LinkedIn

LinkedIn export to CRM: How to send LinkedIn leads to CRM & outreach in seconds

Jack Bowerman
LAST UPDATED
July 29, 2024
READING TIME
7 min.

The importance of LinkedIn in sales prospecting

Like all things, sales has evolved over recent decades and now looks almost entirely different to how it did not so long ago.

From the use of the phone, to email in sales, many things have changed.

Now, LinkedIn has become a crucial tool in sales prospecting.

It’s important for sales prospecting for both B2B and B2C companies as it hosts a leads base of just under a whopping 1 billion users that you can’t afford to be missing out on.

LinkedIn’s role in modern sales strategies‍

Let’s be honest, most professionals out there have a LinkedIn profile, whether they’re active or not, you can still find and contact other professionals. Used wisely, LinkedIn is an amazing lead database.

LinkedIn allows salespeople to pinpoint prospects by industry, company size, job role, and other specific criteria, making prospecting more targeted and efficient.

With a more informal tone and the ability to see what your prospects post and share, you are able to build and nurture stronger relationships. Not only can you establish trust by proving who you are and making your lead feel confident that they know who they’re dealing with and how good they are, but you can also provide tons of value.

It also gives you valuable insights into potential clients' backgrounds, interests, and mutual connections, facilitating highly personalized outreach.

What are the benefits of LinkedIn in lead prospecting?

LinkedIn is more than just a networking site - its ability to facilitate targeted prospecting, offer valuable insights, and foster genuine business relationships makes it an indispensable platform for sales prospecting and lead generation.

Among LinkedIn’s many benefits, these are the most valuable ones:

  • Reach more people

LinkedIn offers the possibility to reach a wide range of leads in many different industries.

Through your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd connections, you can reach other people who may not be in your industry or niche but who may find interest or use from your profile, therefore expanding your network beyond your own niche.

Make sure you post valuable content regularly so that you’re even more visible and other people can reach you too.

  • Find high-quality leads

The platform's advanced filtering options ensure that the leads generated are of higher quality and relevance, increasing the chances of successful conversions.

You can use LinkedIn’s filters (or LinkedIn Sales Navigator’s advanced filters) to find your ideal leads.

  • Save money

Compared to traditional prospecting methods, LinkedIn can be more cost-effective, especially taking into account the free version has great features for networking and outreach.

Even without a premium account or a Sales Navigator subscription, you can find highly qualified leads for your outreach.

  • Access helpful resources

By adding thought leaders in your industry to your network, you’ll have access to their posts with insights, trends, and educational content. Therefore you can stay informed and relevant.

  • Build brand easily

Consistent presence and engagement on LinkedIn help in building a personal brand, which is crucial in establishing credibility and attracting potential clients. Building your personal brand can help you build trust and credibility within your target audiences as much as your brand’s.

Check out this video to learn how to start your posts!

How to Add LinkedIn Contacts to Your CRM (One by One)‍

You can add LinkedIn contacts to your CRM in one click thanks to Surfe’s Chrome extension - one of the top Chrome extensions for LinkedIn! Surfe allows the seamless transfer of data from LinkedIn to your CRM.

Here’s how:

Step 1: Install the Surfe Chrome extension

Step 2: Log in to your CRM

Step 3: On LinkedIn, you want to add to your CRM.

Now, you’ll see two options that appear on your LinkedIn contact’s profile. You can either ‘Add as Contact’ or ‘Add as Deal’.

Step 4: Click ‘Add as Contact’ to automatically add new contact and all of their data to your CRM - no more copying-pasting or manually typing out info. It’s all there in one click!

You can also click ‘Add as Deal’ to connect this contact with a pipeline that already exists in your CRM or create a new deal associated with it.

Now, you can easily see when scrolling LinkedIn, which of your contacts are already in your CRM!

