Make It Happen Mondays - B2B Sales Talk with John Barrows

Growing up poor in an affluent community could have left Scott MacGregor bitter, but he chose to be grateful for family and being born in the United States. The founder and CEO of the recruiting firm SomethingNew says appreciating what you have is a catalyst for “building relationships with amazing people” who share that outlook and can become business connections. Scott says be ready to “pump the brakes, and do things right the first time and not try to score easy quick wins,” whether that’s choosing fitness over a fad diet or building long-term business relationships over a fast buck.Hear how contributing to Scott’s book on gratitude helped John better realize the many opportunities life places in our path.Interested in connecting with Scott?https://www.linkedin.com/in/macgregorscott/

Pioneering designer Richard Banfield calls the product “a non-human salesperson” that can promote brand affinity and help generate revenue. He says meaningful communication between design and sales teams is “when you can get that truly innovative insight” to create products that don’t just dazzle consumers, they solve problems. Banfield credits his insights to the “fortune and misfortune of doing many different things,” including being trained as a microbiologist, serving in the South African army, and living off-grid on a remote island — all part of his path to becoming an innovative product leader.Hear how Richard is helping John grow his company by making sure vision and values, mission and strategies remain aligned.interested in connecting with Richard?https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardbanfield/IG: richardmbanfieldhttp://www.richardbanfield.com/https://richardbanfieldart.com/

Mindset coach Amber Deibert: helps Silicon Valley business leaders get past impostor syndrome, which she once battled herself. She says too many top performers miss out on life’s joys because their accomplishments only reinforce a sense of unworthiness. She turns that thinking on its head, saying, “You cannot feel impostor syndrome unless you’re a  success.” Her advice to those afraid of achievement: Accept anxiety as a natural response to the mind being challenged, just as muscle ache follows a workout.  “Don’t make it mean anything about you,” she says.Hear Amber help John deal with his own impostor syndrome, which she says stems from a long-standing fear that he’s not smart, despite a successful business career.Learn more about Amberhttps://amberdeibert.comLinkedIn.com/in/amberdeibertAnd check out her podcast "The Achiever’s Podcast" available wherever you get your podcasts and at amberdeibert.com/podcast 

Business and brand development consultant Kasey Jones, CEO of A Better Jones, found inner peace and a fresh approach to business while recovering from a near-fatal dog attack. The growth strategy coach explains that healing her soul along with her body was part of “a period of personal discovery in a very, very powerful and rewarding way.” Hear how she learned to embrace emotional pain and today applies those lessons in business. She says many entrepreneurs waste too much energy worrying about what the competition is up to instead of serving the customer. “There’s room for all of us”.

Roderick Jefferson, Global Vice President of Enablement at PRO Unlimited, Bestselling Author and Keynote Speaker talks about his experience surviving a near fatal stroke and his renewed outlook on life, faith, family and friends. We also discuss focusing on what you can control and the importance of asking for help.

Dave Gerhardt, Founder of ExitFive.com and author of Founder Brand, talks about sales and marketing alignment and how we should all be using our personal brands to promote ourselves instead of outsourcing. We also explore the idea of sales reps becoming marketers and the struggle companies now have with employees who have strong personal brands.

Melanie Fellay, CEO at Spekit and Forbes magazine 30, under 30 women CEOs, talks about the need to adapt herself through the different stages of her leadership role along with managing the pressures of being a young woman leader. We also focus the conversation on her personal values and the impact they have on company values and the importance of using her voice to support the different causes that are close to her beliefs.

Todd Caponi, sales author and historian, discusses the history of sales, the evolution of the profession of sales throughout recent history, and the importance of transparency in the future of sales.

Amy Volas, founder and CEO of Avenue Talent Partners, discusses decision-making and energy management versus time management. We also learn about her passion for journaling and how she uses journaling as part of her decision making process along with being meaningful and purposeful in ones career.

Kyle Porter, CEO of Salesloft, joins us today to talk about what it’s like to go from startup all the way to acquisition. Kyle dives deep into his experience, how he grew as a leader and what he did to stay consistent on his journey. We also chat about the future of sales tools and the necessary skills we must acquire in order to advance as sales professionals.