How to Bring Rainmakers Back to Financial Services with John Barrows

Episode 038: In this episode of The Connected Advisor, Kyle Van Pelt is joined by John Barrows, Founder and CEO of JB Sales. John has a wealth of experience in all aspects of business and sales, from making 400 dials a week to leading a self-funded team from startup through acquisition, starting his own business, and now working with some of the world's fastest-growing and most dynamic companies. He believes that, when done right, sales is one of the greatest professions in the world, but when done wrong, it's one of the worst. 

John talks with Kyle about bringing rainmakers back to the financial services industry. They delve into the challenges sales professionals face and the need for a strong work ethic to succeed. John emphasizes the value of having a plan, working hard, and consistently adding value to clients. He also shares practical tips on how to cut through the noise, build a personal brand, and leverage AI in sales and marketing.

Join us as we discuss:

• [02:12] - What stops people from being rainmakers.
• [07:10] - What hard work means in today's day and age.
• [11:42] - Utilizing networking groups for lead generation.
• [14:28] - How salespeople can cut through the noise and get recognized.
• [16:36] - A story about how providing value makes a difference in financial services.
• [22:44] - Tactical tips on adding value to clients.
• [30:31] - What it takes to build a brand.
• [33:03] - How to avoid repeating the same message in sales.
• [37:12] - John's book recommendation about sales.
• [40:04] - How John leverages AI.
• [44:45] - Milemarker minute: John's potential career outside sales, the NFL draft, his bucket list of travel destinations, and book recommendations.
• [47:56] - Where to find John's content.

Key Takeaways

• In sales, having a strong work ethic is crucial for success. Sales professionals need to put in the effort and have a clear plan to achieve their goals.
• Building a personal brand requires consistently adding value to your audience.
• To cut through the noise, sales professionals should have a reason for every client interaction. 
• AI can be a valuable tool in sales and marketing, but it should augment the advisor's role rather than replace it. Sales professionals can leverage AI to curate content, stay updated on industry trends, and provide personalized insights to clients.

Quotes

"Touching base and checking in should be erased from every sales rep's and producer's vocabulary. They should start every conversation with, 'The reason for my call is.' If you cannot finish that sentence, you should not make the phone call. And it better be something better than, 'I'm going to sell you something.'" ~ John Barrows 

"Most people don't build their brands because there are no short-term results and no short-term gratification to it. A brand is a long-term play, but especially in this world of AI, if you are not working on your brand, AI is going to take over your brand." ~ John Barrows 

"There's always somebody one step ahead of you, and there's always somebody one step behind you. Follow the people who are one step ahead of you, consume their content, and then translate it down to the people who are one step behind you." ~ John Barrows

Links 

• John Barrows on LinkedIn
• John Barrows on Twitter
• John Barrows on Instagram
• JB Sales
• Northwestern Mutual
• Feedly
• Michael Kitces
• The Challenger Sale
• The Challenger Customer
• The JOLT Effect
• Perplexity
• Crystal Knows
• Greenlights
• Make It Happen Mondays Podcast

Connect with our hosts

• Milemarker.co
• Kyle on LinkedIn
• Jud on LinkedIn

Subscribe and stay in touch

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• Spotify
• YouTube
• Google Podcasts

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