157 - The Right Way to Sell with John Barrows

We have a true powerhouse on the show today who is all about doing sales the right way, which we’re all about here on the podcast as well. He’s built a mega-brand in the sales space with close to 500,000 followers looking to him for sales training and advice. He’s John Barrows and we can learn so much from his outlook on the sales industry in this interview.

John Barrows is the CEO of JB Sales, an organization focused on elevating the profession of sales through training, content, and events. They train some of the world’s fastest growing sales teams like Salesforce.com, Zoom, and LinkedIn while supporting a thriving community of over 50,000 individual sellers. John’s goal is to change the negative perception of sales and help sales professionals achieve success by doing it the right way because he believes that when sales is done right, it’s one of the greatest professions in the world. But when it is done wrong, it’s one of the worst. To further support this goal and introduce sales as a career to the younger generations, he is also the proud author of an Amazon bestselling children’s book called I Want to Be in Sales When I Grow Up that he wrote with his daughter.

[2:44] - John explains the Anti-Launch Company and what they do differently. 

[4:17] - As a children’s author, John inspires young readers and shares how fulfilling this experience was to write a book with his daughter.

[5:47] - John’s daughter was selling Girl Scout Cookies and he helped her realize what sales is.

[7:41] - The proceeds from book sales go to charity.

[8:45] - John shares what he has learned from women in sales, specifically empathy and how many more women should be in sales.

[10:58] - The bro culture is not inclusive or at all valuable to the sales industry.

[12:19] - Most women in sales feel that if they bring up every situation of sexism in their career, they would be labeled a complainer.

[13:05] - The sales teams that are the most diverse are the most successful.

[15:31] - John explains his beginning in sales and his misconceptions at the start.

[16:50] - The delineation for John applies only to those who care or don’t care.

[17:57] - The goal of success is happiness.

[19:20] - What industry is as flexible and recession-proof as sales?

[21:09] - What can you do right now that a computer can’t do?

[22:31] - You can’t beat the technology, you can leverage it.

[24:33] - Marketing is content but sales is context.

[26:50] - Take a step back and look at your values. Are you in a company that matches your value?

[28:17] - In a recession, it may be hard to reassess your values because you don’t want to put your job on the line. John shares his tips on this situation.

[30:38] - What if your side hustle is better than your primary source of income?

[32:04] - Managers don’t like to be told about their opinion, but if you bring data in, leaders would be stupid not to listen.

[33:19] - It’s important to lean in to authenticity and not focus so heavily on the numbers.

[34:50] - If you live your values out loud, you will attract buyers with the same values.

[36:49] - John shares the story of someone who was afraid to tell his authentic story, but it turned into an opportunity to reach the right people.

[38:05] - If you start a business with the end in mind, you’re doing it for the wrong reason.

[39:42] - It will take longer to find the followers you want on social media, but by being true to yourself, you will find the right people.

[42:30] - Be very clear on your values.

JB Sales Website

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I Want to Be in Sales When I Grow Up by John Barrows

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