3 Reasons Sales Managers HATE LinkedIn & Social Selling

A lot of sales managers hate LinkedIn and social selling…

It’s true.

They don’t want their sales team wasting time on it and refuse to include it as part of their sales strategy. I’ve even seen one company have it written into the employment CONTRACTS that staff were not allowed to use LinkedIn during working hours (I saw the contract with my own eyes).

I hear it from salespeople all of the time who want to use LinkedIn and social selling, but who ask for help in convincing their managers about why it’s valuable.

To be able to help sales leaders understand the value and importance of it, first you need to understand WHY they hate it.

Here are the 3 most common reasons that sales managers HATE LinkedIn and Social Selling…

1) They didn’t use it when they were selling

The first and most common reason is because THEY didn’t use it. When a lot of sales managers were actually selling, LinkedIn and social selling wasn’t around. It was all about the dials, and because of that, that’s what they expect from their team.

I mean if it aint broke, why fix it right?

Well, firstly it is broke, and secondly times have changed! Cold calling only converts a tiny amount, so to say it isn’t broken is a bit of a stretch. But more importantly times have changed. Rewind 10-20+ years ago, the phone WAS one of the best and only ways to reach prospects and customers. That’s just not the case any more. We have text, we have LinkedIn, we have video, the list is constantly growing.

Some people will NEVER answer your calls, ever. So why give up on them completely when some of those people who won’t answer your calls WILL reply to your LinkedIn messages? Just because you didn’t use it when you were selling doesn’t mean you should stop your sales team from using it now.

2) They don’t understand it

Following on from the fact many sales leaders have never used social selling themselves, their lack of understanding of it then creates fear and resentment.

People often don’t like learning new things, people often don’t like change. Because they don’t understand it themselves, they hold their sales teams back from learning it and using it. Fear of change is just as dangerous in sales as fear of rejection. It stops us from doing important sales activities.

Do you really think that’s a viable excuse for missing out on growing your sales?

No, it’s not. If you don’t understand it, LEARN. There is a whole host of content out there, articles, posts, podcasts, videos, even books. (If you’re a sales leader and keen to learn drop me a message, I have some free resources I can send you to help).

3) They don’t know how to measure it

Tied in to their lack of understanding of LinkedIn and social selling and with their lack of experience using it themselves, the final reason that holds them back is that they don’t know how to measure it.

What they do know is that if you make 100 calls you’ll have 10 conversations, which will usually result in 2 opportunities.

They don’t know how many LinkedIn messages you need to send, or how many pieces of content you need to share, or how many LinkedIn voice notes you should send etc. Because they don’t know how to measure it how on earth can they track it?

The answer is a lot easier than it seems and social selling is actually just as easy to track as cold calls, like the above to reasons it’s all about learning how to do it and then implementing it.

If you’re a sales leader and one of these reasons has been holding you back from embracing LinkedIn and social selling, don’t worry.

You’re not alone.

Don’t let it hold you back anymore though. Embrace the change, embrace the new, learn it, master it and use it alongside your sales teams to become a modern digital sales engine.

To get started, why not check out this video on my YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz5v-YYEXiY

It’s short and sweet but will help you with a few tips and tricks to get you and your team started.

If you and your team are really keen to get the most from LinkedIn and social selling then check out my brand new book “The Ultimate LinkedIn Sales Guide” which is available on hardback and Kindle right now.

It’s the most up to date and comprehensive book on turning LinkedIn into a lead generating, sales generating and revenue generating machine. It covers everything from fully optimising LinkedIn profiles, building industry leading personal brands, sending effective written, audio and video messages, using all of the search filters and features, creating super engaging content, winning strategies, tools, cadences and so much more.

Thank you again for taking the time to read this blog! If you enjoyed this post please click LIKE and click SHARE to share it with your network.

If you enjoyed it please do take time to read some of my other recent posts:

Just Pick Up The Phone and Call!

The ABC Of Social Selling

The Modern-Day Sales Prospecting Stack

The 10 Things That Will NEVER Change In Sales

About the author: Daniel Disney is one of the world’s leading Sales, Social Selling, and LinkedIn experts and is the author of the #1 Amazon Best Selling book, “The Million-Pound LinkedIn Message“.

Daniel is currently delivering LIVE LinkedIn Social Selling virtual training sessions and virtual sales kickoff talks for businesses and salespeople around the world. For more information please check out danieldisney.online or email contact@thedailysales.net