There are more than 67 million companies listed on LinkedIn.
So, there’s a lot of potential within the platform for B2B social selling and professional networking. But is LinkedIn Sales Navigator the right tool for this?
In this guide, we’ll explain Sales Navigator, how it works, its ROI potential, and some tips and tricks.
So, is LinkedIn Sales Navigator worth it?
Sales Navigator is one of LinkedIn’s paid tools designed for sales teams.
Among its key features, you can find… 👇
Sales Navigator was born for sales professionals to establish and grow relationships with prospects.
Over the years, it has evolved, offering features such as advanced searches, detailed metrics, and insights, and it has included InMail in the deal.
Its evolution reflects LinkedIn's commitment to empowering sales professionals with actionable insights and meaningful connections.
While LinkedIn Premium offers a series of very beneficial features, your free LinkedIn account also offers some solid features.
However, they may come up short depending on your need.
We will be looking at four basic features that appeal to everyone:
With LinkedIn’s free plan, you generally receive a notification such as this:
Generally, you will not be able to see who has viewed your profile, but you may be able to see where they work or at least in what industry.
However, LinkedIn Premium gives you a detailed report of who has viewed your profile.
This is beneficial if you want to use those views as a stepping stone to reach out to them and expand your network through their previous engagement.
However, if you’re not planning on using that information, it may not be a deciding factor at all.
The amount of searches you do with your free LinkedIn account is limited.
You are only allowed 12-15 searches a month.
On the other hand, with a Premium Account, you can have unlimited searches.
This is beneficial when you’re building a database through LinkedIn searches.
It’s also worth the investment if you are a recruiter or a job seeker, as you can expand your search and find that perfect candidate.
However, if you don’t want to upgrade based on the search amount alone, you can still avoid it.
Go to “Manage my network” where can access some profiles until your searches are renewed. Or invest in an all-in-one tool, such as lemlist, with a built-in B2B lead database.
Check out this video to learn about this new feature! ⬇️
LinkedIn’s basic search filters are pretty solid. However, they are limited to location, company, previous company, and not much else.
So, to get what you need, you’ll need to have a pretty clear idea of who you’re looking for.
On the other hand, LinkedIn Premium’s search filters are much more expansive, so you can just play around with the filters and get relevant search results.
The LinkedIn free account offers Direct Messages, a system that allows communication between connected members.
On the other hand, with InMail, LinkedIn Premium’s messaging system, you can message anyone outside of your network.
Concerning messages, we do have to admit that LinkedIn Premium kicked it out of the park.
Still not convinced? Read a bit more about the difference between direct messages and InMail.
The allure of Sales Navigator lies in its premium features, which are tailored to supercharge a company's sales pipeline.
From advanced search filters to lead recommendations and InMail messages, these features aim to facilitate a more efficient and effective sales process.
Sales Navigator helps businesses keep track of their past and present connections.
Leads can be classified separately from the rest of your network so you don’t have to keep track yourself.
The decision to invest in Sales Navigator should be informed by a clear comprehension of how its features can be leveraged to enhance your company's sales strategy and the potential return on such an investment.
When considering the adoption of any new tool, especially one as robust as Sales Navigator, it is crucial to assess its return on investment (ROI).
This assessment helps businesses understand whether the benefits derived from the tool justify the cost associated with it.
To gauge the ROI of Sales Navigator, specific metrics such as lead conversion rates, deal closure times, and sales cycle lengths can be monitored.
Case studies and reviews from various companies provide real-world insights into how Sales Navigator has influenced these metrics.
By analyzing this data, businesses can determine the tangible impact Sales Navigator has on their sales processes and overall profitability.
Many users report increased efficiency in prospecting and a higher quality of leads, which often translates into improved profitability.
These firsthand accounts underscore the potential of Sales Navigator to transform a company's sales strategy and yield significant returns on the investment.
You can flip through G2 or Capterra and read the many reviews posted about Sales Navigator to help you make an informed decision.
With the right strategies, businesses can tap into the advanced features of Sales Navigator to pinpoint ideal prospects and cultivate valuable connections.
The power of Sales Navigator lies in its advanced search capabilities that allow for precise targeting of leads.
These features require understanding the specific filters and search criteria that align with your business goals.
By refining searches to include industry, company size, function, and even seniority level, Sales Navigator enables users to create a highly focused list of potential leads, making the outreach process more efficient and effective.
TeamLink is a standout feature of Sales Navigator that extends the reach of your network by leveraging your team's collective connections.
This tool can help you reach prospects through your team's networks, facilitating warmer introductions and increasing the likelihood of successful engagement.
Aligning your sales team's efforts through TeamLink can significantly enhance your overall networking strategy on LinkedIn.
Source: LinkedIn
Follow these steps to find TeamLink referrals:
Engagement is at the heart of social selling, and Sales Navigator can help craft compelling messages that resonate with your prospects.
If you need some help coming up with compelling multichannel campaigns, we've got you covered at lemlist. With your subscription, you can access the Template section from your dashboard, and gain access to plenty of multichannel campaigns, emails, landing pages, schedules, and more.
By using insights gleaned from Sales Navigator's rich data on user activities and interests, personalized messages can be tailored to each prospect.
This personal touch can greatly increase response rates and foster meaningful relationships that lead to sales opportunities.
While LinkedIn Sales Navigator is designed to streamline the sales process, users may encounter certain challenges that can impact its overall effectiveness.
It is crucial to understand these potential obstacles and how they can be overcome to ensure the success of your social selling initiatives.
One common criticism of Sales Navigator is its cost, especially for small businesses or individual users.
PlanPriceSales Navigator Core$99.99/monthSales Navigator Advanced$149.99/monthSales Navigator Advanced Pluscustom price
While the investment may seem substantial, the advanced features and targeted lead generation capabilities often justify the expense for those who use it effectively.
Additionally, some users find the platform complex and challenging to navigate. However, with proper training and regular use, the learning curve can be overcome, unlocking the tool's full potential.
To maximize the value of your Sales Navigator account, it's beneficial to utilize its integration capabilities with other software, such as CRM systems.
This can streamline workflows and maintain a centralized database of prospect interactions.
Customizing alerts and preferences within Sales Navigator can also keep you informed about potential opportunities and ensure you're always prepared to engage with prospects at the right time.
You can also bookmark your alerts so you can save them and go back to them whenever you need.
Efficiency is key when using any sales tool, and Sales Navigator is no exception.
It's important to adopt usage strategies that don't waste time and focus on high-value activities.
This includes setting aside dedicated time for prospecting, using saved searches to monitor key accounts, and scheduling regular reviews of your Sales Navigator usage to refine your approach continually.
-> LinkedIn Sales Navigator improves the efficiency of your sales outreach with its advanced search capabilities, personalized algorithm, and InMail features.
-> LinkedIn Sales allows you to identify high quality leads as you can filter the results by industry, company size, seniority level, and more.
-> TeamLink helps you reach out to more high-quality leads by leveraging your team’s collective connections.
-> To make the most out of Sales Navigator, you should use its integration capabilities with other software, such as CRM systems.
-> You can identify high-quality leads outside of LinkedIn with lemlist’s lead B2B database. Give it a try through its 14-day free trial - no card required.
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 |
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 |