Learn The John Barrows Proven Strategy to Level Up Your Game
Master Viral Content Styles From Top LinkedIn Creators
Each week, I breakdown how (and when) a top creator hit their viral moment, so you can weave it into your strategy.
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*This is John's total engagement numbers from his 8-year journey (through August 8, 2024)
Introduction
I met John for the first time when I was onboarded as a new EBR at Salesforce back in 2008. Doug Landis and Alana Kadden Ballon. At that time, he was helping all of us understand the benefits of BASHO and how to write a unique (and differentiated) prospecting email.
What's wild to me is the same training is relevant today. I'd argue it's even MORE important today with all the distractions of AI and how we're turning up the volume of CRAPtastic messages to decision makers.
Below you'll find one 'viral' post that John put out after we were deep in COVID and did an analysis of his inbox. The findings were really surprising to me and I'm still confused why this is the reality of where we are as sales professionals.
Here are a few things worth noting about John's background and why you should care:
He's a renowned sales training expert with 25+ years of experience, having trained tens of thousands of sales professionals globally and founded his own company, JB Sales, in 2013.
- He's been highlighted in publications like Forbes and Entrepreneur.
- At JB Sales, he's rolled out new programs (to me): "Filling the Funnel" and "Driving to Close" and delivering them to companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta
- Wrote an amazing book with his daughter "I Want To Be In Sales When I Grow Up" aimed at introducing the sales profession to children and encouraging more women to enter the field. I bought the book and with all profits donated to charity, I can't recommend it enough. My young daughter loves it.
- He's slinging why Clay tables will never work (with Jen Allen-Knuth). Check out what they're doing here. You'll find him helping the sales community through live training sessions, workshops and picking a fight on LinkedIn (when he's seeing terrible messaging and it's time to put someone in their place.
Let's get into why I'm calling him The Basho Mastermind...
Content Style: The Basho Mastermind
I went digging deep into the archives. When I was at Zendesk, we signed up to take advantage of all the Barrows knowledge we could back in 2015.
The methods that John was able to provide, allowed us to really scale up our Sales Development organization.
At that time, I was working on building out the first Sales Development team at Zendesk.
We were one of the first customers of Kyle Porter's Salesloft Prospector and it was the beginning of a new era.
An era where we were using highly customized methods and plays to stand out from the noise.
Back then, it was something new to find someone's email address and send them a customized message through a sequence of emails.
Now, well, we know how noisy and messy it is out there.
The point of this content style is that I believe John was behind the ability for many organizations back then to stand out.
A BASHO email was (and still is) a highly personalized, relevant and customized (for that individual) email that would be delivered directly to a decision maker in your account(s).
It's still amazing to me that most still don't do this.
If you want more info on it, ask John.
We All Start Somewhere
Unfortunately, I was not able to pull anything prior to 2016 off of LinkedIn. John's journey started in 2004, which ironically is around when I started too, and I'm sorry to say that this journey (and his story below) all start in 2016.
I'm working on finding a way to go back further but until then, we're going to call this Part I of the John Barrows story.
Once I'm able to go back to 2004, I will make sure to have another edition that weaves the full history together.
Until then, enjoy this 2016-2024 journey.
Let's start in December 2016 when John posted 15 posts that month.
December 1, 2016, was the first post I was able to capture. He went on to share another post on the same day. And on 4 different days, John posted twice on LinkedIn.
Around 2016, it’s not common to find creators who would post this many times per month.
Still, in December 2016, John had a total of 369 reactions, 49 comments, and 30 reposts across his 15 posts. That’s a solid performance considering the competition at the time was much less than it is today.
John hit the ground running with his very first post having this hook:
Good article here on how to successfully sell to the C Suite (20 reactions, 2 comments, 5 reposts)
That’s the entire content he shared. It's the hook and the body of the post.
