Make It Happen Mondays - B2B Sales Talk with John Barrows

Episodes

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  Why AI Role-Play Is the Missing Piece in Sales Training with Neha Gupta 17.08.2026 54m

  AI role-play is not another tool to dump on your sales team.In this episode, John sits down with Neha Gupta, Founder and CEO of Breakthrough AI, to talk about why traditional role-play fails, why managers are often asked to coach without the tools or time to do it, and how AI can help reps practice hard conversations before the pressure hits. Neha breaks down what makes AI role-play feel realistic, why audio can be more effective than distracting avatars, and why adoption depends on structure, leadership energy, and deliberate practice.If you are in sales, leadership, enablement, RevOps, or any role responsible for improving rep performance, this conversation gives you a practical way to think about AI coaching, realistic role-play, feedback loops, remote sales teams, and the communication skills that still separate good reps from average ones.Want to help your team practice before the pressure hits? Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen.What You’ll LearnWhy traditional role-play feels awkward, subjective, and hard to scaleHow AI role-play can help reps build realistic muscle memory before live conversationsWhy sales managers are often expected to coach without enough tools, time, or trainingHow leadership energy and structure can make AI training adoption actually workWhy remote teams lost some of the bullpen learning that used to happen naturallyWhy communication skills need deliberate practice before the pressure moment hitsNeha Gupta is the Founder and CEO of Breakthrough AI, a practice-first AI coaching platform helping teams master the high-stakes conversations that shape performance, client relationships, and career growth. With more than twenty years of experience across client management, strategic marketing and sales, growth strategy, brand marketing, product marketing, and business development, Neha is focused on helping teams spot communication blind spots, strengthen feedback processes, and build stronger practice loops.Visit https://joinbreakthrough.ai/ to see Breakthrough AI in action, including a demo comparing weak versus strong responses to price objections.Connect with Neha Gupta:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nehagupta/John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment.Connect with John Barrows:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrows Check out John's Membership: https://learn.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-packages?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter
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  Why Charisma Is a Sales Skill You Can Actually Learn with Olivia Fox Cabane 10.08.2026 58m

  Charisma is not just something you either have or do not have. It is a skill buyers can feel before the pitch even starts.In this episode, John sits down with Olivia Fox Cabane, bestselling author of The Charisma Myth, to talk about the science of charisma, presence, body language, curiosity, manipulation, and why real connection still matters in sales.If you are in sales, leadership, or any role where trust matters, this conversation gives you a practical way to think about how you show up in front of buyers. You will learn why preparation makes curiosity stronger, why presence can change the quality of a conversation, and why trying to impress people often gets in the way of real connection.Want to build stronger sales conversations before the market gets even more transactional? Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen.What You’ll LearnWhy charisma is a behavior that can be learnedHow presence, power, and warmth shape trustWhy preparation can make salespeople more curiousWhy trying to impress people often backfiresHow body language starts with mindsetWhy sales should help people solve problems, not convince them into decisionsOlivia Fox Cabane is a leading authority on the science of charisma and the bestselling author of The Charisma Myth and The Net and the Butterfly, which have been translated into more than thirty languages. She previously served as Director of Innovative Leadership for Stanford's StartX accelerator and has taught on charisma, leadership, and innovation at Harvard and MIT. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, and The Wall Street Journal, and she is a cofounder of the KindEarth.Tech Foundation.Visit charismamyth.com for free sample chapters, videos, and downloadable exercises.Connect with Olivia Fox Cabane:Website: https://charismamyth.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oliviafoxcabane/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ofc/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@oliviafoxcabaneofficialJohn Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment.Connect with John Barrows:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrows Check out John's Membership: https://learn.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-packages?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter
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  Why Sales Reps Need Business Acumen Now with Kevin Cope 03.08.2026 59m

  Sales reps who cannot speak the language of business are going to get exposed fast.In this episode, John sits down with Kevin Cope, founder of Acumen Learning and co-author of Business Acumen for Sales Success and See the Big Picture, to talk about why business acumen is now one of the most important skills in sales. Kevin shares lessons from his time at the Covey Leadership Center, the start of Acumen Learning, and 25 years helping companies close the gap between functional expertise and real business understanding.If you are in sales, leadership, RevOps, enablement, or any role where you need to speak with executives, this conversation gives you a practical way to think about cash, profit, assets, growth, people, discounting, cashflow, AI, and how to connect your solution to the business results buyers actually care about.Want to build stronger business acumen and sell with more executive relevance? Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen.What You'll LearnWhy business acumen is one of the first skills sales reps need to buildWhy round-number discounts can signal weak negotiation and weak business understandingHow a small discount can create a much larger hit to profitabilityWhy cash, profit, assets, growth, and people give reps a clearer business lensHow salespeople affect cashflow before and after a deal closesWhy AI research only matters if reps can translate it into business relevanceHow curiosity helps reps use AI as a learning tool instead of a shortcutKevin Cope is the founder of Acumen Learning and co-author of Business Acumen for Sales Success and the bestselling See the Big Picture. He built his career at the Covey Leadership Center, joining just before the release of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and later served as president of international for the combined organization following its 1997 merger with Franklin Quest to form Franklin Covey. Through Acumen Learning, Kevin helps organizations close the business acumen gap and connect everyday decisions to cash, profit, assets, growth, and people.Connect with Kevin Cope on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinrcope/) and grab his book, Seeing the Big Picture: Business Acumen to Build Your Credibility, Career, and Company, at https://www.amazon.com/Seeing-Big-Picture-Business-Credibility-ebook/dp/B07DPWFK7T?ref_=ast_author_mpb, to build the business acumen that earns you a seat at the table. Learn more about Acumen:Website: https://www.acumenlearning.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acumenlearning/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/AcumenLearningFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AcumenLearning/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/acumen-learning/?viewAsMember=trueJohn Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment.Connect with John Barrows:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrows Check out John's Membership: https://learn.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-packages?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter
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  Why Human Connection Still Wins in an AI-Driven GTM World with Katrin Gurvich 27.07.2026 52m

  AI can speed up the work, but it still cannot replace the human connection that moves trust forward.In this episode, John sits down with Katrin Gurvich, a GTM Strategy & Operations leader at Navan, to talk about networking, referrals, AI, hiring, and what modern sales teams need to protect as the go-to-market world gets more automated. Katrin shares how she built connection as a skill, why referrals have lost meaning when they become a checkmark, and why AI-assisted work still requires real ownership from the person using it.If you are in sales, RevOps, enablement, leadership, or any GTM role where AI is changing the way work gets done, this conversation gives you a practical way to think about human touch, buyer trust, personal brand, and how reps should use the time AI gives back.Want to build a team AI can support but never replace? Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen.What You'll LearnWhy networking is a skill you can build through repetitionWhy referrals only matter when real trust sits behind themHow AI use reveals ownership, curiosity, and judgmentWhy human connection still matters in modern GTM executionHow onsites, events, and personal touches can change sales conversationsWhy reps need to use AI-given time to get sharper, not just fasterKatrin Gurvich is a GTM Strategy & Operations leader at Navan, where she partners across sales and revenue teams to translate high-level strategy into day-to-day execution. Her work spans diagnosing business health, improving pipeline visibility, and helping revenue leaders separate real signal from vanity metrics like quota attainment.Before Navan, Katrin held roles in sales planning and analytics at Dropbox, management consulting at HealthScape Advisors, and corporate and institutional banking at PNC, giving her a cross-functional view of how strategy, data, and operations intersect. She holds degrees from the University of Michigan and Case Western Reserve University, where she studied economics, psychology, and world literature.Visit and learn more about Navan:Website: https://navan.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/navan/?viewAsMember=trueFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/GetNavanInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/getnavan/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@navan?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pcYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@GetNavanConnect with Katrin Gurvich:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrin-gurvich-559142130/John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment.Connect with John Barrows:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrowsCheck out John's Membership: https://learn.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-packages?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcastJoin John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter
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  How Agentic CRM Is Changing the Way Sales Teams Sell with Ryan Braastad 20.07.2026 59m

  CRM is finally moving closer to where sellers actually work.In this episode, John sits down with Ryan Braastad from Microsoft to talk about agentic CRM, AI adoption, productivity tools, and why the old system-of-record model has created so much friction for sales teams. Ryan shares lessons from Forrester, Yammer, Salesforce, his own startup, and Microsoft as he explains how the next wave of CRM can move closer to the flow of work.If you are in sales leadership, RevOps, enablement, or go-to-market strategy, this conversation gives you a practical look at what AI should actually do for reps: reduce admin, improve data quality, support better habits, help leaders coach more effectively, and give sellers more time to focus on customers and revenue.Want to prepare your sales team for the next version of CRM before the market moves again? Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen.What You’ll LearnWhy CRM is shifting from a system of record to a system of actionHow AI can support sellers inside the tools they already use every dayWhy CRM adoption has often failed to give reps a clear benefitHow sales leaders can think about revenue per seller as AI becomes part of the workflowWhy AI adoption should start with one specific use case, not a company-wide free-for-allWhat agentic CRM actually means and why it is different from bolting AI onto old softwareRyan Braastad is a customer-obsessed tech marketing leader at Microsoft, where he works on product strategy across Dynamics 365 and Microsoft 365, helping shape the future of agentic CRM and AI-powered productivity tools. His background spans Forrester, Yammer, Salesforce, and a self-founded fitness startup, with experience across product marketing, go-to-market strategy, productivity, collaboration, enterprise social, and business applications.Connect with Ryan Braastad:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rbraastad/John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment.Connect with John Barrows:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrows Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/ Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter
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  Why More Revenue Can Still Break Your Business with Cruz Gamboa 13.07.2026 57m

