Start by asking open-ended questions to understand their skepticism. Are they concerned about data accuracy, relevance, or the complexity of analysis? Emphasize how data can lead to more informed decisions, reducing guesswork and increasing the likelihood of success. Share success stories from other companies that have leveraged data to drive sales growth. Propose a small pilot project where data analysis is applied to a specific sales initiative. Introduce them to accessible data tools and dashboards that simplify data analysis. Emphasize that these tools can provide insights without requiring extensive technical expertise.

Frankly speaking, I haven’t seen a single sales manager lately who is skeptical about data-driven strategies. The reason some sales managers might appear skeptical is that it requires significant effort and time to derive valuable insights from a large amount of data. In most cases, this involves sifting through numerous reports, which can be frustrating. Once a sales leader sees that they can easily understand how key sales metrics are affected by certain factors and what needs to be done to help their team hit sales targets, they become advocates. To achieve this, you need to employ specialized software that can generate insights and recommendations in simple terms.

In my experience everything starts with understanding the concerns and experiences from the other side. Asking "Why?" and related questions one may eventually uncover the reasoning behind data driven push back. Generally speaking, I would adopt 2 directions: first direction would be connected to highlighting success stories and second direction would be to provide continuous hands-on training, support and coaching. Best practice could be connected to case studies or examples from within the organization or from similar companies in the industry in order to connect the dots on how data-driven decision-making has helped in identifying high-potential leads, optimizing sales processes, and ultimately increasing revenue.

Don’t overwhelm the team with too much data. Instead, provide simple, meaningful insights that clearly show the value of a data-driven approach. Remember, sales is also about human interaction, so balance data with the personal touch.

In today’s business environment, most leaders recognize that data is essential for decision-making. If you're encountering skepticism, it likely stems from questions around the strategy or approach. Start by understanding the concerns of the sales manager—ask and listen. For instance, one sales manager was hesitant about the value of marketing-qualified leads. Through discussion, we realized marketing and sales had different definitions of “qualified.” Aligning those definitions led to better outcomes. Identifying the root cause is the first step toward overcoming resistance and driving data adoption.