In a recent LinkedIn post, John Barrows tackles the assertion that “Sales isn’t a numbers game,” pushing back against the idea and advocating for a more nuanced understanding of sales activity and its impact, particularly for those new to the profession.
Barrows begins by referencing a recent post he encountered that claimed sales is not a numbers game, humorously adopting a retro persona to engage with the sentiment. He acknowledges the underlying feeling but contends that the statement lacks crucial context for the majority of sales professionals.
“I’d love it if we all had 30 minutes to research every account we wanted to prospect into and spend an hour preparing for every meeting but for the vast majority of us that’s just not possible.”
He argues that a certain volume of activity is necessary, especially for individuals starting their sales careers. According to Barrows, new salespeople often lack the experience and knowledge to be immediately highly efficient, and therefore, need to accumulate “reps” to build essential skills and resilience.
The Value of Volume and Grit
Barrows expresses frustration with absolute statements like “cold calling is dead” or advice to avoid phone-based outreach. He suggests that judging cold calling solely on immediate metrics like meetings set or SQLs generated can be misleading. Instead, he proposes viewing it as a marketing function, generating “impression points,” and as a crucial tool for developing sales professionals, particularly in fostering grit.
“However, if you look at it as more of a Marketing function (impression points) and expand your definition of success to include the development of Sales professionals (especially related to grit), I’d argue cold calling is incredibly valuable.”
Furthermore, Barrows points to practical experience with clients, where cadences incorporating phone calls alongside email typically yield a 10-20% higher overall conversion rate compared to email-only approaches. This empirical evidence, he suggests, supports the continued relevance and effectiveness of incorporating phone activity.
Understanding Your Sales Equation
The core of Barrows’ argument rests on the idea that sales, to a degree, *is* a numbers game, emphasizing the importance of working hard *before* working smart. He stresses the critical need for salespeople to understand their individual “sales equation” – their specific conversion rates between different stages of the sales process.
“It’s about working hard THEN smart. That’s why it’s so critical to know your sales equation so you know exactly how many activities you need to be doing on a monthly basis to hit your number.”
By understanding these conversion rates, Barrows asserts, sales professionals can identify areas needing the most improvement and strategically allocate their efforts towards quality where it matters most. This data-driven approach allows for a more optimized and effective sales strategy, moving beyond a simplistic view of sheer volume.
Barrows concluded his post by announcing a free training session on “Know Your Sales Equation,” the first module of his “Filling the Funnel” program, where he planned to share his personal spreadsheet for breaking down annual numbers. He emphasized that the spreadsheet would only be given to live attendees, encouraging registration.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by John Barrows on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on January 7, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →