Make It Happen Mondays - B2B Sales Talk with John Barrows

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

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/newsletterConnect with Steve on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nstevenlucas/ Get Steve's book here: https://boomi.com/content/digital-impact-affiliate-pre-order/ 

In this engaging discussion, Larry Kim, founder and CEO of Customers.ai and the mastermind behind WordStream, shares valuable insights on scaling businesses. He emphasizes a strong product-first mindset over traditional sales tactics. Larry discusses his experiences in hiring and firing sales leaders and the transformative power of founder-led sales. He reveals how he streamlined his team while tripling revenue, and stresses the importance of building customer trust and adapting to market dynamics for sustained growth.

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/newsletterConnect 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 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/newsletterConnect 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 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/newsletterConnect with Shari on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharidunnCheck out Shari's Website: https://thesharidunn.comConnect with Shari on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thesharidunn.com6/Order Shari’s book, Qualified: https://thesharidunn.com/buy-now

Sydney Sloan, CMO at G2 and a veteran marketing leader, shares her insights on the shifting dynamics between sales and marketing. She discusses the importance of energy management and how taking breaks can combat burnout. Sydney highlights the power of AI-driven intent data for hyper-personalization and emphasizes the necessity for sales reps to adapt to maintain relevance. The conversation also covers the value of customer feedback and the significance of forming strategic alliances for sales success.

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/8sxvVCvt8n1REFrIConnect 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/newsletterConnect with Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexbuckles/ Check out Alex's Website: https://forecastable.com 

John Barrows is joined by Jonathan Lister, COO of Vidyard and former VP of Global Sales Solutions at LinkedIn. With over 25 years of experience in B2B tech and SaaS, Jonathan shares his journey of building billion-dollar organizations and explains the critical role of curiosity in leadership and hiring.Jonathan breaks down the evolving role of sales in the AI era, emphasizing the shift from quantity to quality in personalized selling. If you’re ready to unlock talent, embrace change, and shape the future of sales, this conversation is packed with actionable 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/newsletterConnect with Jonathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanlister/ Check out the Vidyard Website: https://www.vidyard.com/ 

In this insightful conversation, Alex Newmann, the founder and CEO of Newmann Consulting Group, provides expertise in transforming founder-led sales into scalable systems. He candidly discusses the challenges of building an effective sales team and the passion paradox faced by many entrepreneurs. Alex emphasizes the importance of recognizing customer pain points and the necessity of a structured hiring strategy. He also shares valuable lessons from his entrepreneurial journey, urging founders to balance accountability and passion for sustained success.