LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Why Sales Navigator Matters for B2B Sales

LinkedIn is where B2B professionals live. Sales Navigator unlocks the full power of this network with advanced search, saved leads, and direct messaging capabilities.

My Experience

I recommend Sales Navigator to every B2B sales team, but with important caveats. It’s excellent for research and relationship building, but you’ll need complementary tools for data export and email outreach.

What Makes Sales Navigator Valuable

1. Advanced Search - Boolean search across job titles, company size, geography, industry, and dozens of other filters. You can find exactly the decision-makers you need with precision impossible on regular LinkedIn.

2. Real-Time Insights - See when prospects change jobs, get promoted, or share content. These trigger events are golden opportunities for relevant outreach that stands out.

3. Lead and Account Lists - Save prospects and companies, then track their activity. Build targeted lists for ABM campaigns and monitor buying committees across organizations.

4. InMail Access - Direct messaging to prospects outside your network. Response rates have declined, but it’s still valuable for reaching executives who don’t respond to cold email.

Where Sales Navigator Falls Short

LinkedIn’s walled garden approach is frustrating. You can’t export contact data directly—you need third-party tools. InMail response rates have dropped as the platform became saturated. The price per seat adds up quickly for larger teams.

Who Should Use Sales Navigator

• Enterprise sales reps doing executive-level outreach
• Account executives building relationship maps
• SDRs researching and qualifying prospects
• Anyone doing significant LinkedIn-based selling

Sales Navigator vs Apollo for Prospecting

Factor	Sales Navigator	Apollo.io
LinkedIn Data	Native access	Chrome extension
Email Addresses	None	Included
Data Export	Not allowed	Full export
Real-time Insights	Excellent	Limited
Pricing	$99-149/mo	$49/mo
Best Use	Research + engage	Data + sequences

Best Practices

1. Combine with Apollo - Use Sales Navigator for research, Apollo for email addresses and sequences
2. Save searches, not just leads - Dynamic lists stay current as people change roles
3. Engage before InMail - Like posts, comment thoughtfully, then reach out
4. Track buying committees - Map all stakeholders at target accounts

The Bottom Line

Sales Navigator is essential for serious B2B sales, but treat it as a research and engagement tool. Pair it with data providers for a complete prospecting stack.