Confessions of a Salesman

First and foremost Barry Dunlop is a salesman and very proud of it.

Apart from a brief spell in the Merchant Navy, Barry has been a salesman most of his working life – and a very good salesman at that!

Upon leaving the Merchant Navy in 1982 (aged 21) he took up his first direct sales job as a door-to-door salesman selling electric showers, quickly establishing himself as a formidable salesperson, breaking sales records month after month.

In 1983 a friend persuaded him that selling double glazing (replacement windows) could be even more profitable for him and so began an association with the glass and glazing industry in the UK that lasts to this day.

Barry once again excelled and quickly became the top salesperson in the double glazing division of a major UK plc. This in turn led to Barry entering sales management and sales training in 1984 – eventually ending up as divisional sales manager and a $250,000+ per year income with responsibility not only for sales, but also for recruitment and training of one of the most effective sales forces ever in the UK double glazing industry.

Barry is very proud that many of the rookie sales people to whom he gave a ‘first break’ way back then continue to earn very substantial levels of income in the field of selling.

Barry Dunlop knows what it is to be a direct sales person – to live on commission only when quite literally your livelihood is wholly dependant on your performance as a sales person.

Barry Dunlop – the young salesman receiving one of many awards for top sales performance in 1984.

Fast forward a few years and Barry had set up his own double glazing company plus not one, but two very successful conservatory companies – one of which supplied large bespoke upmarket conservatories to homes in London and the South East of England.

Barry realised the potential of the Internet as a sales and promotional tool early on and began his first website the same year as Google was registered. As a promotional tool for his conservatory company, the site began to attract enquiries in such numbers that Barry sold the leads outside his own geographical reach to other installers. When he began to earn more money selling the leads than from conservatories he sold up and concentrated on the creation of Ebuilders Ltd – a business that was to develop a highly successful series of consumer home improvement advice websites which now cover virtually every sector including kitchens and bathrooms.

Whilst many of his peers at the time were laughing at the idea of running a web business, Barry became one of the most highly-respected businessmen in the glass and windows industry, appearing in a UK list of the most influential people in that sector. Barry also has a regular column as ‘The Web Doctor’ in two leading home improvement trade magazines.

In 2006, Barry sold Ebuilders Ltd in a multi-million dollar transaction that now allows him to focus on new ventures and projects. He is held in high esteem by many of the leading Internet marketing minds and continues to show his ability to adapt to any challenge.

These days Barry Dunlop might allow himself to be tagged Internet ‘geek’ but, as you can see, he comes from the very real world of home improvements and direct sales.

Barry now focuses on the research of new Internet techniques and technologies in addition to offering consultation to companies and organisations developing web strategies.

He is also available for sales and Internet marketing conferences and speaks on a wide range of subjects, including: Sales Training, Search Engine Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, Buying and Selling Websites, Website Due Diligence and Buzz Marketing (inc Social Bookmarking).

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