This week’s episode of Make It Happen Mondays hits deeper than most—with someone who’s more than just a guest: Roderick Jefferson is family. A globally respected sales enablement leader, keynote speaker, and author of The Stroke of Success, Roderick shares the story of how a relentless hustle nearly cost him everything—after suffering a stroke that left him with just a 2% chance of survival.

We unpack what really matters when life slams the brakes on your career, your health, and your identity. From the early warning signs he ignored, to the mental, emotional, and physical battles of recovery, Roderick opens up about the shift from burnout to balance—and how vulnerability, connection, and purpose have taken center stage in his leadership and life.

This is not just a conversation about sales or business—this is about perspective, resilience, and redefining success. If you’re feeling the weight of burnout, or just need a moment of clarity in the chaos, don’t miss this one.

And if you’re looking for a keynote speaker who speaks with power, purpose, and lived experience—book Roderick. You won’t regret it.

Are you interested in leveling up your sales skills and staying relevant in today’s AI-driven landscape? Visit www.jbarrows.com and let’s Make It Happen together!

Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/

Connect with John on IG: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/

Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-membership?ref=3edab1

Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

Connect with Roderick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roderickjefferson/

Check out Roderick's Website: https://www.roderickjefferson.com/

Get Roderick's Book "Stroke of Success": https://www.roderickjefferson.com/stroke-of-success

In this high-energy episode, John sits down with one of today’s most influential voices in sales, Leslie Venetz—author of the USA Today bestselling book Profit-Generating Pipeline, featured in the Wall Street Journal, and the creator behind 100+ million views of sales content online.

Leslie brings a no-BS, battle-tested framework for building a healthy, sustainable pipeline—and the conversation hits hard on key topics like territory planning, ideal customer profiles, and owning your patch like a CEO. From her Montana roots to global stages, Leslie shares how her ability to relate across cultures and industries has shaped her sales philosophy.

John and Leslie dive deep into tactical tips, strategic alignment, and the shared frustration of overlooked fundamentals in sales. Whether you’re an AE, manager, or just trying to generate more qualified pipeline, this one’s a masterclass in doing the work—smartly.

Are you interested in leveling up your sales skills and staying relevant in today’s AI-driven landscape? Visit www.jbarrows.com and let’s Make It Happen together!

Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/

Connect with John on IG: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/

Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-membership?ref=3edab1

Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

Connect with Leslie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslievenetz/

Check out Leslie's Website: https://salesledgtm.com/

Rex Galbraith has worn almost every sales hat over his 20+ year SaaS career, and for the last decade, he’s helped build Consensus into the category leader for interactive demo automation. In this episode, John and Rex dive deep into why traditional product demos are failing today’s buyers—and what to do instead.

You’ll hear how Rex and his team use unideal customer profiles (UCPs) to actively disqualify bad-fit prospects, how automating parts of the demo process frees reps to sell smarter, not harder, and why focusing on retention over acquisition is the mindset shift modern sales orgs need.

Rex also opens up about leading through tough moments—rebrands, layoffs, even running the company out of a grocery store—and the values that kept him grounded through it all. If you care about sales efficiency, buyer enablement, or becoming the kind of AE who thrives in the AI era, this one’s for you.

Are you interested in leveling up your sales skills and staying relevant in today’s AI-driven landscape? Visit www.jbarrows.com and let’s Make It Happen together!

Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/

Connect with John on IG: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/

Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-membership?ref=3edab1

Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

Connect with Rex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rexgalbraith 

Check out the Consensus Website: https://goconsensus.com/

Dave Govan is the Founder and CEO of G2 Strategic Advisory Services, with a career that spans $100M+ as a rep and $2.3B+ as a CRO. From early-stage startups to global tech titans, Dave has operated across nearly every stage of company growth — and he’s seen it all.

In this episode, we dive into what’s broken in today’s go-to-market (GTM) strategy and how AI is exposing the cracks — especially among lazy leadership and outdated sales execution. Dave breaks down why business acumen, not tactics, is the key differentiator for today’s reps, and how founders often derail their own growth by scaling the wrong way.

