What is LinkedIn Sales Navigator?
LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a premium sales tool that helps businesses find potential customers, decision-makers, and companies. It offers advanced search filters that make it easier to build highly targeted prospect lists.
Why Use Sales Navigator?
Sales teams and Virtual Assistants use Sales Navigator to:
- Find qualified leads.
- Identify decision-makers.
- Build targeted prospect lists.
- Research companies.
- Save leads for future follow-up.
- Generate high-quality sales opportunities.
Building a Prospect List by Company
If your client wants to target specific businesses, start with an Account Search.
Step 1: Open Account Search
Navigate to Account Search in LinkedIn Sales Navigator.
Step 2: Apply Company Filters
Use filters such as:
- Industry
- Company Size
- Location
- Headquarters
- Annual Revenue (if available)
- Company Growth
- Years in Business
- Technologies Used
- Hiring Activity
Step 3: Review the Results
Open each company profile to learn about:
- Number of employees
- Company description
- Industry
- Recent updates
- Company growth
- Key decision-makers
Step 4: Save the Company
Save companies that match your client’s Ideal Customer Profile (ICP).
Building a Prospect List by Person
Once you’ve identified the right companies, search for the people who make purchasing decisions.
Step 1: Open Lead Search
Select Lead Search in Sales Navigator.
Step 2: Apply Lead Filters
Common filters include:
- Job Title
- Seniority Level
- Function
- Location
- Company
- Industry
- Years in Current Position
- Years at Company
- Posted on LinkedIn Recently
- Relationship (1st, 2nd, or 3rd Degree)
- Keywords
Step 3: Identify Decision-Makers
Common job titles include:
- CEO
- Founder
- President
- Owner
- Managing Director
- COO
- CFO
- VP of Sales
- Sales Director
- Marketing Director
- Operations Manager
- HR Director
- IT Manager
Step 4: Save the Leads
Save qualified prospects to your lead list for future outreach.
Organizing Your Prospect List
Many Sales VAs export or manually record lead information into a CRM or spreadsheet, including:
- Full Name
- Job Title
- Company
- LinkedIn Profile URL
- Location
- Company Website
- Industry
- Email (if available through approved tools)
- Phone Number (if available through approved tools)
- Notes
- Outreach Status
Best Practices
- Build your company list before searching for individual contacts.
- Use multiple filters to narrow your search and improve lead quality.
- Focus on decision-makers who can influence purchasing decisions.
- Keep your prospect list updated by removing outdated or inactive contacts.
- Follow your client’s Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) when selecting companies and prospects.
Responsibilities of a Sales VA
As a Sales Virtual Assistant, you may be responsible for:
- Researching target companies.
- Building prospect lists.
- Identifying key decision-makers.
- Saving leads in LinkedIn Sales Navigator.
- Updating the CRM with accurate prospect information.
- Monitoring company changes and new hiring activity.
- Preparing lead lists for outreach campaigns.
Building a prospect list by company first, then identifying the right people within those companies, is one of the most effective prospecting strategies. It ensures outreach is focused on businesses that fit your client’s target market and on contacts who have the authority to make buying decisions.