How to export lists of leads in bulk from Sales Navigator

Finding specific leads and adding them one by one to your CRM is a great way to find potential buyers, but if you’re looking for a quicker way, you can add LinkedIn contacts to your CRM in bulk.

LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a great platform to search for leads based on a variety of filters. It allows you to find contacts within your Ideal Customer Profile by searching for specific job roles, seniority levels, sectors, and in specific geographical locations too.

Let’s say you’re targeting founders of tech companies in Paris, France.

Step 1: Go to Sales Navigator’s search

Step 2: Set the relevant filters to create the list of leads you want in your CRM and reach out to.

Step 3: Go to “Leads” and select the ones you would like to export. Or, if you wish, you can click on Select All in the menu above the list.

Step 4: Press Surfe’s Export to CRM button

When the process is completed, you will notice that all of the contacts are now highlighted in blue, which means they have been successfully added to your CRM!

You may also use the lemlist Chrome Extension and add your leads directly to your lemlist campaigns.

You have a highly qualified leads list in your CRM. Now what?

Once you have a list of potential buyers that can benefit from your offer, it’s time to reach out to them.

One of the easiest ways to outreach to you freshly exported LinkedIn leads is to use lemlist outreach app.

Here’s how:

Step 1: Log into your lemlist account or start a 14-day free trial

Step 2: Choose to create a new campaign. You can do it manually or utilize the power of AI with lemlist's AI to automatically create fully personalized multichannel sequence.

Need help writing campaigns that resonate with your target audience and push actions?

Check out our cold outreach templates database and duplicate campaigns in seconds!

Step 3:  It’s time to add your leads list! Thanks to its integration with the most popular CRMs, you can add leads collected by Surfe in just a few clicks.

Step 4: Review your campaigns’ settings for launch, and start booking 30+ meetings a week!

Key Takeaways

LinkedIn is a vital tool for sales prospecting and offers access to plenty of potential leads.

It’s a rich platform for targeted outreach, building relationships, and gaining deep insights into potential clients

The integration of tools like Surfe automates exporting LinkedIn contacts directly into your CRM. Furthermore, leveraging lemlist for outreach helps you connect with these exported leads.

The combination of LinkedIn with tools like Surfe and lemlist changes the way sales professionals approach lead generation and outreach. Whether you’re a B2B or B2C company, using LinkedIn and these complementary tools is essential to stay ahead of the sales prospecting game!

