fortune's 40 Under 40 CEO at Stax by fattmerchant, joins John this week to talk about mom guilt, building a legacy of empowering women, and evaluating $10 tasks versus $10,000 tasks. This episode is filled with serious life advice from two different generations, actionable time management tips, and how to approach life knowing work-life balance does not exist for anyone. Suneera truly believes "You deserve to have it all" but to remember that "Hard work IS the shortcut."

Thank you for 1 million downloads of Make It Happen Mondays Podcast! We are incredibly grateful for your listenership and couldn’t be more proud of this milestone. Let’s countdown the top 5 episodes of all time!Episode #1: This week we’re replaying one of our most impactful episodes that we’ve ever produced on Make It Happen Mondays. Our guest is Chris Voss, author of Never Split the Difference, former FBI hostage negotiator, CEO and Founder of The Black Swan Group, and one of the most talented negotiators of our time. Chris and John talk about due diligence, loss aversion, discounts, emotional intelligence, language, and how all these things impact our negotiation results when we work deals in our pipeline.

Thank you for 1 million downloads of Make It Happen Mondays Podcast! We are incredibly grateful for your listenership and couldn’t be more proud of this milestone. Let’s countdown the top 5 episodes of all time! Episode #2: This week we’re pleased to have an award winning sales rep on the podcast. You may remember back at Dreamforce, Chili Piper threw a competition judged by John Barrows and other sales leaders. The criteria to win was to tell the panel about a deal you closed against the odds, using teamwork and generating a great solution for the buyer a the same time. Enter Danny Read from G2 who was one of the winners. In this podcast, he talks us through the story of his deal and the hurdles he overcame. This is a killer episode for AE’s out there looking to master the art of closing a deal!

Thank you for 1 million downloads of Make It Happen Mondays Podcast! We are incredibly grateful for your listenership and couldn’t be more proud of this milestone. Let’s countdown the top 5 episodes of all time! Episode #3: This replay of Episode 109 welcomes Sean Sheppard, who’s friendship spans years with John. Sean is a 5-time Founder and has 3 successful exits on his resume already, he’s now running GrowthX. He’s always been a salesperson, but Sean goes deep in this podcast about the routes of new sales professionals. His introduction to the industry involved building repeatable processes, testing and optimizing everything as far as you could. He cares a lot about helping the new generation of sales professionals to get that level of training and grounding.

Thank you for 1 million downloads of Make It Happen Mondays Podcast! We are incredibly grateful for your listenership and couldn’t be more proud of this milestone. Let’s countdown the top 5 episodes of all time!Episode #4: This replay of Episode 129 welcomes Tom Williams, Head of DealPoint (part of Clari), onto the podcast. Tom joins us and brings a ton of ideas on how top sales reps can be their best-self and make those small tweaks that really make the difference. We’re talking small tweaks to how you find the right prospects, how you run your calls and how you follow up. Nothing that any sales rep can’t do. Like us, Tom wants top sales reps to keep honing their craft to become even better every day. In this episode, you will learn about establishing transparency & trust, finding your best customers, and the “Mutual Action Plan” follow up.

Thank you for 1 million downloads of Make It Happen Mondays Podcast! We are incredibly grateful for your listenership and couldn’t be more proud of this milestone. Let’s countdown the top 5 episodes of all time!This replay of Episode 136 explains Armand Farrokh’s winning formula that allows him to crush quota repeatedly. Hitting 100% of quota is one thing but getting above 200% is a whole new ball game. Since the original episode has aired, Armand has become the Head of Sales at Pave. He details his process on staying focused, tunnel vision & time blocking, how he created massive efficiencies to increase conversion rations, creating confidence on the phone, and dealing with objections. He uses practical processes and tries to simplify the ball game of sales to make it easier.

Heather Monahan, Top 40 Keynote Speaker in 2020 and Best-Selling Author, comes together with John this week to discuss building confidence when you’re not the expert throughout all stages of your sales career. This conversation is filled with advice for sales reps and beyond on how and why you should listen to your gut & the voice in your head, searching for purpose, and shifting values as you move through life stages and workplaces. Heather’s book, "Overcome Your Villains", is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Heather and John don’t miss a beat in this episode that gets deep.

Jules Kun, social media marketing strategist for many of the trainers at JB Sales, talks about her start in social media (tweeting to chefs for free appetizers!), her favorite lessons from working with Daymond John’s team while he was on Shark Tank, and in this episode hosts a mini consulting session with John on redefining his own brand in sales. Some of Jules’ most important advice is: always be what you are best at, leverage your community on relevant platforms, and consistency rules over everything.

James Buckley takes over Make It Happen Mondays podcast this week as he brings on guest Ashleigh Early, founder of The Other Sales Coach and podcast host of “The Other Side of Sales”, to share their opposing views on sales reps leaving voicemails. Ashleigh believes salespeople should not leave voicemails in general, with some caveats, "because the 20-30 seconds spent leaving one does not garner an ROI". James likes to leave notes that are short & sweet with a little bit of context. This episode on voicemails even discusses cultural differences in salespeople, standing up for yourself, and walking away when it’s not right.

JB Sales' newest trainer, Shelly Gupta Correa, joins John this week to talk about her journey on growing up as a first generation Indian-American not conforming to cultural norms, tough career decisions and changes, and evaluating her values and priorities in life. Shelly's greatest lessons have come from taking different risks in life as well as becoming a parent, and she's ready to encourage and motivate others who have been thinking of starting a new path. JB Sales couldn't be more excited to welcome Shelly to the team. 

