Here be Dragons: Why I Don't Tell Salespeople They Need to be Thought Leaders

Hundreds of conversations with sellers, sales leaders, and enablement leaders makes me think we're back in ancient seafaring times with great uncertainty about what lies beyond well-travelled waters.

When talk turns to social selling, the journey is terribly unclear.

They know the coastal regions just fine. Their people ply those waters every day. The skillsets and tactics and metrics of conventional selling are well-understood and widely followed.

A Far-Off Land of Riches

There's a sense that a far-off land of unlimited riches exists. A land where thought leaders garner tremendous respect and pull the world toward them.

Thought leaders, it seems, speak at conferences, amass huge social media followings, and attract vast amounts of high-intent inbound demand for their products and services.

Between those distant shores? Uncharted and seemingly dangerous waters.

?? Here be dragons. ??

Best we keep our boats safe. Close to shore.

Is Thought Leadership the Right Goal?

The reality is that 99.9% of sellers won't ever be thought leaders. And that's okay. In fact, it's more than okay.

And we do them a disservice when we, as well-intentioned leaders, trainers, and enablement professionals tell them that they all can be – all should be - thought leaders.

They know it's not true. They know it's not going to be real for the vast majority of them.

In most cases, they don't even want to be thought leaders.

They want to sell. ??

Sell bigger. ???? Sell faster. ?????? Sell better. ????????

A Different Destination

There are some beautiful islands between these distant shores.

These islands are inhabited by SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS.

And now we're talking about something all of our sellers can be.

Many of your sellers already are subject matter experts. They make that clear every day in meetings. On calls. In emails and proposals and conversations of all sorts.

Public Subject Matter Experts

The real social selling opportunity is to help them bring that subject matter expertise out into the public eye.

?? To show up and speak up on LinkedIn (and on other social platforms if that's where their customers and prospects are) with real confidence and purpose.

?? To publicly demonstrate expertise in their space and authentic buyer-centric / client-centric passion.

?? To share content that educates, inspires, and helps others learn, grow, and thrive and to bring their own voice and perspective into play.

?? To engage in public conversations relevant to their areas of expertise.

?? To build their reputation.

?? To build and nurture relationships.

?? To build trust at scale.

?? To become the sellers that buyers *actually want* to speak with.

THIS is the Real Opportunity for Modern Social Selling

THIS is the opportunity.

THIS is realistic.

Let's stop scaring people away with talk of "making everyone a thought leader".

Let's stop trying to send them on a voyage across dragon-infested waters to a land they can't see and don't even want to visit.

Let's help them set up their beach chair on the beautiful islands of public subject matter expertise.