John did link to an article titled “What You Can Do to Successfully Sell to the C-Suite”
Anyone who is or works with Millennials needs to watch this: (66 reactions, 10 comments, 10 reposts)
Right now is a gr8 time to practice ur negotiation skills. go out to retailers or mall kiosks and see what you can get. (85 reactions, 3 comments, 2 reposts)
These two were his most-performing posts in 2016. John’s starting style was briefly dropping a subject and mostly introducing the link to another valuable content.
His hook also served as the body.
Testing Phase
Incredibly humbled to be included in this list by Ambition. The 17 Sharpest Sales Minds to Follow in 2017 (140 reactions, 15 comments, 11 reposts)
John had just started posting on LinkedIn for about 5 weeks - and he already has 100+ reactions on a single post.
Even at this point in time, this result is a testament to value delivery and consistency - these two factors are the jokers to winning the LinkedIn game.
Speaking of consistency, John shared 370 posts in 2017.
In January 2017, John would go on to cross the 200 reaction bar.
When ur calling into the C suite, be the sales rep they wish they had selling their stuff. (211 reactions, 8 comments, 6 reposts)
“The minute u get away from fundamentals (proper technique, work ethic, mental prep) the bottom can fall out of whatever ur doing.” - MJ (114 reactions, 7 comments, 6 reposts)
Always Be Closing. (231 reactions, 23 comments, 26 reposts)
The Glen Gerry Glen Ross references never get old for me and I can't wait to join him in for the full broadway production in the future.
Yup! (280 reactions, 8 comments, 41 reposts)
I'm not one to share too many memes on LinkedIn, but this one was too good to pass up. (1041 reactions, 66 comments, 151 reposts)
Morgan J Ingram, I think we should hire this kid.....(210 reactions, 20 comments, 28 reposts)
Just after seeing John’s hook here, I paused to watch the video.
This is a repost of the content shared by a different creator, and mentioning another creator is a means to pull the both of them into the conversation.
Mentions always bring people around your post.
Of course, the hooks from both John Barrows and Frank Aziz are just perfect for the video.
By the way, last week, I released a newsletter where I analyzed Morgan J Ingram LinkedIn journey (link at the bottom of the page) - he has an impressive story arc, and is also a top voice on LinkedIn today.
A couple of the comments on my video about my profile picture said I don't have enough pictures of me wearing the Patriots jacket. (454 reactions, 66 comments, 1 repost)
You don't have to be in the mood to cold call, to make a cold call. (617 reactions, 37 comments, 17 reposts)
Please stop sending Linkedin requests or inmails that say "I'd like to connect and see how we can help each other succeed… (573 reactions, 48 comments, 10 reposts)
Good luck this week closing out the year strong, but remember. (379 reactions, 19 comments, 9 reposts)
A quick glance at this post will show you 4 things:
- Timely - end of year
- Short
- Valuable
- Dope hook and closing.
If it's your fiscal quarter end this month, and you're looking for a magic bullet to close 95% of your pipeline remember this going into next quarter. (335 reactions, 27 comments, 10 reposts)
If you're on LinkedIn reading this post over the weekend, you're probably a top performer who is always looking to get better at their craft. (865 reactions, 101 comments, 3 reposts)
What a great performance for a Saturday post on LinkedIn.
Who says that LinkedIn posts can only thrive on Weekdays??
With apt copywriting skills and speaking the right subject matter to your audience, LI posts will thrive anytime.
I've trained thousands of salespeople and almost 90% of them fail when it comes to cold calling for this simple reason... Their introductions are WEAK. (1504 reactions, 234 comments, 176 reposts)
This is the first time John would cross the 1.5k reaction line.
He started adding his branded video content to his LI posts.
Do you notice how powerful the hook is?? If you’re an SDR you want to check where you belong in both categories - the 90 or the 10!
Today is the day! My daughter Charlotte and I's book, "I Want To Be In Sales When I Grow Up" officially launches today! (1913 reactions, 346 comments, 120 reposts)
Of course, you want to watch the video when you see a dad and his little daughter in a video. And it’s all about helping others. It’s no surprise this post took John close to 2k reactions on a single post.