Jack Bowerman
Communications Manager @ Surfe | Making B2B sales smoother by connecting your CRM to LinkedIn 🤠
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G2 Rating
Price
Best for
Standout feature
Con
4.9
star
star
star
star
star
$30/mo
$75/mo
$2,999/mo
Large, distributed sales teams
AI evaluation precision, gamified KPIs
Lack of tracking system
4.6
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Sales operations and finance teams
Powerful configurability
Limited training resources and complex to navigate
4.4
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Mid-market and enterprise businesses
Comprehensive incentive management
Potentially high cost and steep learning curve
4.7
star
star
star
star
star-half
$15/user/mo
$40/user/mo
Enterprise: custom price
Complex sales structures and businesses of all sizes
Complex sales structures and businesses of all sizes
Steep learning curve
4.6
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Collaborative teams
Connected planning
Complexity and steep learning curve
4.6
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Companies with complex sales structures
Complex incentive compensation management (ICM) with high efficiency and accuracy
Complexity for smaller teams and potentially high costs
4.7
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Companies who want to automate commission calculations and payouts
Simplicity and ease of use
Lack of features like redirection
4.7
star
star
star
star
star-half
$30/user/mo
$35/user/mo
Custom: upon request
Businesses that need a comprehensive and user-friendly sales compensation management software
Ease of use and adoption
Lack of ability to configure the product based on user needs
4.8
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Companies with modern sales culture and businesses who want real-time insights
A built-in dispute management and real-time visibility
Users say it works slowly, customer support is slow
4.9
star
star
star
star
star
$30/user/mo
$50/user/mo
Smaller sales teams
Powerful automation
Lesser user base and average user interface
4.7
star
star
star
star
star-half
Not publicly available
Companies with scalable needs
Automated Commission Calculations
Lack of filtering by date, no mobile app
ERP vs. CRM
ERP
CRM
Summary
Backbone of a business's internal operations.
Backbone of customer-centric interactions and operations.
Goal
To centralize and streamline core business processes in a company.
To increase customer experience, satisfaction and loyalty, and boost sales.
Focus
Internal operations and processes across departments (finance, accounting, inventory, supply chain, HR, and sales).
All interactions with leads and customers.
Manages
Internal business data like financial data, inventory levels, production details, supply chain, HR info.
All customer data like contact info, purchase history, communication history, customer preferences and more.
Users
Finance, accounting, operations, supply chain, and HR departments.
Customer-facing teams like sales, marketing, and customer service.
Benefits
Streamlines operations, improves data accuracy, enhances decision-making, boosts collaboration, increases productivity.
Improves customer relationships, increases sales, strengthens customer service, personalizes marketing campaigns, provides insights.
Price
$150 per user per year on average.
$10 to $30 per user per month on average.
PRM Tool
Rating
Feature
Pro
Con
Mobile App
Integrations
Free Plan
Pricing
4.65
star
star
star
star
star-half
Org-wide alignment
User-friendly layout and database
Suboptimal as a personal CRM
square-check
Lack of tracking system
square-check
Team: $20/month
Business: $45/month
4.7
star
star
star
star
star-half
Social Media Integration
Easy contact data collection
No marketing/sales features
square-check
Lack of tracking system
square-xmark
7-day trial
$12/month
4.75
star
star
star
star
star-half
Block Functions
High customization capability
Not a dedicated CRM
square-check
Limited
square-check
Plus: €7.50/month
Business: €14/month
N/A
Open-source
Open-source flexibility
Requires extensive manual input
square-xmark
Limited
square-check
Self-hosted
$9/month or
$90/year
3.1
star
star
star
Simple iOS app
Ideal for non-tech-savvy users
iPhone only
square-check
iOS only
Limited
square-xmark
1-month trial
$1.49/month or
$14.99/month
3.6
star
star
star
star-half
Smart Contact Management
Feature-rich and flexible
Reported bugs
square-check
Rich
square-xmark
7-day trial
Premium: $13.99/month
Teams: $17.99/month
4.4
star
star
star
star
star-half
Customizable Interface
Customizable for teamwork
Pricey for personal use
square-check
Rich
square-xmark
Standard: $24/member
Premium: $39/member
4.7
star
star
star
star
star-half
Integrated Calling
Integrated Calling
Too sales-oriented & pricey
square-check
Rich
square-xmark
14-day trial
Startup: $59/user/month
Professional: $329/user/month
4.8
star
star
star
star
star
Business Card Scanning
Business Card Scanning
Mobile only
square-check
Limited
square-check
$9.99/month
4.45
star
star
star
star
star-half
160+ app integrations
Comprehensive integrations
No free app version
square-check
Rich
