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Mastering Sales Navigator is less about luck and more about smart strategies that ensure you’re always in the right fishing spots. And what do you need for that?
You need to know the platform’s advanced searching capabilities to cut through the noise and find your high-value prospects. Its advanced searching hacks, such as using Boolean search logic and leveraging saved searches, can significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your lead generation efforts.
In this article, I am going to go through the 6 advanced searching hacks that you can utilize to improve your lead generation process through Sales Navigator.
What are Advanced Searching Techniques in Sales Navigator?
Advanced searching techniques in LinkedIn Sales Navigator provide sales professionals with a deeper, more precise ability to segment and target potential leads. These techniques go beyond basic search functionality by leveraging enhanced filters and search capabilities that allow users to pinpoint the exact type of prospects they need for lead generation and sales process.
The 6 advanced searching hacks include using –
- Boolean Search
- Saved Searches
- Account-based Searches
- Blacklists
- LinkedIn Events
- Use Groups
How to Utilize The 6 Advanced Searching Hacks?
Let’s look at the way you should use 6 advanced searching hacks to improve your lead generation results through Sales Navigator.
1. Boolean Search
Sales Navigator’s Boolean search feature harnesses a simple programmatic language to make your searches more precise and effective. By understanding and utilizing Boolean logic, you can significantly enhance the accuracy of your search results. It runs based on the combination of logical connectors and punctuation – that we can call Boolean operators.
The boolean operators are –
- AND: It lets you search for leads who match all the specified criteria, refining your results to the most relevant prospects. For example, if you’re looking for decision-makers in SaaS companies who are also involved in marketing, you could use Marketing and SaaS.
- OR: Use this operator to expand your search to include multiple possibilities, one of which must be true. It’s ideal for targeting a broader audience. For instance, searching for “Sales Operations” OR “Sales Ops” includes profiles that mention either term that may relate to your search.
“OR’ Boolean Operator in Sales Navigator
- NOT: This operator lets you exclude certain terms from your search to filter out irrelevant results. For instance, if you want to target SaaS companies but exclude those in the startup phase, you might use: SaaS NOT startup.
- Parentheses: You can use parentheses to group terms and control the execution order of the search. It is especially useful when combining multiple operators. For example: (Manager OR Director) AND (SaaS OR Software) AND NOT startup lets you find senior roles in established SaaS or software companies.
- Quotes: When you need to search for an exact phrase, use quotes. It ensures that the Sales Navigator searches for the complete phrase in the specified order. Searching for “Vice President of Sales” will filter results to only those profiles with this exact title.
2. Saved Searches
Leveraging the Saved Searches can significantly enhance your lead generation strategy, especially when dealing with multiple filters to target specific groups. It organizes your search efforts and automates tracking new opportunities within your specified criteria.
You should begin by applying various filters in Sales Navigator to pinpoint your ideal leads or accounts. For example, you could set filters to target CEOs in the SaaS industry located in North America.
Once you have set your filters and are satisfied with the preliminary results, click on “Save Search” at the top right of the search interface. This action will preserve your settings and enable the platform to alert you about new matches.
Save Searches in Sales Navigator
After saving a search, configure the notifications to alert you when new profiles match your saved search criteria. This is crucial for staying updated without manually re-run the search daily.
The Saved Searches feature automates the discovery of new leads and notifies you when someone new matches your search criteria. It is particularly beneficial when tracking job changes within your target market, enabling you to reach out to potential leads as they assume new positions that align with your search criteria.
3. Account-based Searches
Account-based search in Sales Navigator allows sales teams to effectively pinpoint key decision-makers within predefined account lists.
This is how you can easily identify key decision-makers using Sales Navigator:
- Navigate to the lead search.
- Access the Workflow section.
- Activate the Account List filter.
- Choose the relevant account list you’ve prepared.
Account-based searches
After selecting your designated account list, the profiles of everyone employed at these companies will be displayed in your search results.
The next step involves applying filters to pinpoint the appropriate decision-makers.
A practical and efficient approach here is to utilize the job title filter to achieve this goal.
In just a couple of clicks, you’ll have successfully located the key decision-makers within the companies on your account lists.
4. Blacklists
When engaging in LinkedIn outreach, it’s crucial to ensure that your efforts are directed toward new and relevant leads rather than past or current clients or competitors. The blacklist feature in Sales Navigator is a strategic tool designed to streamline this process by excluding certain accounts from your searches.
You can easily utilize this technique with the following steps-
- Identify and compile a list of accounts you want to exclude from your outreach. This list might include past and current clients, competitors, or any company that doesn’t align with your current business objectives.
- Once you’ve identified these accounts, add them to a specific account list in Sales Navigator labeled appropriately, such as “Blacklist” or “Do Not Contact.”
- Then, exclude them during your lead searches:
- Navigating to the ‘Workflow’ section within the lead search.
- Selecting the option to use a blacklist.
- Clicking on ‘Exclude’ and select your previously created “Blacklist” account list.
Blacklist Hack in Sales Navigator
By setting these parameters, Sales Navigator will automatically exclude all employees associated with the companies on your blacklist from appearing in your search results. This method streamlines the process of finding new leads and accounts that have no connection to your competitors or previous and current clients.
This strategy also streamlines the building of your account lists and enables the identification of key decision-makers within companies sourced from:
- Crunchbase
- Madyness
- Job boards
Getting a 100% match rate is also possible if you can secure the LinkedIn URL of the company page for each account.
5. LinkedIn Events
Attending a LinkedIn event is one of the top prospecting signals with a clear interest in specific topics or industries. It can be a fantastic opportunity for you to connect with others who are similarly engaged. Finding these events is straightforward using LinkedIn’s search capabilities:
- Simply input your relevant keyword in the search bar.
- Select the ‘events’ option.
- Peruse the list to identify potential leads.
When you spot an event that aligns with your interests, you should approach the attendees in an engaging way by gathering attendee lists. Engaging with them either before or after the event can open doors to meaningful exchanges.
Reaching out before the event could look something like this:
“Hey [name], I saw you’re planning to attend [EventName]. Are you exploring solutions for [challenge]? I’ve recently covered this topic and thought you might find the insights useful. Cheers!”
Alternatively, if you’re reaching out after the event, your message could be:
“Hello [name] — Noticed you attended [EventName]. I couldn’t make it, unfortunately. How was it? I’m seeking some feedback on the discussions around [specific topic]. Would love to hear your take.”
This strategy isn’t about immediate sales but about starting conversations. It’s a chance to share your interests or pose a question about the challenges that the event was addressing.
6. Use Groups
LinkedIn groups are actually a powerful tool for identifying potential leads who are deeply invested in particular niches or industries. Becoming a member of relevant groups or even starting your own can attract an audience that aligns with your business interests.
Here is a simple process to locate and engage with members of LinkedIn groups:
- Navigate to Sales Navigator.
- Use the group filter to select the specific groups you’re interested in.
Use groups in Sales Navigator
Exporting member information from these groups can significantly enhance your lead-generation efforts. This lead data helps you identify individuals with a stated interest in your niche and tailor your communication to meet their specific needs and interests.
Bonus: Use Spotlight Filter to Find Which Prospects will Engage The Most
Sales Navigator’s Spotlight filter is a powerful tool that segments your search results based on LinkedIn data, allowing you to pinpoint prospects more likely to engage with your outreach efforts. Understanding and utilizing the various Spotlight filters can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your lead-generation activities, especially when combined with LinkedIn events.
You can easily find spotlight filters on the left rail of the search page for leads and accounts in Sales Navigator. Each filter targets a specific engagement or background similarity type, providing a streamlined approach to identifying highly relevant prospects.
Spotlight Filter in Sales Navigator
Here’s a look at some key Spotlight filters and how to use them to your advantage:
- Job Changes: This filter identifies prospects who have recently changed jobs within the last three months.
- Shared Experiences: It helps you discover prospects who have something in common with you, such as having attended the same school, worked at the same companies, or belonging to the same LinkedIn Groups.
- LinkedIn Activity: It focuses on prospects who have posted or shared content on LinkedIn in the past 30 days.
- Mentioned in the News: This filter finds prospects who have been mentioned in the news recently.
- Leads that Follow Your Company: It helps you target prospects who already follow your company on LinkedIn. These leads have a pre-existing interest in your business, making them ideal candidates for direct outreach.
- TeamLink: You can use the TeamLink filter to find prospects who are connected to your colleagues.
Conclusion
Mastering the advanced searching techniques in LinkedIn Sales Navigator is essential to refining your sales strategy and ensuring that your cold email marketing efforts reach their full potential. If you can effectively use the six techniques discussed, you can dramatically increase the quality and relevance of your prospecting efforts.
Understanding and implementing these advanced searching techniques help you ensure that your outreach is as efficient and targeted as possible. This will save you time and increase the likelihood of connecting with prospects who are most likely to engage with your content and, ultimately, your product.
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