Today was one of the proudest moments of my professional career. (1702 reactions, 200 comments, 20 reposts)
There’s no way you will see a little girl sitting among grownups, getting all the applause, and you won’t want to watch and like the video.
If you're struggling right now please watch this. It's an extremely simple but powerful message that I think a lot of us need to hear and then do. (2921 reactions, 205 comments, 1808 reposts)
You don’t always find posts that have this insane numbers of reposts- 1800+ and 2900+ reactions.
This is another video that scooped 4 minutes of my time while compiling John Barrows landmarks on LinkedIn - it’s worth every second of the video.
Just watch the video and you will see why it carries John’s highest performance on LI till date.
The value of this video is through the roof and you can tell that this is exactly what the world needed at the time it was posted.
Remember March 2020 was the heat of COVID and quarantine is really driving everyone crazy, with the change in lifestyle and literally everything.
Giving just what your audience needs at the time they need it is one fundamental principle to driving performance online.
There are a few types of questions you'll leverage in your sales calls.(837 reactions, 108 comments, 51 reposts)
I just got back from a 2 week vacation where I drove across country with my family in our my new RV… (1826 reactions, 410 comments, 47 reposts)
The SDR role is easily the hardest role in sales. (1233 reactions, 193 comments, 48 reposts)
Two of my favorite clients combining forces? this could be huuuuuuge! (1524 reactions, 56 comments,, 43 reposts)
Do you want to win more deals? (1103 reactions, 105 comments, 37 reposts)
You can easily note 3 obvious keys for this good performance in this post.
Use of clear media. The chart is simple and easy to understand. In just 4 seconds, you understand every detail on the chart
- The killer hook
- The mention - Gong
- Good use of white space
Instead of saying "does that make sense?" after answering someone's question, say "does that help clarify things for you?" It's less insulting. (1124 reactions, 187 comments, 11 reposts)
My Dad passed away earlier this year and when I was cleaning out his desk I found a hand written note pinned to his cork board that read:
"when you are accustom to privilege, equality feels like oppression" (2833 reactions, 197 comments, 114 reposts)
I've been saying this for years and Gong finally has the data to back it… (1680 reactions, 240 comments, 60 reposts)
Finding John's Creator Style
I'm just going to say it - I don't care if you're a CEO of a billion dollar company… (2842 reactions, 205 reactions, 18 reposts)
At this point, John took his creation John started replying his audience in the comment section of every post. This action alone boost engagement and metrics.
Dear Verizon,
Thanks for the very thoughtful update on the additional "economic adjustment charge." (1316 reactions, 169 comments, 19 reposts)
Dear customers, if a sales rep does even a reasonable job throughout the sales process and you decided to go in a different direction… (1880 reactions, 109 comments, 23 reposts)
I wish everyone would shut up and stop watching the news. I feel like we're talking ourselves into a recession and it's going to end up being a self-fulfilling prophecy. (2551 reactions, 244 comments, 37 reposts)
Dear LinkedIn,
Could you please turn off the "Happy Birthday" option on people's profiles? (794 reactions, 191 comments)
We've lost sight of the fundamentals in Sales. (2607 reactions, 326 comments, 73 reposts)
Matt Damon delivers on of the greatest "sales pitches" of all time in the movie "AIR" (696 reactions, 81 comments, 32 reposts)
Happy Friday everyone!
I thought I would share exactly how I prospect into my Tier1 Accounts EVERY DAY! (857 reactions, 157 comments, 26 reposts)
Actually, you may want to watch the 4-minute video if you’re a sales leader to understand how much effort you have to put into your leads to achieve your sales targets. #JustSaying
John also continues to engage his comments and that’s also going pretty well. Comment engagement is always a boost to your metrics and fosters further communication with your LinkedIn community. See an example here;
Dear Lazy Sales Reps,
I don't care what you sell or who you are, you're not THAT important. No one cares about how "great" you or your product is. (180 reactions, 236 comments, 12 reposts)
4th times a charm. (763 reactions, 105 comments, 3 reposts)
Dear customers and prospects,
It's ok to tell a Sales rep 'no.' (1653 reactions, 147 comments, 40 reposts)
Conclusion
Well, John is one of the OGs on LinkedIn but here are the three thing I've found the most interesting:
- Create a unique personality (that can't be duplicated)
- Use current events and personal stories to break the noise
- Use individuals and company findings to validate your POV
John has a unique personality that allows him to stand out from everyone else. He is direct and not afraid of what anyone else thinks. By having the confidence to stand the line and build his brand around it, it's allowed him to build JB Sales into what it is today.
Throughout his time, he used current events (sports, COVID, news) to trigger emotional responses that create engagement and builds on his unique POV.
Clearly you're not going to be able to go back in time to 2004 and start posting on LinkedIn but you can learn from what's worked throughout his journey and apply it to yours.
Alright, let's get into a bit more about the detail here.
1
Create a unique personality (that can't be duplicated)
What specifically do I mean?
Think about this...
When someone reads your content, what do they think of?
For John, I think about getting educated in a direct and thoughtful way. To me he's not offensive but others may perceive it that way. It's about allowing yourself to figure out how you speak to others.
Think about what your point of view is and really lean into it. Have a strong opinion about how you feel and take a stance on it. Don't change it. Lean into it.
This is your life.
Figure out how to be unique in the words you use and how you engage in the comments.
Do this: Write down 3 things that make you unique and write one post about what you've learned this week.
2
Use current events and personal stories to break the noise
Go write a book with your daughter on the topic you care about and have her publish it!
That is one magical way to share in public what's going on in your life and help build further trust with your audience.
I'm assuming that 99.9% of you won't do this but I'm thinking about it. I'm in the process of creating a story with my son but it's not related to LinkedIn sooooo does it count?
My point is, try to do things like this:
Being able to lean into who you are and what you stand for matters. Being able to speak to that in a clear and concise way that's thoughtful is how to find success.
Look, I'm not saying to share your entire personal life. That's not my point so don't take this and turn LinkedIn into your Facebook or Instagram page. It's about tying relevant things in your personal life (you're comfortable with sharing) that tie back to business learnings.
Remember, LinkedIn is a social networking platform at the core.
Treat it as such and learn from the best.
Do this: What's one story in your life from this summer that is applicable to LinkedIn?
3
Use individuals and company findings to validate your POV
Looking over John's journey, you're going to find how he weaves in Gong findings, other creators and starts conversations with individuals.
Whether he does this on purpose or not, I'm not sure, but the way he's able to bring companies and individuals into conversations, he's created a long term successful brand here.
Here's an example of how he used Gong data to validate his point of view
I've been saying this for years and Gong finally has the data to back it… (1680 reactions, 240 comments, 60 reposts)
So, what's your version of this?
Do this: Find one brand on LinkedIn that has data to support your point of view - and weave it into a post.
Alright, that's it for John's journey...
Next week, I'll be breaking down Nicolas Cole and why I joined his Premium Ghostwriting Academy!
Till next time...
Master Viral Content Styles From Top LinkedIn Creators
Each week, I breakdown how (and when) a top creator hit their viral moment, so you can weave it into your strategy.
100% Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
Connect With Me Here:
ANDREW MCGUIRE
Pipeline Catalyst Founder
From burnt out exec (3 exits & 15 years experience) to effortless growth by finding my creator style.
Living in Bend, Oregon and taking advantage of all the outdoor adventures.
If you can't find me, I'm probably lifting some weights in the gym, sweating in a sauna or freezing in a cold plunge.
Now I'm on a mission to help you understand how top creators have gone viral so you can weave it into your growth strategy.
Copyright 2024 Andrew C McGuire, all rights reserved.