Sales Navigator and Why it’s One of the Best Selling Tools

Getting the Most Out of LinkedIn Sales Navigator

The better your network, the better your sales. This is what social selling is all about—and, thanks to lead generation platforms like DiscoverOrg and ZoomInfo, it’s gone beyond combing through profiles to see which of your friends went to college with that SVP you’ve been courting.

Then there’s LinkedIn Sales Navigator, which not only promises high-quality data from its 500-million member database, but also the relationship-building of a true social network. We’ve been trying it out for ourselves… here’s what we’ve found:

The Best News: Everybody’s Already There

All lead gen platforms promise qualified contact information. How qualified the leads are depends entirely on the developer’s diligence. In the case of Sales Navigator, every contact is essentially pre-qualified: the vast majority of professionals are already on LinkedIn, and most of them are good at keeping their profiles up to date. There’s little chance of hitting a dead end.

Social News: Shared Experiences

Shared interests are the backbone of social networking. This filter makes it easier to break the ice by identifying what you’ve got in common: places you’ve lived, companies you’ve worked for, influencers you both follow.

Also Good News: Keeping Track

It’s not really a social network… but you don’t turn to LinkedIn to share videos of surfing cats. What LinkedIn can do is keep you aware of what’s going on with your contacts—promotions, job shifts, and new connections (valuable if you’re trying to link up through a mutual contact). If you’ve signed up at the Team level, you can see which of your colleagues is already in touch with your prospects. You can also package sales collaterals in PointDrive Presentations—clients won’t have to download them, and you can keep track of who’s viewed what.

Incredibly Filtered News: Narrow Your Prospects

Features like the “Interested In” filter make it easier to target companies that need what you provide. Advanced filters (years in position, years in company, posted content keywords) allow you to target prospects who are most likely to be the movers and shakers within their organization.

Still Good News: CRM Integration

Integration with SalesForce, Microsoft Dynamics, and HubSpot has been a feature for some time now, and it’s gotten smoother with the new user interface.

Maybe-Not-Terrific News: You’ll Be Using InMail

Some people aren’t crazy about having to use LinkedIn’s internal email system instead of getting direct contact info (for the record, LinkedIn swears it gets better response than email). Depending on which level you buy, you’ll get anywhere from 20 to 50 messages a month.

Words of Wisdom: Don’t Rush The Setup

One of the strengths of Sales Navigator is predictive matching—so the more information you provide about yourself, the better your hits will be. Expect to spend about an hour importing your contacts and setting up your profile.

Want to boost the impact of your sales? One call is all it takes to put your virtual marketing department to work for you. Get in touch and let’s get started!