  More revenue does not always mean a healthier business.In this episode, John sits down with Cruz Gamboa, founder of Ascend Growth Venture and Scaling CFO, to talk about profitability, cash flow, working capital, financial literacy, and why founders can grow revenue and still create a weaker business if the model underneath is not healthy.If you are a founder, sales leader, or rep trying to sell into executives, this episode gives you a practical look at how finance affects sales, why discounting and payment terms matter, and why business acumen is becoming one of the most important skills in a tougher market.Want to build a healthier business before growth breaks the model? Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen.What You’ll LearnWhy more revenue can still create cash flow problems when the business model is not ready to scaleHow working capital creates a cash void that sales teams often overlookWhy sales reps need stronger financial literacy and business acumenHow discounting, payment terms, and deal structure can affect profit and cashWhy value creation should be understood before a rep starts negotiating priceHow Cruz thinks about efficiency, timing, and capital when diagnosing a businessWhy AI should be deployed against real constraints instead of used as a shiny efficiency playCruz Gamboa is the founder of Ascend Growth Venture and Scaling CFO. After more than two decades in corporate finance, including roles across GE Capital, GE Vernova, NBCUniversal, and Unilever, Cruz now helps founders and executives understand the financial blind spots that can quietly limit growth. His work blends CFO advisory, business strategy, and financial intelligence for leaders who want to scale with stronger profit, cash, and enterprise value discipline.Connect with Cruz Gamboa:Website: https://ascendgrowthventures.com/Scaling CFO: https://scalingcfo.io/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cruzgamboa.ascend/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cruzgamboa/John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment.Connect with John Barrows:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrows Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/ Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter
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  AI Agents, False Productivity, and the Sales Team Reset with Gabe Larsen 06.07.2026 50m

  AI is everywhere in sales right now, but very little of it is actually moving the number.In this episode, John sits down with Gabe Larsen, CRO of Atonom, to dig into what is real, what is hype, and where AI is actually creating measurable ROI. Gabe walks through the SaaS golden age, the false positives it created, the rise of digital employees, and why most teams are still confusing efficiency with results.If you are trying to figure out where AI agents belong in your sales process, this conversation gives you a practical way to think about it: stop chasing every research bot, map the process first, and only automate the work that actually creates revenue or reduces cost.Want to reset your sales team before the market moves on without you? Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen.What You’ll LearnWhy saving time with AI is not the same as creating measurable business impactWhere Gabe is seeing AI produce real ROI across coding, customer service, SDR work, and recruitingWhy perfect prep docs and research bots still fail when reps lack the fundamentalsHow digital employees could change the way sales and customer-facing teams operateWhy GTM leaders need to map the process before buying another AI toolGabe Larsen is the CRO of Atonom, an AI company building always-on AI agents, with a career spanning leadership roles at Kustomer, Meta, and InsideSales.com, where he previously served as VP of Growth and hosted the company's Sales Secrets podcast. He's known for an unconventional, science-driven approach to sales — one that's helped him close major deals and train thousands of reps to replicate his results. Check out Atonom at atonom.ai to see how AI agents can run your work end-to-end. Follow Atonom on social media to stay up to date:Li: https://www.linkedin.com/company/atonomai/X: https://x.com/atonom_aiYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@atonomai Connect with Gabe Larsen:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabelarsen/Li: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabelarsen/John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment.Connect with John Barrows:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrows Check out John's Membership: https://learn.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-packages?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter
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  How to Stay Calm, Focused, and Resilient When the World Speeds Up with Ishan Shivanand 29.06.2026 1h 8m

  The world is getting faster, but your nervous system still has to make the decision.In this episode, John sits down with Ishan Shivanand, a yogic scholar, Vedic educator, and mental health researcher born into a 21-generation lineage of yogis, to talk about stress, focus, resilience, meditation, and what it really takes to stay regulated under pressure. From growing up inside a monastery to building research-backed protocols for modern life, Ishan brings a very different lens to performance than the usual sales playbook.If you are in sales, leadership, or any high-pressure role where the pace of change is starting to wear on your focus, this conversation gives you a practical way to think about breathwork, awareness, curiosity, and the human component that still matters in an AI-driven world.Want to build more resilience before the market moves even faster? Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen.What You’ll LearnWhy real joy is different from temporary achievement-driven happinessHow unresolved experiences can shape fear, behavior, and decision-makingWhy the human component is still the failure point in any systemWhy breathwork can help train the nervous system before pressure hitsHow stress can become a reverse meditation if you repeat it long enoughWhy curiosity matters more than chasing one final answerIshan Shivanand is a globally recognized yogic scholar, Vedic educator, and mental health researcher born into a 21-generation lineage of yogis. He is the creator of Yoga of Immortals, a set of evidence-based meditation protocols designed to help people build resilience, reduce stress, and improve mental well-being.If you want to go deeper into the King's meditations and ancient yogic wisdom, grab Ishan's book The Practice of Immortality at https://www.amazon.com/Practice-Immortality-Discovering-Unlimited-Positivity/dp/0306834561 — your entry point into breathwork, meditation protocols, and the philosophy behind it all. Connect with Ishan Shivanand:Website: https://ishanshivanand.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ishan.shivanand/?hl=enLi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ishanshivanand/Fb: https://www.facebook.com/IshanShivanandX: https://www.facebook.com/IshanShivanandYT: https://www.youtube.com/c/IshanShivanand/featured?app=desktopJohn Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment.Connect with John Barrows:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrows Check out John's Membership: https://learn.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-packages?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter
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  How Fear Controls the Way We Lead, Sell, and Parent with Bryan Post 22.06.2026 56m

