Home Podcasts Make It Happen Mondays - B2B Sales Talk with John Barrows
Make It Happen Mondays - B2B Sales Talk with John Barrows

Make It Happen Mondays - B2B Sales Talk with John Barrows

John Barrows 241 Episodes Jun 15, 2026

John Barrows helps sales leaders decide whether to replace or rebuild their teams for the AI era, drawing on 25+ years working with Salesforce, LinkedIn, Google, and Amazon. He advises CROs and VPs of Sales on AI readiness, team structure, and go-to-market strategy. He trains sales teams on the fundamentals that drive consistent performance, with or without AI.

Episodes

AI Is Not a Strategy: How to Lead Real Transformation with Julie Averill Jun 15, 2026 58:02 AI will not fix a business that does not understand itself.In this episode, John sits down with Julie Averill, founder of Gold Thread and former CIO of lululemon, to talk about real transformation, AI adoption, technology leadership, and what companies need to understand before they rush into the next big platform shift. Julie also shares lessons from her time leading technology through major grow
How AI Agents Are Rewriting Sales with Kris Billmaier Jun 8, 2026 55:44 AI agents are not just changing sales tools. They are changing the job of the seller.In this episode, John sits down with Kris Billmaier, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Agentforce Sales and Growth Products at Salesforce, to talk about Agentforce, headless software, AI-native sales workflows, and what happens when sellers start managing teams of agents.If you are in sales, sales le
Be the Mentor Who Mattered: How Mentorship Drives Real Revenue with Colleen Stanley Jun 1, 2026 55:33 IQ is a commodity now. AI can out-think, out-research, and out-process almost anyone in the room. So what is left?In this episode, John shares a conversation with Colleen Stanley, bestselling author and founder of Sales Leadership Development, to talk about the two things that AI cannot replicate — emotional intelligence and meaningful mentorship. Colleen has spent decades proving that EQ is not a
What AI Knows About Your Buyer with Scott Gillum May 25, 2026 54:35 AI already knows your buyer better than most sales reps do. The question is — what are you going to do about it?In this episode, John is joined by Scott Gillum, author of The Hidden Buyer Journey, to unpack seven years of research on how buyers actually make decisions — and why our sales and marketing tools are barely scratching the surface of what's possible. From personality profiling and corpor
Why Your Sales Rep Needs to Be an Architect, Not Just a Closer with Adam Carr May 18, 2026 50:52 The sales playbook is being rewritten and product-led growth is at the center of it.In this episode, John sits down with Adam Carr, CRO at Apollo.io, to dig into how PLG has evolved, what AI is doing to the sales rep's role, and why the best sellers today need to think less like closers and more like go-to-market architects. From hiring smarter to building SDR programs that actually stick, this on
Career Resilience in the Age of AI with Ilana Golan May 11, 2026 01:03:33 The career ladder is burning. And if you are still waiting for the right moment to adapt, you are already behind.In this episode, John sits down with Ilana Golan, founder of Leap Academy, to unpack what it actually takes to own your growth in a world where 92 million jobs are projected to be displaced in the next two years. From growing up a shy kid in Israel and becoming one of the first women to
What the Best BDR Teams Are Doing Differently Right Now with Lauren Reeves May 4, 2026 01:11:57 Most BDR teams are struggling right now. Connect rates are dropping, email is getting ignored, and reps are rushing to get out of the role as fast as possible. Lauren Reeves is doing the opposite, and her team is booking more meetings every single quarter.In this episode, John sits down with Lauren Reeves, BDR manager at Swap Commerce and one of the most vocal advocates for the SDR and BDR profess
The First Guy to Lose to Salesforce (And What He Did Next) with Kris Lawson Apr 27, 2026 01:07:57 Before your buyer takes your call, their AI has already researched you, evaluated your solution, and started forming an opinion. The question isn't whether AI is changing sales. It's whether you're going to catch up to what's already happening on the other side of the table.In this episode, John sits down with Kris Lawson, the sales leader, founder of Ruby, and Snowflake alumnus, to unpack the mos
Why Founders Who Avoid Sales Always Fail with Lou Shipley Apr 20, 2026 55:47 Every founder who has ever handed sales off too early has paid for it. Every single one.In this episode, John sits down with Lou Shipley, a Harvard Business School lecturer, board member, investor, and author of Unlikely Entrepreneurs, to dig into why sales is still the most misunderstood function in business, and why founders who treat it as a second-class citizen almost always fail. Lou draws fr
Selling What They Think Is Free with Eric Appel Apr 13, 2026 57:52 If your prospect thinks they can already get what you're selling for free, you don't have a product problem — you have a positioning problem.In this episode, John sits down with Eric Appel, CRO of Island, the company that turned a free commodity — the browser — into one of the fastest-growing enterprise security platforms in the world. Eric pulls back the curtain on how Island landed eight of the
Microsoft VP Exposes the Truth About Scaling Teams with Jason Wild Apr 6, 2026 01:03:34 Sales is about solving problems. It’s about helping people achieve their goals—and that’s exactly what innovation is at its core.In this episode, John sits down with Jason Wild, author of Genius at Scale: How Great Leaders Drive Innovation, to talk about his journey from Chicago to becoming a high-level entrepreneur. Drawing from his experience working with companies like IBM and Salesforce, he br
Ambition, Ego & The Real Cost of Success with Roderick Jefferson Mar 30, 2026 53:17 Start by asking yourself: What am I good at? What do I love doing? And ultimately, what will I get paid for?In this episode, John is joined by Roderick Jefferson to have a real conversation about ambition, ego, and the true cost of success across our lives, relationships, and leadership. Together, they unpack the importance of slowing down, why constant hustle can come at a price, and the powerful

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