square-xmark
14-day trial
$29.90/month or
$24.90/month (billed annually)
Capterra Rating
Free Trial
Free Plan
Starting Price (excluding the free plan)
Maximum Price (for the most expensive plan)
Best for
4.5
star
star
star
star
star-half
square-check
14-day
square-check
€15/month/seat billed annually
€792/month/3 seats billed annually + €45/month for each extra seat
Versatility and free plan
4.2
star
star
star
star
square-check
30-day
square-xmark
But it offers reduced price to authorised nonprofit organisations
€25/user/month
€500/user/month billed annually (includes Einstein AI)
Best overall operational CRM
4.3
star
star
star
star
star-half
square-xmark
square-check
Limited to 3 users
Comprehensive incentive management
€52/user/month billed annually
Small-medium businesses and automation
4.5
star
star
star
star
star-half
square-check
14-day
square-xmark
€14/seat/month billed annually
€99/seat/month billed annually
Sales teams and ease of use
4.1
star
star
star
star
square-xmark
square-check
Limited 10 users
$9.99/user/month billed annually
$64.99/user/month billed annually
Free plan for very small teams up to 10
CRM goal
Increase the sales conversion rate for qualified leads from marketing automation campaigns by 10% in the next 6 months.
SMART Breakdown
1. Specific: It targets a specific area (conversion rate) for a defined segment (qualified leads from marketing automation).
2. Measurable: The desired increase (10%) is a clear metric, and the timeframe (6 months) allows for progress tracking.
3. Achievable: A 10% increase is possible based on historical data and potential improvements.
4. Relevant: Boosting sales from marketing efforts aligns with overall business objectives.
5. Time-bound: The 6-month timeframe creates urgency and a clear target date.
Actions
Step 1: Refine lead qualification criteria to ensure high-quality leads are nurtured through marketing automation.
Step 2: Personalize marketing automation campaigns based on lead demographics, interests, and behavior.
Step 3: Develop targeted landing pages with clear calls to action for qualified leads.
Step 4: Implement lead scoring to prioritize high-potential leads for sales follow-up.
Step 5: Track and analyze campaign performance to identify areas for optimization.
Outcomes
Increased sales and revenue
Improved marketing automation ROI
Marketing and sales alignment
Data-driven marketing optimization
Table
CDP Software
CRM Software
Approach
Data-centric
Customer-centric
Focus
Interactions across various channels and touchpoints, both online and offline.
Sales, marketing, and customer service interactions.
Functionality
Automatically collects, organizes, tags, and makes data available in real-time.
Helps businesses track customer interactions, sales pipelines, prospects, and service requests.
Goals
Personalized customer experiences across all channels.
Better customer relationships, streamlined processes, and improved profitability.
Benefits
Data integration, management, and accessibility, allowing for detailed analysis and segmentation.
Better communication within teams and with customers by organizing information about customer interactions and history.
Data Handling
Handles both identified and anonymous data, stitches together various data points.
Deals primarily with identified customer data.
Use Cases
Personalized marketing campaigns, targeted advertising, content customization across multiple channels.
Managing campaigns and leads, enhancing customer service, providing better customer support, increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Examples
Insider, Bloomreach, Salesforce Marketing Cloud CDP
HubSpot, Salesforce Sales Cloud Lightning Professional, and Zoho CRM
CRM
Free plan
Best feature
Best for
Con
1. HubSpot CRM
square-check
Sales automation
Sales teams
Up to 1,000 contacts
2. Insightly
square-check
Custom fields
Basic needs
Not enough info about the free plan
3. Agile CRM
square-check
Deal and sales pipeline tracking
Small teams
Up to 10 users
4. Zoho CRM
square-check
Lead and contact management
Businesses of all sizes
Limited to 3 users
5. ClickUp
square-check
Unlimited tasks and unlimited members
Personal use
Up to 100MB storage
6. EngageBay
square-check
Live chat
Small and midsize enterprises
Up to 1,000 branded emails per month
7. Bitrix24
square-check
Unlimited users and 5 scrum teams
Big teams
Up to 5GB of cloud storage
8. FreshSales
square-check
Easy to use and simple setup
Beginners
Up to 3 users
9. Mailchimp
square-check
Very beginner friendly
Marketing teams
Send up to 500 branded emails per month
Type of Affiliate Marketing
Unattached
Related
Involved
Format
Paid advertising
Social media or YouTube channels
Dedicated website or blog
Focus
Quick income
Your niche
Your audience
Engagement with your audience
square-xmark
square-check
square-check
square-check
square-check
Very close connection with your audience
Pro
Little effort
Higher credibility thanks to your niche
Long-lasting and scalable
Con
Paid ads cost a lot
Potential for bias since you don’t use the thing you promote
Require time, effort, and dedication

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