  Stress is shaping more of your decisions than you realize.In this episode, John sits down with Bryan Post, one of America’s foremost child behavior experts and co-founder of The Post Institute, to talk about fear, love, stress, trauma, parenting, leadership, active listening, and why people often react from survival instead of clarity.If you are a sales leader, manager, parent, or anyone trying to communicate better under pressure, this episode gives you a practical look at how stress affects the brain, why discipline should be taught instead of punishment, and how slowing down can help people move through fear and make better decisions.Want to lead better conversations before fear takes over the room? Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen.What You’ll LearnWhy fear and stress shape how people respond at home, at work, and in sales conversationsHow early experiences can influence behavior, emotional regulation, and relationshipsWhy physical presence is not the same as emotional presenceHow breathing and self-awareness can improve active listeningWhy discipline should mean teaching, not punishmentHow slowing down can help people move through fear and indecisionHow Bondify is using AI to give parents in-the-moment support without removing the human lensBryan Post is one of America's foremost child behavior experts and the co-founder of The Post Institute. For more than 20 years, The Post Institute has provided education and support to parents and professionals involved in the lives of children who have experienced trauma. Bryan specializes in a love-based treatment approach focused on understanding fear, stress, and the power of love to bring peace and healing.If you are a parent who needs support at the moment, check out Bondify — free 24/7 parenting support built on 30 years of Bryan Post's expertise. Text it like you're texting Bryan himself. Visit bryanpost.com to learn more.Bondify: https://bondify.ai/Bondify Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bondifyofficial/Bondify FB: https://www.facebook.com/people/Bondify/61571882300625/Connect with Bryan Post:Website: https://bryanpost.com/Fear to Love: https://feartolove.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bryanpostofficial/Li: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanpost1/Fb: https://www.facebook.com/people/Bryan-Post-Official/61585577754101/John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment.Connect with John Barrows:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrowsCheck out John's Membership: https://learn.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-packages?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcastJoin John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter
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  AI Is Not a Strategy: How to Lead Real Transformation with Julie Averill 15.06.2026 58m

  AI will not fix a business that does not understand itself.In this episode, John sits down with Julie Averill, founder of Gold Thread and former CIO of lululemon, to talk about real transformation, AI adoption, technology leadership, and what companies need to understand before they rush into the next big platform shift. Julie also shares lessons from her time leading technology through major growth at lululemon, digital transformation at Nordstrom, and the early signals that told her when a system problem was really a culture problem.If you are leading sales, technology, enablement, or go-to-market strategy, this episode gives you a practical look at why AI has to serve the business, why trust still drives innovation, and why the companies that win will understand what makes them truly different before the market decides for them.Want to build the kind of team and operating model that can keep up with where business is heading next? Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen.What You’ll LearnWhy AI strategy needs to start with business strategy, not technology experimentsHow the dot-com shift mirrors what companies are experiencing with AI todayWhy AI is changing how customers discover, compare, and choose brandsWhat a 20-hour website outage revealed about culture, ownership, and escalationWhy innovation depends on trust, candor, and teams that can take risks togetherWhy AI reveals organizational dysfunction instead of magically fixing itWhy real transformation requires human intelligence, not just artificial intelligenceJulie Averill is the founder of Gold Thread and former Chief Information Officer of lululemon, where she led the technology transformation that helped scale the company from $2 billion to over $10 billion in revenue. Prior to lululemon, she led omni-channel and digital transformations at Nordstrom and REI. Today, she advises boards, CEOs, and founders at the intersection of AI capability and organizational readiness, and her book Chief Impact Officer comes out June 16.Connect with Julie Averill:Website: https://goldthreadllc.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julieaverill/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julie_averill_/Grab Julie's new book Chief Impact Officer, out June 16 — connect with her on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/julieaverill) or visit goldthreadllc.comJohn Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment.Connect with John Barrows:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrowsCheck out John's Membership: https://learn.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-packages?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcastJoin John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter
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  How AI Agents Are Rewriting Sales with Kris Billmaier 08.06.2026 55m

