Great business winners aren’t created in a vacuum. No one just walks into their first day on a sales team knowing exactly what they need to do to win customers and close deals. Good salespeople hone their skills by listening to and learning from one another.
Fortunately, social media means that some of the world's greatest sales experts are at your fingertips, and if you follow them, you can learn from them every day. Below are 11 (we just couldn’t get it under 10) of our favorite influencers on LinkedIn. Not all of them are straight-up salespeople, there are some marketers and SDR folks on this list as well, but all of them have something to offer even the most experienced sales rep.
- Max Altschuler, Vice President of Sales Engagement at Outreach: A lifelong entrepreneur, Max Altschuler founded Sales Hacker in 2013, after starting a Sales Hacker Meetup group for innovative young salespeople and hosting a successful conference. Since then, Sales Hacker (which was acquired by Outreach in 2018) has become a definitive voice in the world of B2B sales and Altschuler has become a thought leader in the world of sales, entrepreneurship, and sales engagement. He’s very active on LinkedIn, liking and sharing posts, as well as writing plenty of his own content about sales, leadership, and entrepreneurship.
"One of my favorite company core values is 'Think Like an Owner' or 'Have an Ownership Mentality' because it aligns everyone with the simple reality that the customer is your boss."
- Victor Antonio: Sales trainer, speaker, and podcast host Victor Antonio is a well-known voice in the world of sales; he spent 25 years in sales before becoming a keynote speaker. When you scroll his feed, you’ll see why he’s so successful as a speaker — the best and most engaging feature of Antonio’s LinkedIn feed are his Behind the Wheel videos, which feature Antonio telling a story while he’s sitting in his (parked) car. Antonio is an engaging storyteller, so his parked car videos feel just like getting coffee with a friend from work and talking shop.
“Don’t be afraid to be very direct with your clients… if you disagree with something or have a question. Sometimes, that’s where the real conversation happens.”
- Cynthia Barnes: Cynthia Barnes is a writer, speaker, podcast host, and the founder of both the National Association of Women Sales Professionals and the Barnes Sales Institute. A fierce advocate for women in sales, Barnes has studied women’s specific strengths in the sales industry and works hard to provide opportunities for women. She is extremely active on LinkedIn, publishing job opportunities, inspirational posts, as well as hard facts about gender and racial disparities in the sales industry. She also hosts Unstoppable, a podcast that features interviews with women leaders in sales.
“Every salesperson wants to perform at the top of their league. But when you’re a woman operating in an outdated sales system with male-centric scripts and networking events that clash with family obligations – you can be left playing a game you’ll struggle to win.
- John Barrows: John Barrows is a sales trainer, consultant, and the author of a children’s book, I Want to Be in Sales When I Grow Up. His LinkedIn feed is a mix of posts and candid videos about sales.
“It's not about what you know, it's about sharing your journey and what you're learning along the way. If just one of your posts makes a positive impact on someone else's life isn't that alone worth it? It is for me.”
- Kevin “KD” Dorsey: Kevin Dorsey is a sales trainer, sales leadership thought leader, and podcaster who is dedicated to the human side of sales. His feed examines the people-focused side of sales — how can your prospect use what you’re selling them? Can your top rep be a good sales manager? How can you change a rep’s behavior? Dorsey posts have the same drive and energy as other sales influencers, but they’re also compassionate; he understands sales can be tough and salespeople are human — and doesn’t make his readers feel bad about not being on top of their game every minute of every day.
“No part of sales is ‘natural’… Waking up knowing you’ll be rejected all day isn’t natural. Not knowing what your paycheck will look like each month is not natural. Learning to really listen, communicate, negotiate and positively persuade IS NOT NATURAL. It’s hard. It takes time and dedication to master this craft.”
- Richard Harris: If you follow sales content, you’ve probably seen Richard Harris before. Harris is a sales speaker, sales trainer, a podcast host, and head of the Harris Consulting Group. Harris is always generous with his knowledge and expertise and his LinkedIn feed is no different. He posts often and interacts with commenters - his feed is full of anecdotes, sales wisdom, and polls.
“Most people don't want to be told what to do first. They want to understand why it matters first.”
- Mark Hunter, CSP: Known as “The Sales Hunter,” Mark Hunter is an author, speaker, and sales trainer with more than 30+ years of sales experience. Hunter is concerned with making sure salespeople always close deals at full price. He posts daily with sales advice and excerpts from his book, A Mind for Sales.
“Sales is not a solo activity. Sales is a team sport.”
- Morgan J. Ingram: Morgan J. Ingram is a sales coach and trainer, podcaster, YouTuber, and thought leader who posts daily about sales, sales development, and prospecting. Ingram is a master of using short video clips to communicate his messages, and there are lots of bite-sized lessons to click on. He also offers some solid advice when it comes to specific aspects of sales and sprinkles in TikTok-style clips which offer a wry look at sales challenges.
“Forget ‘business-to-business’—your sales and marketing need to be ‘human-to-human.’”
- Gaetano Nino DiNardi, VP, Growth at Aura: DiNardi is not strictly in sales — his background is in marketing — but his feed is a must-read for anyone in sales or marketing. DiNardi writes long posts about the sales process, marketing, and business in general. Never shy about expressing his opinion, he’s got plenty of hot takes. If you’re looking for a new voice to include in your LinkedIn feed, check out DiNardi.
“Honest marketing is the future. Marketing tricks can not force buyers into being ready.”
- Lori Richardson: With more than 30 years in sales, consultant and trainer Lori Richardson is an influencer who has a lot to say about sales. Richardson founded Women Sales Pros to help more women get into B2B sales and into sales leadership positions. Her feed is a mixture of advice, observations about sales, and links to her Women Sales Pros podcast, where she tells the stories of women in sales.
“The day we have women filling 40-50% of sales leader roles VP level and above - that's when I'll stop talking about the lack of women sellers and leaders at. every. Level.”
- Alice Heiman: If the last name sounds familiar, it may be because you’re familiar with the sales training organization Miller Heiman, Alice’s parents’ company. Alice has been in sales and since 1997 has been strategizing with CEOs and sales leadership to develop sales organizations and increase sales profitably. Her feed provides content for sales reps, sales leaders, and CEOs.
“Ask, "What are we doing to make it easier to be our customer and harder to be our competitor?"”
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