LinkedIn Top Voices 2020: Sales

LinkedIn News is debuting our 6th annual Top Voices list, a collection of hundreds of experts driving today’s professional conversation. As COVID-19 continues to upend our lives, these members are using their voice to help us parse today’s changing world of work, navigate our industries and find balance through it all.

To compile the list, we used a combination of qualitative and quantitative signals — including engagement (including reactions, comments and shares across each member’s content); posting cadence; and follower growth. You can learn more about the methodology at the bottom of this article and can check out all of this year’s Top Voices around the world here.

Below you’ll find this year’s standout voices in sales, just 10 of the hundreds of Top Voices highlighted around the world. From how and why quotas are set to being more intentional about sales culture, these members are sparking conversation about important industry topics and building community along the way. 

Check out this year’s #LinkedInTopVoices in sales — and follow them to stay plugged into the conversation.

What he talks about: Ingram is a sales representative and coach who sparks conversations daily about topics like the best sales tech tools, cold calling tips and how to ask for referrals. He also hosts a “Muffins with Morgan” Live segment every Saturday, where he takes questions from and shares career advice with his 100K+ followers.

His biggest learning from 2020: Amid the upheaval that COVID-19 caused to the professional world, Ingram says he learned how to adapt fast and make pivots. “Moving forward, I believe it will give everyone the ability to be agile in their approach so that they can get more tasks done in a timely manner and be more productive as an organization.”

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What he talks about: Dorsey, a sales executive and mentor to early stage founders, uses his platform to share what he’s learned through his sales journey with others. That includes everything from his biggest fails to the one thing he’s never lost a deal over. He also shares advice for managing teams, like approaching mental health in the workplace and helping reps navigate blockers to closing a deal.

His biggest learning from 2020: “I've learned how important processes are, and how some work in person while others don't work when remote. I've learned how important that human connection is, and that we can take it for granted in the office. I've also learned how intentional you need to be with your time and focus, and once we all went remote it felt like work never stopped,” Dorsey says. 

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What she talks about: Volas, an enterprise sales leader turned entrepreneur, talks about how to improve hiring processes in the industry. She shares tips for both job seekers and companies — like how to properly prepare for a mock sales presentation, or why recruiters should focus on a candidate’s future success rather than their past.  

Her biggest learning from 2020: “That ultimately you can’t control what’s happening around you,” Volas says. “You can control you, and when you double down on doing the right work with the right people consistently, you can get through the worst of times to come out better on the other side.”

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What she talks about: Brazier is an account executive and sales coach who shares tips and tricks around prospecting, hitting quotas and how to handle objection — often sharing real screenshots of her messages to clients and asking her audience to discuss how they could be improved. 

Her biggest learning from 2020: “Humans adapt,” Brazier says. “Whether it's turning their closet into an office (or as my brother calls it, his "cloffice"), or juggling running a business and homeschooling their high schoolers, people find ways to persevere. As work/life balance as we knew it dissolved, it also became pretty clear that businesses need to continue to find ways to support working parents.”

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What he talks about: Chan, who worked in sales at Fortune 500 companies for 14 years, recently started his own consulting group to help B2B sales professionals. He talks about topics like how to build confidence and the right way to present a quote through his daily posts and short video series “#Coffeeandquestions with Chan.”

His biggest learning from 2020: "There is no such thing as ‘Work/Life Balance,’” Chan says. “‘Work/Life Balance’ should actually be replaced with ‘Work/Life Harmony.’ It's about creating a lifestyle that mixes the two. When we can internalize that there is no clear separation and it's about creating a lifestyle, stress will reduce and productivity/happiness will go up.”

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What he talks about: Braun is the founder of a company that offers online sales training to develop skills around prospecting, cold calling and emailing. His content is also focused on offering resources to help others in the industry — like voicemail scripts, tips for defusing common sales objections and examples of cold emails that got a positive response.

His biggest learning from 2020: Braun says this year taught him that empathy is at the heart of selling. “Everyone has the hunger to be heard and understood.”

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What she talks about: Ivey — who, in addition to her role at Emtrain, co-founded a community for other sales development representatives at the height of the pandemic that offers coaching and resources — starts conversations about topics like the right way to measure success and why there is a lack of Black women in sales careers.

Her biggest learning from 2020: “Personally, the theme for me has been a new-found sense of urgency for accomplishing my goals. I think for many of us, it was easier before this time to wait for someday,” Ivey says. “Having to confront and grapple with the fragility and brevity of life and the idea that on any given day, what seems fixed and immovable can dissolve in an instant, has left me feeling more determined and more passionate about the things I want to accomplish.” 

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What he talks about: London-based Alleyne shares his experiences and learnings from his sales career through regular posts and his newsletter, “Sales Life With Alex.” That includes everything from his first impressions in his new role at Amazon to why he thinks every entrepreneur should start in sales.

His biggest learning from 2020: “To always be adaptable as the world is ever changing and unpredictable,” Alleyne says. “Those who aren't agile in their way of thinking have found themselves in challenging circumstances where they haven't been able to adjust to 'the new normal.’”

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What she talks about: Mealy, a sales development leader at Brex, uses polls and video to start discussions with her LinkedIn community. In her weekly Live show “Whine Wednesday” with Gino Donati, the head of sales development at Abstract, she dives into topics like email personalization and how and why quotas are set.

Her biggest learning from 2020: “Being proactive in your networking and your own development is important,” Mealy says. “And giving people the benefit of the doubt given the chaos this year.”

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What she talks about: Ivey Coutinho’s content reflects what she says her mission is: “to elevate the profession of selling, to help sellers and sales leaders do it better, and to find ways to propel more women into the highest levels of leadership.” In her posts, you’ll find her talking about the gender gap in sales, how to get into sales management, the anatomy of a great deal and more.

Her biggest learning from 2020: “We have discovered that many jobs that were done in person in the past can be done more efficiently virtually. This does not hold for all tasks — just some,” Coutinho says. “Hence, expect to see a boost in productivity in the future.”

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You’ve read about this year’s Top Voices in Sales. Now, check out the #LinkedInTopVoices in Marketing & Advertising, Job Search & Careers, Technology and more.

Methodology

To compile the list, we use a combination of quantitative and qualitative signals. This includes engagement (including reactions, comments and shares across each member’s content); posting cadence; and follower growth. But engagement is just a start. Our next filter is qualitative. LinkedIn News editors refine and curate the list by looking at an eligible member’s body of work: Are the contributions insightful, conversational and timely? Do they seek to give and get help vs. being self-promotional? Finally, does this list reflect the world we work and live in today? 

All sharing activity measured took place over a 12-month period, from October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2020. As with all LinkedIn Lists, we excluded current LinkedIn and Microsoft employees from consideration, as well as any members who are being or have been paid by LinkedIn to participate in brand campaigns or courses.