  AI agents are not just changing sales tools. They are changing the job of the seller.In this episode, John sits down with Kris Billmaier, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Agentforce Sales and Growth Products at Salesforce, to talk about Agentforce, headless software, AI-native sales workflows, and what happens when sellers start managing teams of agents.If you are in sales, sales leadership, enablement, or GTM strategy, this episode gives you a practical look at where humans still matter, how agents can support pipeline and qualification, and why AI adoption needs clear use cases, measurement, and training.Want to stay ahead of where sales are heading next? Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen.What You'll LearnWhy product-led growth is moving toward agent-led growthHow Salesforce is thinking about headless software and conversation-first AIWhy AI-first SaaS is not just a front-end feature or branding exerciseHow agents are changing SDR and BDR work at SalesforceWhy successful AI adoption starts with a narrow use case and a real training planWhat sellers need to become as agent teams take on more busy workKris Billmaier is Executive Vice President and General Manager of Agentforce Sales and Growth Products at Salesforce, where he leads the product strategy and vision for Agentforce Sales. With more than 20 years of experience across productivity software, search, and enterprise technology, Kris has launched category-defining products, scaled startups, and is now building a future where agents and sellers work together to grow revenue.Connect with Kris Billmaier:Website: https://www.salesforce.com/ap/Li: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krisbillmaier/John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment.Connect with John Barrows:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrowsCheck out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter
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  Be the Mentor Who Mattered: How Mentorship Drives Real Revenue with Colleen Stanley 01.06.2026 55m

  IQ is a commodity now. AI can out-think, out-research, and out-process almost anyone in the room. So what is left?In this episode, John shares a conversation with Colleen Stanley, bestselling author and founder of Sales Leadership Development, to talk about the two things that AI cannot replicate — emotional intelligence and meaningful mentorship. Colleen has spent decades proving that EQ is not a soft skill, it is a revenue skill. And her new book, Be the Mentor Who Mattered, makes the case that the next generation of leaders cannot go it alone.They get into why self-awareness is the mega skill every sales leader needs to develop, how to give feedback without triggering defensiveness, and why the best mentorship rarely comes from a formal program. If you lead a team, coach reps, or are trying to figure out what your competitive edge looks like in a world of AI, this one is for you.Want to build the skills that hold up in any market? Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen.What You’ll LearnWhy self-awareness is the mega skill and how to actually develop itHow to give feedback using empathy followed by assertivenessWhy the best mentorship happens informally, not through assigned programsHow one conversation from the right person can change your entire trajectoryWhy mentorship cultures produce two times the profit of those without themHow to find a mentee instead of waiting to be asked to be a mentorColleen Stanley is president of SalesLeadership, a sales development firm specializing in the integration of emotional intelligence, sales, and sales leadership skills. She is the author of three books, Emotional Intelligence For Sales Success, now published in eight languages, Emotional Intelligence For Sales Leadership, and Growing Great Sales Teams.Connect with Colleen Stanley:Website: https://www.salesleadershipdevelopment.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colleenstanleysliYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ColleenStanleySalesLeadershipGrab your Free Corporate Sales Training Resources: https://www.salesleadershipdevelopment.com/resources/John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment.Connect with John Barrows:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrowsCheck out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter
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  What AI Knows About Your Buyer with Scott Gillum 25.05.2026 54m

  AI already knows your buyer better than most sales reps do. The question is — what are you going to do about it?In this episode, John is joined by Scott Gillum, author of The Hidden Buyer Journey, to unpack seven years of research on how buyers actually make decisions — and why our sales and marketing tools are barely scratching the surface of what's possible. From personality profiling and corporate culture mapping to the death of the sales stage, this conversation goes deep on what it really takes to sell in a world where the buyer is more informed, more protected, and more machine-assisted than ever before.If you're serious about staying relevant as a sales professional in an AI-first world, this one's a must-listen.Want to make sure you're equipped before the market moves on without you? Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen.What You’ll LearnWhy corporate culture predicts deal velocity better than any sales methodologyHow to use personality profiling tools to adapt your style to any buyerWhy 85% of the people who actually influence your deals aren't in your CRMThe one thing AI still can't replicate — and why it's your biggest competitive advantageWhy Return on Effort (ROE) is replacing ROI as the real measure of AI in salesScott Gillum is the Founder and CEO of Carbon Design. Prior to founding Carbon Design, he was the President of the Washington, DC office for gyro (a Dentsu agency), the world’s largest B2B agency.His career follows the pipeline. Starting at the bottom closing deals as a sales rep. Then as a management consultant after graduate school, helping clients build and capture demand for sales and marketing channels. Advertising broadened his knowledge and experience in building brands and creating awareness.Along the way, he’s been the head of marketing for an Inc. 500 company, and an interim CMO for a Fortune 500 company. Today, Scott helps clients improve the effectiveness of their marketing efforts up and down the funnel. From transitioning to digital to finding new ways to communicate, connect, and motivate audiences.Scott’s a member of the Gartner for Marketing Leaders Council and he writes a regular column for MediaPost on business marketing. He’s articles have appeared in leading publications such as Forbes, Fortune, Adage, the Huffington Post and he has contributed to various books on marketing. Additionally, his work on sales and marketing integration was made into a Harvard Business School Case Study and is taught at leading business schools across the nation.Website: https://carbondesign.com/scott-gillum/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottgillum/John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment.Connect with John Barrows:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrowsCheck out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter
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  Why Your Sales Rep Needs to Be an Architect, Not Just a Closer with Adam Carr 18.05.2026 50m

