By Troy Harrison – Sales Navigator
In today’s hyper-connected business world, it’s shocking to me how many salespeople still treat LinkedIn as optional—or worse, avoid it entirely. I was talking with a sales manager recently who mentioned that several of his team members “don’t do LinkedIn.” My response: “Then they don’t do professional selling.” That might sound harsh, but let’s be real. If you’re selling B2B in 2025 without utilizing the world’s premier business networking platform, you’re essentially committing sales malpractice.
Think I’m exaggerating? Consider this: When a prospect receives your email or picks up your call, what’s the first thing they do? They Google you—and your LinkedIn profile is likely the first result they’ll see. If your profile is non-existent, incomplete, or unprofessional, you’ve already damaged your credibility before saying a word. First impressions happen digitally now, not when you walk through the door.
LinkedIn isn’t just another social media platform. It’s a business tool—perhaps the most powerful one in a salesperson’s arsenal that doesn’t require a subscription fee. Yet many salespeople approach it with either indifference (“I’m too busy selling to mess with that”) or outdated tactics (sending spam-like direct messages to cold prospects). Both approaches miss the mark entirely.