Why Sales Navigator Should Be in Every Startup’s Sales Stack
If you know my story, you’ll know I spent nearly four years at LinkedIn, specifically in the Sales Solutions unit - the team behind Sales Navigator.
When I joined, Sales Navigator was a brand-new product, with just a few hundred of us worldwide and only modest revenue.
Fast forward: in 2021, Sales Solutions crossed $1 billion in revenue and has only grown since.
Back then, we were the underdogs, with Talent and Marketing Solutions dominating.
But things changed quickly.
I was the first Account Manager for the Italian market.
Still, with so few clients at the start, I managed accounts all over Europe. The first year was rough - almost 70% churn.
Social selling was a foreign concept in Italy, and our early approach landed deals, but we didn't manage to renew effectively.
But once we repositioned Sales Navigator, everything changed.
Today, Sales Navigator is essential for any B2B sales team, especially if you’re selling to mid-market or enterprise clients.
Why? Sales Navigator is built for social selling.
Social selling isn’t about cold emails or generic pitches - it’s about leveraging your network, your personal brand, and authentic connections to reach prospects.
If you’re using Sales Navigator to send cold messages, you’re missing the point.
The real power comes from warm outreach: using shared connections, mutual interests, and smart insights to create meaningful conversations.
Here’s how I use it:
Save Your Leads & Accounts
First things first.
Start by saving your current and past clients, people you know, and then add new prospects using Sales Navigator’s powerful search.
Aim for at least 200 leads to activate the insights features. If you are an account manager and managing existing clients, this part will be helpful for you, too.
Prioritise Active LinkedIn Users
Not everyone on LinkedIn is engaged, so focus on those who are on the network and using it effectively.
Look for prospects who:
Have posted in the last 30 days
Follow your company page
Recently changed jobs or have complete profiles.
Your chances of starting a real conversation are much higher with active users.
Leverage the Insights
This is where Sales Navigator shines.
Once you’ve saved your leads and accounts, the platform delivers fresh insights, news, and updates about your prospects - all in one place.
It will even suggest new leads and accounts based on its algorithms.
These insights are gold: they fuel your outreach, help you personalise your messages, and keep your pipeline full of warm, relevant opportunities.
The main difference between Sales Nav and the free LinkedIn is mainly insights: LinkedIn.com is crowded and busy with not-so-relevant information. Sales Nav is full of insights of the people you are interested in.
Massive change.
My 2 Cents
Sales Navigator isn’t just another (expensive) subscription - it’s an investment in building real relationships at scale.
If your deal size is €5K or more, or you’re selling to mid-market or enterprise clients, you can’t afford to ignore it.
I’ll be honest - Sales Navigator is the most expensive tool in my stack.
But it’s also the one that consistently delivers results.
No sponsorship, no affiliation - just my two cents from using the tool in the past 10 years.
