Ep. 36: Playing the Long Game to Win Deals, Stay Agile, and Keep Going featuring John Barrows

John Barrows, one of the top sales trainers and thought leaders, joins for a look back on his journey and fun discussion on a particularly large and memorable deal from his time at Thrive Networks.

Background:

• John Barrows has 20+ years of sales experience with a variety of companies and as an entrepreneur
• In this episode he remembers a managed IT services deal he did that was 20x the avg. deal size

Challenges:

• Establishing trust and staying top of mind without being perceived as annoying.
• Adapting to the evolving sales landscape and shifting from traditional tactics to leveraging technology effectively.

Key learnings:

• The value of playing the long game in sales and building meaningful relationships over time.
• The necessity of adapting to changing sales environments and leveraging technology to stay competitive.

Timestamps:

• (0:07:28) Reflecting on the challenges faced at a big company versus startups and working on your own
• (0:13:16) Sharing a specific deal that highlighted the value of persistence and relationship-building.
• (0:17:14) Utilizing low-tech tactics and the significance of fundamentals in sales.
• (0:21:20) Discussing the relevance of agility and adaptation in the fast-evolving sales landscape.
• (0:24:37) Exploring the concept of the infinite game and the importance of aligning with personal values in sales.

Resources:
John Barrows on LinkedIn

The Infinite Game: Sinek, Simon

John’s Newsletter

John's Podcast

Questions, comments, ideas - reach out to: Andrew Kappel