  The sales playbook is being rewritten and product-led growth is at the center of it.In this episode, John sits down with Adam Carr, CRO at Apollo.io, to dig into how PLG has evolved, what AI is doing to the sales rep's role, and why the best sellers today need to think less like closers and more like go-to-market architects. From hiring smarter to building SDR programs that actually stick, this one's packed with real talk from two people who've lived it.If you're in sales leadership, trying to figure out how to build and develop a team in this new world, this episode will give you a framework to work with.Want to level up your team before the market moves on without you? Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen.What You’ll Learn:Why people don't buy from people they like but from people they trustHow to hire intentionally and slow down when everyone's pushing you to scale fastThe difference between PLG, product-led sales, and sales-led growthWhat product signals actually matter when deciding when to bring in a sales repThe three skills every modern sales rep needs to stay relevant in an AI-first worldAdam Carr is the CRO of Apollo, where he leads the company’s go-to-market strategy and revenue growth initiatives. Since joining in 2025, he has focused on scaling a modern GTM engine that blends product-led and sales-led growth, aligning sales, marketing, product, and customer success into a unified customer journey. Under his leadership, Apollo continues to support millions of users and hundreds of thousands of businesses in accelerating growth through a scalable, customer-centric platform.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamhcarr/John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment.Connect with John Barrows:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrowsCheck out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter
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  Career Resilience in the Age of AI with Ilana Golan 11.05.2026 1h 3m

  The career ladder is burning. And if you are still waiting for the right moment to adapt, you are already behind.In this episode, John sits down with Ilana Golan, founder of Leap Academy, to unpack what it actually takes to own your growth in a world where 92 million jobs are projected to be displaced in the next two years. From growing up a shy kid in Israel and becoming one of the first women to lead a flight instructor squad in the Israeli Air Force, to hitting rock bottom after a co-founder betrayal and building back stronger, Ilana brings a rare combination of raw honesty and practical frameworks to this conversation.They cover the 555 rule for cutting through decision paralysis, what it means to build a portfolio career, and why people will no longer pay for knowledge but will always pay for transformation.If you are ready to stop being a one-trick pony and start building something that holds up regardless of what AI throws at you, this conversation is the one to watch. Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen.What You’ll LearnWhy hard work still beats raw talent in any eraHow to use the 555 rule to escape decision paralysisWhat it looks like to lose your identity and rebuild from nothingThe case for building a portfolio career before you are forced toWhy people will not pay for knowledge but will pay for transformationIlana Golan was an F-16 Flight instructor in the Air Force and the first female commander in her squad, a tech executive, and now the founder of Leap Academy, one of the fastest-growing companies in America.Leap Academy is disrupting professional education and is the only platform in the world today that helps individuals create portfolio careers and get ready for the future of work. Her disruption of professional education has caught the attention of leaders such as Richard Branson, Garyvee, and the Presidents of some of the biggest companies in the world.Ilana won Inc 500, Startup of the Year for 2023, CEO World Award, 40 Women to Watch, and has been on the biggest stages in the world, including Tech Crunch Disrupt, Google Startup Accelerator, Inman Connect, Executive MBA Programs, and more. Ilana was also invited to give a private talk for Richard Branson and a very selected CEOs on his private island.Connect with Llana!LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilanagolan/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ilanagolanleapWebsite: https://www.ilanagolan.com/Learn more about Leap Academy: https://www.leapacademy.com/Join her free 3-day training: www.leapacademy.com/makeithappenJohn Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment.Connect with John Barrows:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrowsCheck out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter
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  What the Best BDR Teams Are Doing Differently Right Now with Lauren Reeves 04.05.2026 1h 11m