Tim O'Neil, CRO at Alation, joins John this week to continue to conversation from the last few weeks about the new career path of the SDR. They discuss a new model of how to grow organizations internally to break the predictable growth model that could be the novel way companies go to market. This episode is: for leadership to take back to your org and think about if this is a good idea to implement, and if you’re a rep, you should pay attention to the companies that are currently going this route.

Following up on last week’s episode (211) on product-led growth, Kris Rudeegaap joins John this week to talk about product-led growth changing the industry and the structure of sales organizations. Kris is the CEO and Co-Founder of Sendoso, a sending platform that helps sales & marketing teams send out direct mail, swag, handwritten notes, and more. Prior to founding Sendoso, Kris spent 10 years in sales himself, which lends to his being more open to new sales tactics and trends. Don’t miss this episode if you want to learn how you can grow your career as the traditional path of the SDR is shifting quickly.

Doug Landis, Growth Partner at Emcap, joins John this week to discuss the shifting roles of sales due to product-led growth and how companies can adjust in order to evolve. This episode is especially important for the mid-tier 50% of reps that want to further their sales career. Doug and John discuss how over half of the reason people buy anything is due to the experience, and Doug talks about how he qualifies that experience. They dive into balancing leadership, where to continue to build your career, and intentionality about assessing your values at work.

Todd Caponi joins John once again on Make It Happen Mondays almost 2 years after his first appearance (Episode 112) to talk about radical transparency and leading with one’s flaws in sales. “Perfection isn’t a thing”, and Todd goes on to explain why talking about what you can’t do or don’t have can actually create a stronger foundation for a relationship in sales. This episode includes tactical ideas you can utilize to build trust and reduce sales cycles. Grab your copy of Todd Caponi’s “The Transparency Sale”, one of John’s favorite books, and pre-order his upcoming book, “The Transparent Sales Leader”, available Spring 2022.

Our guests this week are Alexine Mudawar, Major Account Executive at Displayr, and Gabrielle Blackwell, SDR at Gong. This week we have two smart powerful women chat with John on how to become an advocate for women in business, starting by the leadership selected to set examples, creating a safe and welcoming environment, and ensuring conversations about diversity and inclusion are continued. Other topics mentioned are how to approach defensive males in the workplace, and leading by example, even as a peer. You don't want to miss out on learning from this important conversation conversation about empowering women in sales.

Our guest this week is Debra Roberts, a conversation expert and creator of the Relationship Protocol, helps savvy business people navigate important conversations. This week with John she talks about how to approach conflict, triggers and why people react certain ways, as well tactical things to open up communication & build trust in a short period of time. Debra gives actionable advice on how to best communicate between management levels and clients in the workplace.

Our guest this week is Brian Trautschold, Cofounder at Ambition which is enterprise gamification for sales teams, joins John this week to talk about keeping remote employees motivated and accountable, and how companies and brands that incorporate gamification are changing the world. Gamification can foster teamwork and create an outlet for friendly rivalries. To create a healthy environment, promote competition alongside metric-driven coaching and encouragement amongst sales reps. Brian reveals his tips and strategies for pushing yourself throughout the day.

Our guest this week is Hang Black, VP of Revenue Enablement at Juniper Networks and author of Embrace Your Edge, joins John this week to talk about adaptability within the customer lifecycle and personalization: telling people how you like to be connected with. Hang details how diversity, innovation, and creativity come into play in this new age of Gen Z sellers and buyers, especially as we re-enter into this “hyper hybrid world”.

Our guest this week is Brian Burkhart, Founder and Chief Word Guy at SquarePlanet which focuses on presentations, strategy, and messaging. He joins John this week to talk about core values, growth mindset, and elevating others. Brian explains how one sets the tone as the leader yet emphasizes staying flexible throughout your entire career. You don't want to miss this conversation as it solidifies the connection between elevating others to be the most well-rounded version of themselves in life and in sales.

Our guest this week is Scott Gillum, CEO and founder of Carbon Design, who talks about what makes a good salesperson and what makes a good buyer, how personality-based marketing can be utilized, how to conduct solid research on brands and people, and also share their differing thoughts on the role of the SDR. Scott and John also discuss different selling methods and models in this enlightening conversation.

Our guest this week is Robbie Crabtree, a former trial lawyer turned founder of Performative Speaking. After years of convincing jurors and working on both sides of the attorney fence, Robbie elevated his talents and now helps visionary leaders become excellent speakers. Bridging the connection between persuasive speaking and sales, Robbie also provides in this episode tips and advice on how to craft conversations and presentations.

Our guest this week is Beth Waterfall, Executive Director @ Elevate Northeast & Founder of Beth Waterfall Creative. Beth is a thought leader on the legalization and advocacy of marijuana and provides education in this episode around the history of cannabis and how it affects our economy, psyche, wellbeing and lifestyle. John and Beth also discuss where the industry is headed and the opportunities the "Green Rush" presents.

Our guests this week are Simon Mulcahy, Chief Innovation Officer @ Salesforce, and Karen Semone, Senior Director of Innovation at Salesforce. This conversation between John and these two dynamic, free-thinking leaders is filled with invention, thought leadership, innovation, and content. Both Karen and Simon emphasize genuine curiosity, curating the entire experience from start to finish, and share what they believe to be the three most important evolving trends.

Our guest this week is Mark Roberge, Managing Director at Stage 2 Capital and Professor at Harvard Business School. John and Mark discuss the future of sales, best practices, and how one size and strategy does not fit all companies. They emphasize how agility, disruption and innovation have moved to the forefront of careers and business. Mark delivers wise advice to up and coming sales professionals.