How to Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator for Lead Scoring

In the digital era, LinkedIn Sales Navigator has emerged as a powerful tool for businesses to identify and engage with potential leads. This advanced sales tool allows you to tap into LinkedIn's extensive network to find, connect, and build relationships with prospects and customers. One of the key features of LinkedIn Sales Navigator is its ability to assist in lead scoring, a critical aspect of any sales strategy. In this guide, we will delve into the process of using LinkedIn Sales Navigator for lead scoring.

Understanding LinkedIn Sales Navigator

LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a premium version of LinkedIn designed specifically for sales professionals. It provides advanced search and filter features, real-time insights, and personalized algorithms to help you find the right prospects. The tool also offers InMail messages, allowing you to directly reach out to any LinkedIn member, regardless of your connection status.

One of the standout features of LinkedIn Sales Navigator is its lead scoring capability. Lead scoring is a methodology used by sales and marketing departments to rank prospects against a scale that represents the perceived value each lead represents to the organization. The resulting score is used to determine which leads a receiving function (like sales, partners, or teleprospecting) will engage, in order of priority.

Setting Up LinkedIn Sales Navigator for Lead Scoring

Before you can start using LinkedIn Sales Navigator for lead scoring, you need to set up your account. This involves creating a Sales Navigator account, defining your target audience, setting up lead preferences, and creating a lead list.

Once you've set up your account, you can start using the lead scoring feature. LinkedIn Sales Navigator uses a combination of algorithms and your preferences to score leads. The more information you provide about your ideal customer, the more accurate your lead scores will be.

Creating a Sales Navigator Account

To create a Sales Navigator account, visit the LinkedIn Sales Navigator homepage and click on 'Start my free trial'. You'll need to provide some basic information about yourself and your company, and then you can start exploring the features of Sales Navigator.

Remember, LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a premium tool, so you'll need to choose a subscription plan that suits your needs. You can choose from Professional, Team, and Enterprise plans, each with different features and pricing.

Defining Your Target Audience

Defining your target audience is a crucial step in setting up LinkedIn Sales Navigator for lead scoring. You need to know who your ideal customer is, what industry they're in, what their job role is, and other relevant information.

This information will help Sales Navigator's algorithms to find and score leads that match your criteria. You can define your target audience in the 'Lead Preferences' section of your Sales Navigator account.

Setting Up Lead Preferences

Lead preferences allow you to specify the characteristics of your ideal customer. You can set preferences based on industry, job function, seniority level, company size, and geography. These preferences will guide Sales Navigator's algorithms in finding and scoring leads.

It's important to be as specific as possible when setting up your lead preferences. The more detailed your preferences, the more accurate your lead scores will be.

Creating a Lead List

A lead list is a collection of potential customers that you want to engage with. You can create a lead list in Sales Navigator by using the 'Lead Builder' feature. This feature allows you to search for leads based on your preferences and add them to your lead list.

Once you've created a lead list, you can start engaging with your leads. You can send them InMail messages, follow their activity, and use other engagement tools provided by Sales Navigator.

Using LinkedIn Sales Navigator for Lead Scoring

Now that you've set up your Sales Navigator account, you can start using it for lead scoring. Lead scoring in Sales Navigator involves assigning a score to each lead based on their relevance to your business and their likelihood to convert into a customer.

The lead scoring process in Sales Navigator is automated, but you can influence the scores by providing feedback. You can do this by saving leads that are a good fit for your business and ignoring those that aren't. This feedback helps Sales Navigator's algorithms to learn and improve over time.

Understanding Lead Scores

Lead scores in Sales Navigator are represented by a number and a color. The number represents the lead's relevance to your business, and the color represents their likelihood to convert into a customer.

Leads with a high score and a green color are the most valuable, as they are highly relevant to your business and likely to convert. Leads with a low score and a red color are the least valuable, as they are less relevant and less likely to convert.

Improving Lead Scores

There are several ways to improve your lead scores in Sales Navigator. One way is to refine your lead preferences. If your lead scores are low, it may be because your preferences are too broad or not specific enough. By refining your preferences, you can help Sales Navigator's algorithms to find more relevant leads.

Another way to improve your lead scores is to provide feedback. By saving and ignoring leads, you can teach Sales Navigator's algorithms what a good lead looks like for your business. This feedback can help to improve the accuracy of your lead scores over time.

Conclusion

LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a powerful tool for lead scoring. By setting up your account, defining your target audience, setting up lead preferences, and creating a lead list, you can start using Sales Navigator to find and score leads. With its advanced algorithms and your feedback, Sales Navigator can help you to identify the most valuable leads for your business.

Remember, lead scoring is a continuous process. It requires regular monitoring and adjustment to ensure that your scores are accurate and useful. By using LinkedIn Sales Navigator for lead scoring, you can streamline your sales process and increase your chances of success.