3 reasons why sales managers dislike LinkedIn and social selling
- Sandra Curvelo Robayo
- Jul 24
- 3 min read
Many sales managers dislike LinkedIn and social selling...
It's true.
They don't want their sales team to waste time and refuse to include it as part of their sales strategy. I've even seen a company write into their employment contracts that staff could not use LinkedIn during working hours (I saw the contract with my own eyes).
I hear from salespeople all the time who want to use LinkedIn and Social Selling but ask for help convincing their managers why it's valuable.
In order to help sales leaders understand the value and importance of this, you first need to understand WHY they hate it.
Here are the 3 most common reasons why 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 many sales managers were selling, LinkedIn and Social Selling didn't exist. It was all about phone calls, and that's what they expect from their team.
Times have changed! Cold calls only convert to leads in a small number, so saying it's obsolete is a bit of an exaggeration. But more importantly, times have changed. Rewind 10-20 years ago, the phone was one of the best and only ways to reach prospects or leads and customers. That is no longer the case. We have text, we have LinkedIn, we have video, the list goes on and on.
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 respond to your LinkedIn messages? Just because you didn't use it when you were selling doesn't mean you should prevent your sales team from using it now.
2) They don't understand it
Given that many sales leaders have never used social selling themselves, their lack of understanding generates fear and resentment.
People often don't like learning new things; people don't like change. Because they don't understand it themselves, they prevent their sales teams from learning and using it. Fear of change is as dangerous in sales as fear of rejection. It prevents us from carrying out important sales activities.
Do you really think that's a viable excuse for missing out on the opportunity to increase your sales?
No, it's not. If you don't understand it, LEARN. There is a wealth of content, articles, publications, podcasts, videos, and even books. (If you are a sales leader and are interested in learning, send me a message, I have some resources I can send you to help).
3) They don't know how to measure it
Linked to their lack of understanding of LinkedIn and social selling, and their lack of experience in 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 they make 100 calls, they will have 10 conversations, which will generally result in two opportunities.
On LinkedIn, you can make 10 connections per day per week, 50 per week, 200 per month, 2,000 per year... grow your network.
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 much easier than it seems, and social selling is actually as easy to track as cold calling. It's about learning how to do it and then implementing it.
If you're a sales leader and one of these reasons has prevented you from adopting LinkedIn and Social Selling, don't worry.
I help people on LinkedIn become a machine that generates potential customers, sales, and revenue in less than 15 minutes a day, organically.
You are not alone.
However, don't let that stop you any longer. Embrace change, embrace the new, learn, master it, and use it alongside your sales teams to become a modern digital sales engine.
@ByDanielDisney
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