  Most BDR teams are struggling right now. Connect rates are dropping, email is getting ignored, and reps are rushing to get out of the role as fast as possible. Lauren Reeves is doing the opposite, and her team is booking more meetings every single quarter.In this episode, John sits down with Lauren Reeves, BDR manager at Swap Commerce and one of the most vocal advocates for the SDR and BDR profession in Europe. Lauren built her team from 6 to 40, incentivized her reps to build real personal brands on LinkedIn, and created a culture where people actually want to stay in the seat long enough to get good at it. She shares exactly what is working right now on email, on the phone, and on social, and what is quietly killing results for most teams that are copying the playbook from five years ago.If you lead a BDR or SDR team, or you are in the role of trying to figure out how to stand out and build a career in sales, this conversation will give you the most practical and honest take on what it actually takes to win right now. Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen.What You’ll LearnThe hiring question Lauren asks in every interviewWhy Lauren tells every candidate upfront: I do not work with dicksWhy good BDRs should stay in the seat for at least 18 monthsWhy the no promotion before a year policy creates better salespeopleWhat is actually working right now in emailWhy the phone still convertsHow Lauren pays her reps to post on LinkedInWhat BDRs should post on LinkedInWhy costly quarterly targets work better than monthly pressureHow to spot it in an interview and how to coach it on the floorLauren Reeves is a sales leader and outbound specialist with 7 years of experience in the BDR/SDR space, known for developing high-performing business development teams. She began her career as a BDR before moving into management, where she focuses on building ambitious, growth-driven sales professionals and creating environments centered on learning, collaboration, and success. Lauren has driven significant outbound revenue growth, scaled teams across regions, and earned recognition as a top sales manager and leader in the industry.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thelaurenreeves/John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment.Connect with John Barrows:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrowsCheck out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter
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  The First Guy to Lose to Salesforce (And What He Did Next) with Kris Lawson 27.04.2026 1h 7m

  Before your buyer takes your call, their AI has already researched you, evaluated your solution, and started forming an opinion. The question isn't whether AI is changing sales. It's whether you're going to catch up to what's already happening on the other side of the table.In this episode, John sits down with Kris Lawson, the sales leader, founder of Ruby, and Snowflake alumnus, to unpack the most important shift in B2B sales that most people are completely ignoring. Kris was the first Oracle rep ever to lose a deal to Salesforce, went on to build and scale sales teams across some of the most iconic tech companies of the last 25 years, and is now building the AI-powered sales assistant he always wished he had.From how buyers are already using AI to screen vendors, to why generic AI tools will never replace purpose-built sales intelligence, to how to pick a rocket ship company before anyone else knows it's one, this conversation covers the ground that matters most right now.If you're in sales, leading a sales team, or building a company and trying to figure out how to win in an AI-saturated market, this episode will change how you think about what's coming. Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen.What You’ll LearnWhy your buyer's AI is already evaluating youHow OpenAI and Anthropic told one company to "just send the documentation" and let their LLMs decideThe framework Kris uses to evaluate whether a company is worth joiningWhy the first Oracle rep to lose a deal to Salesforce ended up joining SalesforceWhy the chat interface will never work for the average sales repThe build-vs-buy fallacy in the AI era and the real risks nobody is talking aboutHow AI will reshape sales methodologiesThe rubber duck exercise and how to use AI to learn, not just executeWhy choosing the right life partner is the most important career decision a salesperson will ever makeKris Lawson is a sales leader, entrepreneur, and co-founder of Ruby (heyruby.ai) — an AI-powered sales assistant purpose-built to help sales reps be excellent in every customer interaction. Kris has spent 25 years scaling go-to-market organizations at Oracle, Salesforce, Microsoft, and Snowflake. He was the first Oracle rep ever to lose a deal to Salesforce, went on to become a key early sales leader in Canada for Salesforce, and has since built and exited multiple sales organizations in the tech sector. He is also co-founder of Snow Angels, a Snowflake alumni investor syndicate focused on data and AI startups.Connect with Kris Lawson:Website: https://www.heyruby.ai/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krislawsonland/John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment.Connect with John Barrows:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrowsCheck out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter
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  Why Founders Who Avoid Sales Always Fail with Lou Shipley 20.04.2026 55m

