Make It Happen Mondays - B2B Sales Talk with John Barrows

Monica Stewart has spent 15 years helping B2B SaaS founders escape survival mode and build scalable revenue systems—generating $25M+ in revenue and influencing over $200M in valuations along the way. In this episode, John and Monica dig into what really holds founders back from scaling past the $1–10M mark.

They explore why so many founders—especially technical ones—see sales as a necessary evil, and the dangerous misconceptions thi...

In this episode John Barrows sits down with Zoltan Vardy, B2B sales advisor, author of The Launch Code, and the go-to expert for helping tech founders turn their ideas into scalable revenue.With over $2 billion in closed sales and 30 years of C-suite and entrepreneurial experience, Zoltan breaks down why so many founders still treat sales like a necessary evil and why that mindset kills more startups than any la...

Matt Millen is the co-founder and president of Regie AI, a platform that’s transforming how sales teams scale personalized outreach without losing the human connection. Before Regie, Matt’s career spanned everything from leading sales at Tony Robbins to competitive car racing—experiences that shaped his philosophy on performance, mindset, and winning the long game.

In this conversation, Matt and John dig into the evolving role of th...

In this episode of Make It Happen Mondays, John Barrows sits down with Luke Arno, CRO at Transcend and a powerhouse revenue leader who’s scaled growth at companies like Twilio Segment and Box. Luke shares what sets truly great sales teams apart—and why coaching, optimism, and grit are the unteachable qualities every leader should look for.

They dive deep into the differences between coaching, mentoring, and leadership, and why enabl...

John “JT” Turner is a sales executive, leadership coach, and team builder with a proven track record of turning good teams into great ones. In this episode, John Barrows and JT explore what authentic sales leadership really looks like—and how to apply it in today’s fast-moving, AI-influenced world.

They unpack JT’s formative experiences, including his time at Google X launching moonshot ideas in cybersecurity, and how that environme...

Nick Hill is the Director of Sales Enablement at Crunchbase, with a track record of building performance-driven coaching programs at Miro, Sprinklr, and beyond. In this episode of Make It Happen Mondays, John Barrows and Nick dive deep into all things enablement—from structure and timing to coaching reps and aligning with RevOps for real impact.

They explore when companies should actually invest in enablement, how to differentiate t...

Mark Raffan is the founder and CEO of Negotiations Ninja™, a former procurement pro turned sales ally, and one of the sharpest minds in the negotiation game today. In this episode of Make It Happen Mondays, John Barrows welcomes Mark back for a tactical, no-fluff conversation on why most sales reps lose deals in the final 10%—not to competition, but to poor negotiation.

They dive into some of the biggest silent killers in dealmaking...

John Barrows is joined by Dan Sperring, founder of AlignICP, to unpack one of the most overlooked—but critical—elements of GTM success: your Ideal Customer Profile.

Dan has made it his mission to help sales and marketing teams work together to define, refine, and activate a high-impact ICP strategy. The conversation dives into common ICP mistakes (like defaulting to company size or segment), how your ICP evolves year over year, and ...

Karen Kelly is a sales strategist, speaker, and founder of K2 Performance Consulting, where she helps B2B companies sell with confidence, clarity, and purpose. In this episode of Make It Happen Mondays, John Barrows sits down with Karen for a tactical and inspiring conversation that covers everything from her immigrant upbringing and biology background to coaching, confidence, and creating safe spaces for buyers.

They explore her co...

On today's episode, John Barrows sits down with Blair LaCorte—a transformational leader whose career has spanned aviation, AI, tech, entertainment, and aerospace. With multiple highly successful exits, Blair brings battle-tested wisdom to the table, but what sets him apart is his focus on people, purpose, and emotional intelligence. They explore everything from growing up with entrepreneurial parents to the role of money as a vehic...

In this episode of Make It Happen Mondays, John Barrows sits down with Kelly Cheng, CMO at Goldcast, for a wide-ranging and insightful conversation on sales, marketing, and the evolving buyer journey. From her early days as a self-proclaimed rebel growing up in Hong Kong to working with top brands like Adobe and Microsoft, Kelly brings a fresh, strategic perspective to how modern go-to-market teams win mindshare before buyers ...

In today's episode, John Barrows sits down with Dustin Crawford, VP of Sales at Otter.ai, for a deep dive into the intersection of sales, psychology, and modern leadership. While Otter.ai is a sponsor of the show, this conversation goes far beyond the product—it’s about the why behind how salespeople operate and how leaders can unlock their team’s full potential.Dustin shares insights on everything fro...

In this episode, John Barrows is joined with with Alyssa Merwin, Global VP of LinkedIn Sales Solutions, to unpack the findings from LinkedIn’s brand-new ROI of AI Report—a first-of-its-kind look at how AI is truly impacting sales outcomes, not just activity metrics.With over $1 billion in revenue under her leadership and a rich career path shaped by EQ, adaptability, and grit, Alyssa shares how she’s guiding one of the mo...

John Barrows reconnects with longtime friend and Pavilion CEO, Sam Jacobs. Sam is the author of the bestselling book Kind Folks Finish First, and he’s on a mission to prove that building with integrity and empathy isn’t just good for the soul—it’s good for business.John and Sam dive into the hard lessons learned from the rollercoaster ride of 2023, how timing and positioning can humble even the best ideas, and why leading with...

Kevin Evers is a senior editor at Harvard Business Review and author of the upcoming book There’s Nothing Like This: The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift. In this episode, Kevin and John break down what makes Taylor Swift one of the most brilliant business minds of our time.

From reclaiming her masters to building an unbreakable bond with fans, Swift’s ability to scale the unscalable, adapt to change, and maintain authenticity offer...

In this special debrief episode of Make It Happen Mondays, John Barrows sits down with Dale Dupree—founder of The Sales Rebellion and one of the standout voices from the recent Sales Play event in NYC. What starts as a post-event reflection quickly turns into a deep, unfiltered conversation on modern sales, personal transformation, and cultural shifts in the industry.Dale and John unpack the bold themes and subtle sy...

In this special Make It Happen Mondays episode, John Barrows takes you inside an intimate, after-hours debrief unlike anything we’ve released before. After a full day of sales content, networking, and roundtable discussions in NYC with 18 of the top minds in sales and tech, the group capped the night with a viewing of the Broadway revival of Glengarry Glen Ross, starring Bill Burr, Kieran Culkin, and Bob Odenkirk. Wh...

In this special crossover episode, John Barrows is joined by Doug Landis and Jen Allen-Knuth for the one and only recorded session of a pilot project called Authenticated—a podcast experiment designed around unscripted, authentic conversations with inspiring leaders.The guest? None other than David Cancel, Founder and former CEO of Drift. David drops incredible insight on sales, marketing, leadership, and strategy—backed by de...

Steve Lucas is a seasoned enterprise software executive and the CEO of Boomi, leading AI-driven digital transformation. In this episode, he and John Barrows dive deep into the evolving role of AI in business, sales, and leadership.They explore insights from Steve’s book, Digital Impact: The Human Element of AI-Driven Tech Transformation, and discuss how AI can actually bring back human connection instead of replacing it. Steve...