Make It Happen Mondays - B2B Sales Talk with John Barrows

Latest Episodes:

Dale Dupree: Rebellion, Reflection, and the AI Debate Apr 14, 2025

Show notes

In this special debrief episode of Make It Happen Mondays, John Barrows sits down with Dale Dupree—founder of The Sales Rebellion and one of the standout voices from the recent Sales Play event in NYC. What starts as a post-event reflection quickly turns into a deep, unfiltered conversation on modern sales, personal transformation, and cultural shifts in the industry.Dale and John unpack the bold themes and subtle symbolism behind Glengarry Glen Ross, from gender and race dynamics to toxic sales archetypes. They also explore why Dale believes we’ve lost the “benefit of the doubt” in society—and why it’s time to bring empathy back into business. They also dive into a spicy moment where Dale called AI a “trend”… and the room nearly exploded.This one is raw, thoughtful, and 100% Rebellion. Buckle up.

Are you interested in leveling up your sales skills and staying relevant in today’s AI-driven landscape? Visit www.jbarrows.com and let’s Make It Happen together!

Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/

Connect with John on IG: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/

Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-membership?ref=3edab1

Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

Connect with Dale on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/copierwarrior/

Check out Dale's Websites: crumpledletter.com, thesalesrebellion.com, and copierwarrior.com

The Sales Play: Glengarry Glen Ross After Hours Apr 07, 2025

Show notes

In this special Make It Happen Mondays episode, John Barrows takes you inside an intimate, after-hours debrief unlike anything we’ve released before. After a full day of sales content, networking, and roundtable discussions in NYC with 18 of the top minds in sales and tech, the group capped the night with a viewing of the Broadway revival of Glengarry Glen Ross, starring Bill Burr, Kieran Culkin, and Bob Odenkirk. What followed was a raw, insightful, and unfiltered conversation back at John’s suite—covering everything from the timeless truths (and toxic flaws) of classic sales culture, to modern reflections on gender, race, authenticity, and the future of our profession.Featuring Jeff Hoffman, Morgan J Ingram, Doug Landis, J. Ryan Williams, Ashley Welch, Stefanie Boyer, Jaime Diglio, Sara Uy, Roderick Jefferson, Kasey Jones, Jen Igartua, Aneesh Lal, and more—this is your Sales MBA, served with bourbon and brutal honesty.You’ve never heard a sales conversation like this before. Buckle up.

Are you interested in leveling up your sales skills and staying relevant in today’s AI-driven landscape? Visit www.jbarrows.com and let’s Make It Happen together!

Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/

Connect with John on IG: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/

Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-membership?ref=3edab1

Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

The Only Authenticated Episode Ever – Featuring Drift’s David Cancel Mar 31, 2025

Show notes

In this special crossover episode, John Barrows is joined by Doug Landis and Jen Allen-Knuth for the one and only recorded session of a pilot project called Authenticated—a podcast experiment designed around unscripted, authentic conversations with inspiring leaders.The guest? None other than David Cancel, Founder and former CEO of Drift. David drops incredible insight on sales, marketing, leadership, and strategy—backed by decades of hard-won experience. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to learn directly from one of the best in the business, this is that moment. This is Authenticated. Unfiltered. Unpolished. Unmissable.

Are you interested in leveling up your sales skills and staying relevant in today’s AI-driven landscape? Visit www.jbarrows.com and let’s Make It Happen together!

Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/

Connect with John on IG: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/

Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-membership?ref=3edab1

Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

Connect with David Cancel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dcancel/

Steve Lucas: Why AI Won’t Replace You—Unless You Let It Mar 24, 2025

Show notes

Steve Lucas is a seasoned enterprise software executive and the CEO of Boomi, leading AI-driven digital transformation. In this episode, he and John Barrows dive deep into the evolving role of AI in business, sales, and leadership.They explore insights from Steve’s book, Digital Impact: The Human Element of AI-Driven Tech Transformation, and discuss how AI can actually bring back human connection instead of replacing it. Steve shares why companies and professionals must integrate AI into every aspect of their work—and what happens if they don’t. If you’re wondering how to stay relevant in an AI-powered world, this is the conversation you need to hear.

Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/

Connect with John on IG: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/

Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-membership?ref=3edab1

Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

Connect with Steve on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nstevenlucas/

Get Steve's book here: https://boomi.com/content/digital-impact-affiliate-pre-order/

Larry Kim: Scaling Sales with a Product-First Mindset Mar 17, 2025

Show notes

Larry Kim is the founder and CEO of Customers.ai and the visionary behind WordStream, which he scaled to a $150M exit. In this episode, John and Larry dive into the battle between product-driven growth and go-to-market strategy, exploring why Larry believes a strong product trumps traditional sales tactics.Larry shares lessons from scaling two companies, including his experience hiring (and firing) sales leaders, the power of founder-led sales, and how he slimmed down his team while tripling revenue. If you’re building a business, selling in a competitive space, or struggling with product-market fit, this episode is packed with game-changing insights.

Are you interested in leveling up your sales skills and staying relevant in today’s AI-driven landscape? Visit www.jbarrows.com and let’s Make It Happen together!

Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/

Connect with John on IG: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/

Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-membership?ref=3edab1

Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

Connect with Larry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrykim/

Check out Larry's Website: https://customers.ai/

John Shulman: Winning with Interest-Based Negotiation Mar 10, 2025

Show notes

John Shulman is the Founder and President of Alignor, a negotiation expert with Harvard credentials, and a consultant to business leaders worldwide. This episode is all about the art of negotiation—from handling tough procurement conversations to defending price in a world of price-focused buyers.Learn about the interest-based negotiation approach, where it aligns (or conflicts) with today’s high-stakes sales environment, and how AI is reshaping the way we negotiate. If you are looking for sharpen your negotiation skills and close better deals real with world strategies and insights, this episode is a must-listen.

Are you interested in leveling up your sales skills and staying relevant in today’s AI-driven landscape? Visit www.jbarrows.com and let’s Make It Happen together!

Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/

Connect with John on IG: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/

Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-membership?ref=3edab1

Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

Connect with John Shulman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-shulman-1b12202/?

Check out John Shulman's Website: https://www.alignor.com/

Elina Teboul: Rethinking Capitalism with Feminine Intelligence Mar 03, 2025

Show notes

Elina Teboul is a leadership expert, former attorney, and author of Feminine Intelligence: How Visionary Leaders Can Reshape Business for Good. In this episode, Elina and John dive deep into the balance between logic and empathy in leadership, the flaws in modern capitalism, and how embracing feminine intelligence—not feminism—can drive business success.

They discuss the importance of values, “awake” capitalism vs. “woke” capitalism, and how businesses can thrive by integrating emotional intelligence with traditional business strategy. Plus, they explore AI’s potential impact on leadership and the future of work. This conversation is a wake-up call for anyone looking to lead with impact.

Are you interested in leveling up your sales skills and staying relevant in today’s AI-driven landscape? Visit www.jbarrows.com and let’s Make It Happen together!

Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/

Connect with John on IG: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/

Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-membership?ref=3edab1

Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

Connect with Elina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elinateboul/

Connect with Elina on IG: https://www.instagram.com/elinateboul/

Check out Elina's Websites: https://elinateboul.com/ and https://feminineintelligencebook.com/

Shari Dunn: Uncovering Bias and Redefining Competency at Work Feb 24, 2025

Show notes

Shari Dunn is a polymath—an accomplished journalist, attorney, CEO, news anchor, and university professor—who brings a wealth of experience to this powerful conversation. She joins John Barrows to discuss her book, QUALIFIED: How Competency Checking and Race Collide at Work.

Shari explores the hidden biases in hiring and promotion, the concept of “competency checking,” and the importance of seeing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as a strategic imperative for business success. This insightful conversation offers actionable steps for redefining how we evaluate talent and building workplaces where everyone can thrive.

Are you interested in leveling up your sales skills and staying relevant in today’s AI-driven landscape? Visit www.jbarrows.com and let’s Make It Happen together!

Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/

Connect with John on IG: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/

Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-membership?ref=3edab1

Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

Connect with Shari on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharidunn

Check out Shari's Website: https://thesharidunn.com

Connect with Shari on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thesharidunn.com6/

Order Shari’s book, Qualified: https://thesharidunn.com/buy-now

Sydney Sloan: CMO Insights and Intent Feb 17, 2025

Show notes

Sydney Sloan is a seasoned marketing leader and the CMO at G2, the world’s largest software marketplace. In this episode John and Sydney discuss the evolving relationship between sales and marketing, the rise of AI, and how businesses can stay ahead. Sydney shares her personal experience with burnout, the importance of energy management, and how taking a step back helped her gain fresh perspectives. They also dive into AI-driven intent data, hyper-personalization, and what sales reps must do to stay relevant in an ever-changing landscape. If you want to future-proof your sales and marketing strategy, this is a must-listen conversation!

Are you interested in leveling up your sales skills and staying relevant in today’s AI-driven landscape? Visit www.jbarrows.com and let’s Make It Happen together!

Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/

Connect with John on IG: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/

Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-membership?ref=3edab1

Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

Connect with Sydney on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydsloan/

Check out G2's Website: https://www.g2.com/

Partnership ANNOUNCEMENT: Zero-to-Pipeline in 60 Days with Alex Buckles Feb 10, 2025

Show notes

Alex Buckles is back! As the CEO of Forecastable, Alex helps sales teams drive more qualified leads by tapping into their partner networks. In this episode, John and Alex dive deep into the tactical strategies reps and sales leaders can use to activate their company’s ecosystem—partners, investors, advisors, and employees—to generate real revenue.John is so impressed with Alex’s approach that he’s incorporating it into his own strategy and launching a free webinar on February 20th to help sales teams start seeing results within 60 days. This conversation is packed with actionable insights—if you want to differentiate yourself and drive sales through partnerships, don’t miss it! Check the show notes for webinar details.

Are you interested in leveling up your sales skills and staying relevant in today’s AI-driven landscape? Visit www.jbarrows.com and let’s Make It Happen together!

SIGNUP TO THE WEBINAR: https://my.demio.com/ref/8sxvVCvt8n1REFrI

Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/

Connect with John on IG: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/

Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-membership?ref=3edab1

Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

Connect with Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexbuckles/

Check out Alex's Website: https://forecastable.com