  Every founder who has ever handed sales off too early has paid for it. Every single one.In this episode, John sits down with Lou Shipley, a Harvard Business School lecturer, board member, investor, and author of Unlikely Entrepreneurs, to dig into why sales is still the most misunderstood function in business, and why founders who treat it as a second-class citizen almost always fail. Lou draws from decades of experience running companies, building sales cultures from scratch, and teaching MBAs how to sell before they ever launch a product.From cold-calling encyclopedia buyers to opening Asia for Avid Technology to building the sales curriculum at HBS, Lou has lived every stage of the sales journey, and he's done it at the highest level.If you're a founder, a sales professional, or anyone trying to understand what it actually takes to build a company in the age of AI, this conversation will challenge everything you think you know about selling. Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen.What You’ll LearnWhy founders who delegate sales too early almost always failHow Lou built one of Harvard's most in-demand coursesThe cultural disdain of salesWhy sales is not about convincing anyone of anythingHow to use AI as a learning tool instead of an answer machineWhat the Guy Kawasaki GPT experiment revealedWhy curiosity is the most important professional skill in the AI eraWhat SaaS companies should be doing right nowHow to build a farm system for sales talent17 stories that prove anyone can build something worth buyingLou Shipley is a multi-time tech CEO, entrepreneur, and enterprise software leader with over 25 years of experience driving growth and innovation. He has led several successful startups through rapid expansion and acquisition, including Black Duck, WebLine (acquired by Cisco), Reflectent (acquired by Citrix), and VMTurbo. In addition to his executive leadership, Lou serves on multiple boards, teaches technology sales at Harvard Business School, and is a respected mentor, speaker, and commentator in the tech industry.Connect with Lou Shipley:Website: https://www.loushipley.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loushipley/Grab a copy of Lou Shipley’s book, “Unlikely Entrepreneurs: Wins, Losses, and Crucial Lessons on Building Great Companies,“ on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Unlikely-Entrepreneurs-Lou-Shipley/dp/1394345895/John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment.Connect with John Barrows:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrowsCheck out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter
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  Selling What They Think Is Free with Eric Appel 13.04.2026 57m

  If your prospect thinks they can already get what you're selling for free, you don't have a product problem — you have a positioning problem.In this episode, John sits down with Eric Appel, CRO of Island, the company that turned a free commodity — the browser — into one of the fastest-growing enterprise security platforms in the world. Eric pulls back the curtain on how Island landed eight of the top ten US financial institutions as early customers, why the advisor network beats outbound at scale, and what today's sales reps are getting catastrophically wrong before they even open their mouths.If you're navigating a market where AI is commoditizing everything around you and buyers think they don't need what you're selling, this conversation will change how you think about value, positioning, and the future of selling. Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen.What You’ll LearnHow Island sold a "free" product to the world's biggest enterprises — and wonThe advisor network strategy that replaced traditional outbound prospectingWhy the first 15 sales hires at Island were all known killers — and why that mattersHow to build a real feedback loop between sales and engineeringThe three questions you should never ask a prospect (and what to do instead)Why hypothesis selling is replacing discovery in today's AI-driven sales environmentWhat separates leaders from followers in the AI era — and why followers will get left behindEric Appel is the Chief Revenue Officer at Island, the enterprise browser company redefining how organizations think about security, productivity, and AI enablement. With a career that spans Arthur Anderson, Yahoo, McAfee, and some of the most pivotal chapters in information security, Eric has spent over two decades building go-to-market engines for category-defining companies. At Island, he helped architect the sales strategy that brought the world's largest financial institutions, pharma companies, and global enterprises onto the platform — proving that even a "free" product can command a premium price when the value proposition is airtight.Connect with Eric Appel:Website: https://island.ioLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-appel-605310/John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment.Connect with John Barrows:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrowsCheck out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter
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  Microsoft VP Exposes the Truth About Scaling Teams with Jason Wild 06.04.2026 1h 3m

  Sales is about solving problems. It’s about helping people achieve their goals—and that’s exactly what innovation is at its core.In this episode, John sits down with Jason Wild, author of Genius at Scale: How Great Leaders Drive Innovation, to talk about his journey from Chicago to becoming a high-level entrepreneur. Drawing from his experience working with companies like IBM and Salesforce, he breaks down the ABC structure that helps business owners think differently and drive meaningful innovation.If you’re ready to elevate how you approach growth, this conversation will challenge your perspective on leadership, strategy, and the results you’re capable of creating. Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen.What You’ll LearnWhat it’s like to work with IBM and SalesforceThe ABC structure for innovationLaying out the framework for innovationAligning People In One VisionApproaching innovation in the era of AIFrom a child actor in Hollywood to tech executive in Silicon Valley, Jason Wild has collaborated with some of the most talented and creative people in the world. He is an adviser and author on growth, innovation, strategy, and leadership, having led projects in 40 countries from Disney and AT&T to NATO and the City of Paris. He is the co-founder of Wild Innovation Consulting and helps leaders and organizations unlock their genius at scale, with significant experience in AI, business, and operating models, and digital transformation. He worked for over 20 years in executive roles at Microsoft, IBM, and Salesforce. He is dedicated to ensuring that AI and emerging tech benefit all of humanity.Connect with Jason Wild:Website: https://geniusatscale.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonwild/Get a copy of “Genius at Scale: How Great Leaders Drive Innovation” on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Genius-Scale-Great-Leaders-Innovation/dp/1647827507John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment.Connect with John Barrows:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrowsCheck out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter