Make It Happen Mondays - B2B Sales Talk with John Barrows

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.

Make It Happen Mondays - B2B Sales Talk with John Barrows is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 0 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Make It Happen Mondays - B2B Sales Talk with John Barrows, a business show with 0 episodes published.

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  Episode #483

  Why AI Role-Play Is the Missing Piece in Sales Training with Neha Gupta

  Aug 17, 202654 min

  AI role-play is not another tool to dump on your sales team. In this episode, John sits down with Neha Gupta, Founder and CEO of Breakthrough AI, to talk about why traditional role-play fails, why managers are often asked to coach without the tools or time to do it, and how AI can help reps practice hard conversations before the pressure hits. Neha breaks down what makes AI role-play feel realistic, why audio can be more effective than distracting avatars, and why adoption depends on structure, leadership energy, and deliberate practice. If you are in sales, leadership, enablement, RevOps, or any role responsible for improving rep performance, this conversation gives you a practical way to think about AI coaching, realistic role-play, feedback loops, remote sales teams, and the communication skills that still separate good reps from average ones. Want to help your team practice before the pressure hits? Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen. What You’ll Learn Why traditional role-play feels awkward, subjective, and hard to scale How AI role-play can help reps build realistic muscle memory before live conversations Why sales managers are often expected to coach without enough tools, time, or training How leadership energy and structure can make AI training adoption actually work Why remote teams lost some of the bullpen learning that used to happen naturally Why communication skills need deliberate practice before the pressure moment hits Neha Gupta is the Founder and CEO of Breakthrough AI, a practice-first AI coaching platform helping teams master the high-stakes conversations that shape performance, client relationships, and career growth. With more than twenty years of experience across client management, strategic marketing and sales, growth strategy, brand marketing, product marketing, and business development, Neha is focused on helping teams spot communication blind spots, strengthen feedback processes, and build stronger practice loops. Visit https://joinbreakthrough.ai/ to see Breakthrough AI in action, including a demo comparing weak versus strong responses to price objections. Connect with Neha Gupta: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nehagupta/ John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment. Connect with John Barrows: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrows Check out John's Membership: https://learn.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-packages?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

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  Episode #482

  Why Charisma Is a Sales Skill You Can Actually Learn with Olivia Fox Cabane

  Aug 10, 202659 min

  Charisma is not just something you either have or do not have. It is a skill buyers can feel before the pitch even starts. In this episode, John sits down with Olivia Fox Cabane, bestselling author of The Charisma Myth, to talk about the science of charisma, presence, body language, curiosity, manipulation, and why real connection still matters in sales. If you are in sales, leadership, or any role where trust matters, this conversation gives you a practical way to think about how you show up in front of buyers. You will learn why preparation makes curiosity stronger, why presence can change the quality of a conversation, and why trying to impress people often gets in the way of real connection. Want to build stronger sales conversations before the market gets even more transactional? Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen. What You’ll Learn Why charisma is a behavior that can be learned How presence, power, and warmth shape trust Why preparation can make salespeople more curious Why trying to impress people often backfires How body language starts with mindset Why sales should help people solve problems, not convince them into decisions Olivia Fox Cabane is a leading authority on the science of charisma and the bestselling author of The Charisma Myth and The Net and the Butterfly, which have been translated into more than thirty languages. She previously served as Director of Innovative Leadership for Stanford's StartX accelerator and has taught on charisma, leadership, and innovation at Harvard and MIT. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, and The Wall Street Journal, and she is a cofounder of the KindEarth.Tech Foundation. Visit charismamyth.com for free sample chapters, videos, and downloadable exercises. Connect with Olivia Fox Cabane: Website: https://charismamyth.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oliviafoxcabane/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ofc/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@oliviafoxcabaneofficial John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment. Connect with John Barrows: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrows Check out John's Membership: https://learn.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-packages?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

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  Episode #481

  Why Sales Reps Need Business Acumen Now with Kevin Cope

  Aug 3, 20261 hour

  Sales reps who cannot speak the language of business are going to get exposed fast. In this episode, John sits down with Kevin Cope, founder of Acumen Learning and co-author of Business Acumen for Sales Success and See the Big Picture, to talk about why business acumen is now one of the most important skills in sales. Kevin shares lessons from his time at the Covey Leadership Center, the start of Acumen Learning, and 25 years helping companies close the gap between functional expertise and real business understanding. If you are in sales, leadership, RevOps, enablement, or any role where you need to speak with executives, this conversation gives you a practical way to think about cash, profit, assets, growth, people, discounting, cashflow, AI, and how to connect your solution to the business results buyers actually care about. Want to build stronger business acumen and sell with more executive relevance? Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen. What You'll Learn Why business acumen is one of the first skills sales reps need to build Why round-number discounts can signal weak negotiation and weak business understanding How a small discount can create a much larger hit to profitability Why cash, profit, assets, growth, and people give reps a clearer business lens How salespeople affect cashflow before and after a deal closes Why AI research only matters if reps can translate it into business relevance How curiosity helps reps use AI as a learning tool instead of a shortcut Kevin Cope is the founder of Acumen Learning and co-author of Business Acumen for Sales Success and the bestselling See the Big Picture. He built his career at the Covey Leadership Center, joining just before the release of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and later served as president of international for the combined organization following its 1997 merger with Franklin Quest to form Franklin Covey. Through Acumen Learning, Kevin helps organizations close the business acumen gap and connect everyday decisions to cash, profit, assets, growth, and people. Connect with Kevin Cope on LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinrcope/ ) and grab his book, Seeing the Big Picture: Business Acumen to Build Your Credibility, Career, and Company , at https://www.amazon.com/Seeing-Big-Picture-Business-Credibility-ebook/dp/B07DPWFK7T?ref_=ast_author_mpb , to build the business acumen that earns you a seat at the table. Learn more about Acumen: Website: https://www.acumenlearning.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acumenlearning/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/AcumenLearning Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AcumenLearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/acumen-learning/?viewAsMember=true John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment. Connect with John Barrows: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrows Check out John's Membership: https://learn.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-packages?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

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  Episode #480

  Why Human Connection Still Wins in an AI-Driven GTM World with Katrin Gurvich

  Jul 27, 202653 min

  AI can speed up the work, but it still cannot replace the human connection that moves trust forward. In this episode, John sits down with Katrin Gurvich, a GTM Strategy & Operations leader at Navan, to talk about networking, referrals, AI, hiring, and what modern sales teams need to protect as the go-to-market world gets more automated. Katrin shares how she built connection as a skill, why referrals have lost meaning when they become a checkmark, and why AI-assisted work still requires real ownership from the person using it. If you are in sales, RevOps, enablement, leadership, or any GTM role where AI is changing the way work gets done, this conversation gives you a practical way to think about human touch, buyer trust, personal brand, and how reps should use the time AI gives back. Want to build a team AI can support but never replace? Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen. What You'll Learn Why networking is a skill you can build through repetition Why referrals only matter when real trust sits behind them How AI use reveals ownership, curiosity, and judgment Why human connection still matters in modern GTM execution How onsites, events, and personal touches can change sales conversations Why reps need to use AI-given time to get sharper, not just faster Katrin Gurvich is a GTM Strategy & Operations leader at Navan, where she partners across sales and revenue teams to translate high-level strategy into day-to-day execution. Her work spans diagnosing business health, improving pipeline visibility, and helping revenue leaders separate real signal from vanity metrics like quota attainment. Before Navan, Katrin held roles in sales planning and analytics at Dropbox, management consulting at HealthScape Advisors, and corporate and institutional banking at PNC, giving her a cross-functional view of how strategy, data, and operations intersect. She holds degrees from the University of Michigan and Case Western Reserve University, where she studied economics, psychology, and world literature. Visit and learn more about Navan: Website: https://navan.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/navan/?viewAsMember=true Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GetNavan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getnavan/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@navan?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GetNavan Connect with Katrin Gurvich: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrin-gurvich-559142130/ John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment. Connect with John Barrows: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrows Check out John's Membership: https://learn.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-packages?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

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  Episode #479

  How Agentic CRM Is Changing the Way Sales Teams Sell with Ryan Braastad

  Jul 20, 20261 hour

  CRM is finally moving closer to where sellers actually work. In this episode, John sits down with Ryan Braastad from Microsoft to talk about agentic CRM, AI adoption, productivity tools, and why the old system-of-record model has created so much friction for sales teams. Ryan shares lessons from Forrester, Yammer, Salesforce, his own startup, and Microsoft as he explains how the next wave of CRM can move closer to the flow of work. If you are in sales leadership, RevOps, enablement, or go-to-market strategy, this conversation gives you a practical look at what AI should actually do for reps: reduce admin, improve data quality, support better habits, help leaders coach more effectively, and give sellers more time to focus on customers and revenue. Want to prepare your sales team for the next version of CRM before the market moves again? Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen . What You’ll Learn Why CRM is shifting from a system of record to a system of action How AI can support sellers inside the tools they already use every day Why CRM adoption has often failed to give reps a clear benefit How sales leaders can think about revenue per seller as AI becomes part of the workflow Why AI adoption should start with one specific use case, not a company-wide free-for-all What agentic CRM actually means and why it is different from bolting AI onto old software Ryan Braastad is a customer-obsessed tech marketing leader at Microsoft, where he works on product strategy across Dynamics 365 and Microsoft 365, helping shape the future of agentic CRM and AI-powered productivity tools. His background spans Forrester, Yammer, Salesforce, and a self-founded fitness startup, with experience across product marketing, go-to-market strategy, productivity, collaboration, enterprise social, and business applications. Connect with Ryan Braastad: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rbraastad/ John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment. Connect with John Barrows: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrows Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/ Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

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