Whether you’re a CRO, founder, or seller trying to thrive in today’s shifting landscape, this conversation is packed with honest insights and actionable advice from one of the most experienced operators in the field.

Are you interested in leveling up your sales skills and staying relevant in today’s AI-driven landscape? Visit www.jbarrows.com and let’s Make It Happen together!

Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/

Connect with John on IG: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/

Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-membership?ref=3edab1

Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

Connect with Dave on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davegovan/

Check out Dave's Website: https://g2strategicadvisoryservices.com/

In this special episode of Make It Happen Mondays, John sits down with Ryan Garland, an Account Executive at Coefficient, to dive into what happens when a rep actually cares about getting better. This isn’t a generic sales success story—this is the real, raw impact of putting in the work, embracing coaching, and taking ownership of your sales career.

Ryan shares what drew him to John’s 1:1 coaching program, how he went from solid to standout by applying proven frameworks, and why most reps are leaving massive money on the table by being lazy and reactive. The conversation touches on the current sales landscape, AI’s impact, startup chaos, negotiation tactics that actually work, and what it means to take responsibility not just for results—but for your own personal growth.

This is the kind of episode that reminds us why sales is still one of the most rewarding careers—if you show up for it. Ryan did. Now he’s winning because of it.

Are you interested in leveling up your sales skills and staying relevant in today’s AI-driven landscape? Visit www.jbarrows.com and let’s Make It Happen together!

Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/

Connect with John on IG: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/

Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-membership?ref=3edab1

Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rjgarlan/

Dr. Lorenzo Bizzi is a professor of strategic management at Cal State Fullerton, globally published researcher, and author of Myths vs. Science of Selling — a book that challenges some of the most popular (but unproven) sales advice circulating in the industry today.

In this episode, we dig into the difference between what sounds good in sales and what actually works. Dr. Bizzi shares research-backed insights that turn conventional wisdom on its head — including why being liked by customers doesn’t necessarily lead to more wins, how emotional empathy can actually hurt performance, and why active listening isn’t enough unless it leads to problem clarity for the buyer.

If you’re tired of fluffy sales advice and want to get sharper about what really moves the needle, this episode is for you. Expect a refreshingly honest, practical conversation bridging the gap between research and real-world selling.

Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/

Connect with John on IG: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/

Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-membership?ref=3edab1

Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

Connect with Lorenzo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenzo-bizzi-0b0a4711/ 

Check out Lorenzo's Website: https://www.lorenzobizzi.com/

Get Lorenzo's Book Myths vs. Science of Selling here

This week on Make It Happen Mondays, John sits down with Rory Sadler, Co-founder and CEO of trumpet, the leading digital sales room platform helping companies like Gong, HubSpot, and Personio increase sales velocity by transforming the buying experience.

Before founding trumpet, Rory spent years on the front lines of SaaS sales—first as an individual contributor, then leading global teams at Hotjar. Along the way, he saw firsthand just how painful and chaotic buying software had become—and made it his mission to fix it.

In this episode, Rory shares the aha moment that led to building trumpet, his early entrepreneurial grit (selling sweets and DJing as a teen), and why entrepreneurship is way different than just working at a startup. We also dive into:

1. Why buyer enablement is the new sales enablement
2. How mutual action plans build real trust and alignment
3. What sellers are still getting wrong about personalization
4. The massive opportunity in simplifying complex buying decisions

If you’re in sales, RevOps, or just care about delivering a smoother, faster, and more human buying experience, this episode will hit home.

Are you interested in leveling up your sales skills and staying relevant in today’s AI-driven landscape? Visit www.jbarrows.com and let’s Make It Happen together!

Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/

Connect with John on IG: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/

Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-membership?ref=3edab1

Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

Connect with Rory on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rory-sadler-trumpet/ 

Connect with Trumpet on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sendtrumpet/

Check out Rory's Website: https://www.sendtrumpet.com/

In this episode of Make It Happen Mondays, John Barrows sits down with Guy Rubin, CEO of Ebsta, the revenue intelligence platform that guarantees increased quota attainment—and was recently acquired.

Guy shares the origin story of building Ebsta as a bootstrapped venture, the lessons learned through scaling without VC pressure, and how staying aligned with his values made the acquisition feel like a natural next step. But the real power of this episode lies in the data.

We dive into insights from Ebsta’s 2025 Sales Qualification Report, which shows jaw-dropping stats—like how just 17% of reps are responsible for over 80% of revenue. It’s Pareto Principle in real-time, and it forces us to ask: What happens to the other 80% in an AI-first world?

John and Guy dig into how the best reps qualify, the resurgence of full-cycle sales, and why the future belongs to reps who can ditch the features and start leading business conversations.

This one’s a wake-up call and a roadmap for anyone in B2B sales looking to stay ahead in a fast-changing game.

Are you interested in leveling up your sales skills and staying relevant in today’s AI-driven landscape? Visit www.jbarrows.com and let’s Make It Happen together!

Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/

Connect with John on IG: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/

Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-membership?ref=3edab1

Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

Connect with Guy Rubin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rubinguy/ 

Check out Guy's Website: https://www.ebsta.com/

In this episode, John sits down with Dr. Yaniv Zaid—a global authority on persuasion, communication, and ethical influence. With a career spanning 22+ years, 2,500+ keynotes, and 11 bestselling books (including his latest, The New Bible of Sales: The Ten Commandments), Dr. Zaid brings razor-sharp insight into what makes people say “yes.”

Together, they dive into the psychology of trust, how identity and narrative matter more than features, and the universal persuasion process that top sellers unknowingly follow. Yaniv also breaks down the fine line between manipulation and persuasion, shares why failure is one of the fastest paths to credibility, and challenges John on whether people really have to like you to buy from you.

If you’re in sales, leadership, or just want to understand how to ethically influence others, this episode is packed with actionable strategies that blend science with story.

Are you interested in leveling up your sales skills and staying relevant in today’s AI-driven landscape? Visit www.jbarrows.com and let’s Make It Happen together!

Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/

Connect with John on IG: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/

Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-membership?ref=3edab1

Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

Connect with Dr. Yaniv Zaid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yanivzaid/

Check out Dr. Yaniv Zaid Website: https://www.persuasion.co.il/en/

In this mind-expanding episode, John sits down with MichaelAaron Flicker—entrepreneur, behavioral science strategist, and CEO of XenoPsi Ventures, where he oversees a portfolio of nine companies. He’s also the co-author of Hacking the Human Mind: The Behavioral Science Secrets Behind 17 of the World’s Best Brands, a must-read for anyone serious about sales, branding, or influence.

They explore how behavioral science drives real-world buying behavior, why most sales tactics miss the mark, and how we can ethically use psychological principles to build trust, guide decisions, and grow businesses. From Five Guys’ focused menu strategy to the Sunken Cost Fallacy of Amazon Prime, this episode is packed with real-life behavioral insights sellers can use right now.If you’re ready to move beyond outdated tactics and understand how emotion, perception, and decision-making truly work, this one’s for you.

Are you interested in leveling up your sales skills and staying relevant in today’s AI-driven landscape? Visit www.jbarrows.com and let’s Make It Happen together!

Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/

Connect with John on IG: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/

Check out John's Membership: https://go.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-membership?ref=3edab1

Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter

Connect with MichaelAaron on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelaaron-flicker/

Check out MichaelAaron's Website: https://xenopsi.com/ 

Also Check Out These Links:

• https://hackingthehumanmind.com/
• https://www.xenopsi.com/michaelaaronflicker.php
• https://theconsumerbehaviorlab.com/podcast-overview.php 
• https://theconsumerbehaviorlab.com/masterclass.php