Salespeople are free to be “who we can be,” says Nikki Ivey, who used a career in sales to leave life in the housing projects far behind. From first working at a used car lot in Hinesville, GA., she rose to become a newly hired key executive at John’s company, JB Sales. As a director of training she wants to lead by example, and as a Black female executive in corporate America, “it's definitely about what people coming up right now are seeing as possible through me.” … John and Nikki “go there” and discuss race and racial identity in America and the sales profession.Connect with Nikki on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikki-ivey/

John Costigan (JC) has been in Sales and Sales training well before John Barrows (JB) got into the industry. JB has been a long time fan but the two never actually met until one day JC reached out to JB one day on LinkedIn with a message “it’s probably time we need to talk. I really admire what you’ve done to represent our space.”During their first call it was evident they shared similar values along with a similar mentality and approach to the profession of Sales. During this episode they talk about their respective training journeys and how JC broke through the noise by doing live cold calling on stage. They talk through tactics, strategies, what’s changed and what has stayed the same throughout the years in Sales.Recently JC fought and beat throat cancer which gave him a completely new perspective on life and appreciation of time. With JB’s dad passing recently they both shared how these challenges affected them and ultimately made them stronger and more purpose driven.Connect with John Costigan on LinkedIn here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncostigan/

The majority of salespeople aren’t aware of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and how it can help in the sales process. If you haven’t heard of this (and even if you have), you’ll want to listen in to my conversation with Valerie Fischer, co-owner of The Conversion Engine and an NLP-Certified Practitioner. I was introduced to NLP early in my sales career but didn’t really get too deep into it because I thought it could be manipulative. But Valerie feels it’s really just getting to know your client and helps them to label their thoughts and behaviors. “It’s trying to understand what your clients think-points are,” Valerie says. “What are the possibilities they see for themselves. When you ask questions like that, you’re able ot squeeze that out of them.” We also delve into identifying whether your client is a visual, auditory or a kinesthetic person and how to mirror your messaging to take full advantage of these traits. We also discuss metamodel questions that can help get to the client’s actual motivations and goals for their business. Valerie says, “When you find your value, you find your purpose and they you find your why.”Connect with Valerie on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/valeriepfischer/Find out more about Valerie’s ventures at:https://valeriepfischer.net/

John Talty, a sports editor at Alabama Media Group, shares insights from his new book on Nick Saban's leadership philosophy. Saban’s focus on daily improvements and team alignment sets the stage for consistent success. Talty discusses the importance of effective communication and cultivating a supportive environment, contrasting Saban's adaptive style with Belichick's rigidity. He emphasizes balancing data with player intuition and the power of listening for leaders, advocating for authenticity while adapting to team dynamics.

As founder of The Sales Evangelist, consultant Donald C. Kelly “sells sales to salespeople.” When he sat down with John they declared the conversation “just two sales guys talking.” But it was more a crash course in selling with observations like: Showing genuine curiosity engages clients; get “yesses” along the way; an empowered consumer “will buy all day;” avoid “fake personalization” in outreach, people know; work hard to land government contracts “because government people don't like to switch.” … John agrees strongly with Donald’s advice to educate prospects instead of dazzling them, advising him to use analogies and “help it make sense to them in their world.” Connect with Donald on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/donaldckelly/

If you’re a sales professional whose job revolves around procurement, you’ll want to listen to my discussion with Mark Raffan, CEO of Negotiation Ninja. Mark provides a master class in negotiations because he knows all the tricks in this field as he used to work on the procurement side. “I come from the dark side, the other side of the procurement world,” he said. “I started in sales and moved into procurement.”One of the biggest fallacies in the world of negotiations is the “win-win” scenario. Renowned negotiator Chris Voss says “fair is like a four-letter word in negotiations,” and Raffan mostly agrees with this philosophy. “The whole idea of fair is really, really scary,” Raffan says. “But it’s also the foundation for win-win. I used to put stuff in my (starting) negotiations just to give them up just to make you feel good.”One aspect in negotiations we discuss is when you have to concede in pricing, make sure to get some sort of reciprocity, such as payment up-front or a larger order than originally intended. We also talk about “nice to have” solutions versus a “must have” solution, along with knowing when to walk away and the impact time has on negotiations.Connect with Mark on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/markraffan/Find out more about Negotiations Ninja:https://www.negotiations.ninja/

After battling a brain tumor as a teenager and depression as a young entrepreneur, wellness advocate Chris Mirabile “grew to appreciate that I was here, living still.” Today the founder and CEO of longevity company Novos Labs says he has slowed his aging process by 31% through a holistic approach to mental and physical health that includes meditation, aerobic and strength training, and a good diet. ”All of these different things, they all interact with each other, and they impact your physical health, your biological health, your emotional well being, and so on,” he says of what he calls his “longevity lifestyle.” … Hear John and Chris discuss how ego and entrepreneurship can pose unique challenges to mental and physical health.Connect with Chris on LinkedIn here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismirabile/Follow his health journey here:https://slowmyage.com/

Lisa Catto caught John’s attention with her self proclaimed title on Linkedin as the Queen of Automation. John has been saying for years that automation is turning sales reps into robots so he had to have her on to discuss where automation can help and hurt throughout the sales process. Lisa says digital selling tools can be effective as long as they are “being valuable, not being creepy.” From finding leads to engaging prospects, online outreach can save time and resources and pave the way for more meaningful personal connections. “We have lost the art of building rapport and conversation,” she says, and automating mundane tasks like scheduling and exchanging basic information allows for better person-to-person communication. The London-based consultant and business coach warns, though, that abusing automation tools on LinkedIn and Facebook can lead to being banned on the platforms. … John challenges Lisa about the “fake personalization” sometimes found in digital outreach campaigns; she responds that good salespeople don’t try to fool potential customers and notes that standardized scripts have long been part of selling.Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/lcatto/

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”