Today's B2B buyers are a whole different breed. In fact, rather than going straight to the sales rep to learn more about the product or service they are interested in as they did before, 97% of them are more likely to dive into independent research first. But why the sudden change in behavior? It’s because AI-powered tools and digital content were never as accessible as they are now. And while the rise of technology has simplified the buyer’s journey, it’s also caused certain sales tactics to become less effective. Heck, some have even completely died off or were ineffective to begin with.

That said, we sat down with our Head of sales, Andrea, a veteran with 11+ years of experience, to discuss what the future of sales holds. While at it, she reassured us there’s more work to be done than ever before. Provided the right sales tactics are used, that is.

So, we picked her brain on the topic to bring you:

• 24 sales tactics that work in 2025,
• 12 approaches that are best left behind.

We’ll dive into them all in a second. But first, let’s explain what sales tactics really are and what constitutes ethical vs. unethical selling.

What are sales tactics?

Sales tactics are specific techniques that salespeople use to engage prospects, overcome objections, and ultimately close deals. They translate a company’s broader sales strategy into tangible, repeatable actions that drive results. In essence, while a sales strategy outlines your overall plan to reach targets, sales tactics are the day-to-day actions that make that plan work.

Ethical vs. unethical sales tactics

Sales tactics generally fall into 2 main categories: 

• Ethical sales tactics
• Unethical sales tactics

Ethical tactics imply putting your prospect first by listening, being transparent, and genuinely solving their problems. This means focusing on what’s in it for them instead of simply chasing a quick win. When you sell ethically, you build trust, forge lasting relationships, and let your product’s true value shine without the need for gimmicks.

Unethical tactics, a.k.a. high-pressure, aggressive, or manipulative tactics, lean on deception and manipulation. They might help you close a deal today, but they often leave a sour taste. They rely on exaggeration, bluffs, and sometimes even bad-mouthing competitors to force a decision. In the long run, such tactics erode customer trust and damage your reputation.

24 best B2B sales tactics you need to use in 2025

Now that you know the difference between ethical and unethical selling, it’s time to talk about the best sales tactics of the year 2025. 

So, without further ado, here are 24 of our top picks that are all about selling the right, a.k.a. ethical way!

1. Gap selling

When we asked our Head of Sales, Andrea, to talk about her favorite sales tactic, she mentioned ''Gap selling'' with no hesitation whatsoever.

Gap selling is a problem-centric B2B sales approach focused on identifying the gap between a prospect’s current state and their desired future state​. 

It was coined by a coach that goes by the name Keenan, who noted that this technique enables prospects to ‘’see its positive impact on their lives” by directly addressing their specific pain points​. That’s because, instead of pushing products or services, gap selling prompts you to uncover the buyer’s challenges and goals and then position your product/service as the bridge that fills that gap.

In practice, applying gap selling can involve mapping out the prospects’ challenges and goals side-by-side, then highlighting the exact “gap” your solution will close. For example, this can be reducing a manual process from 5 hours to 5 minutes or increasing ROI by a certain percentage. 

As you make this gap and its resolution crystal clear, you create urgency and excitement, which makes the prospect want to close that gap with your help. And because you’ve demonstrated a thorough grasp of their situation, you’ve built credibility and trust, making it an ethical yet high-converting sales tactic.

2. Flip the Script

This is a modern sales tactic popularized by Oren Klaff’s book ‘’Flip the Script,’’ which centers on reversing the typical sales dynamic. The idea is to get the buyer to feel that adopting your solution was their idea rather than feeling pressured by a salesperson​.

Practically, this means moving away from forceful persuasion and instead leading the conversation in a way that the prospect convinces themselves of the value you offer. 

The point is to establish yourself as an equal and a trusted advisor to them by aligning with their perspective and demonstrating insight into their business instead of pitching.

To paint a better picture, let’s say you were in a sales meeting. 

Instead of delivering a hard pitch, you share a case study of a common industry challenge and how it was solved. You ask smart questions about how the prospect sees that challenge in their world.

As they engage, you acknowledge their expertise and perspective (status alignment) and add your own opinions sparingly to fill knowledge gaps. The prospect then begins to draw the conclusion that your solution addresses their needs.

By the end, they might say something like, “It sounds like if we did X (your solution), we could achieve Y outcome, right?” – essentially voicing what you wanted to convey. At that point, they feel in control and confident about the decision, which is incredibly effective for conversion.

3. Challenge with insights (‘’Challenger sale’’ tactic)

Another high-impact tactic is the so-called Challenger sale approach—in essence, challenging your prospects with fresh insights that reframe their thinking.

The Challenger methodology uses a 3-step playbook often summarized as Teach – Tailor – Take control​.

But what does this look like in practice?

Firstly, you teach by sharing thought-provoking insights and educating the buyer about potential risks or possibilities in their industry. For example, “Did you know 52% of companies in your sector are doing X, which is leaving them vulnerable to Y?”. 

Then, you tailor this information to the prospect’s specific business, connecting the dots to their situation or pain points. 

Finally, you take control of the conversation by confidently guiding the next steps, thereby helping the prospect navigate decisions.

This tactic is very effective when used properly. And by properly we mean when you challenge constructively and back it up with facts or case studies, so it’s helpful, not arrogant.

4. Leverage social selling on LinkedIn

Social selling means using social media platforms to connect, engage, and build relationships with prospects before pitching.

In terms of LinkedIn, social selling typically involves sharing helpful content, commenting on your prospects’ posts, and sending them non-salesy messages that provide value. Over time, these interactions warm them up so by the time you do reach out to talk business, you’re already on their radar.

On top of engaging in this type of LinkedIn lead generation, you can also use this platform for research. Use it to learn more about your prospect’s role in their company, their interests, mutual connections, etc, so you can personalize your cold outreach.

Of course, don’t neglect your LinkedIn profile. Optimize it accordingly by changing your default LinkedIn URL, filling in your LinkedIn headline and LinkedIn summary, and upload a professional profile photo and LinkedIn cover photo. Also, don’t forget to keep your posts sharp and brimming with value!

This is important because when prospects check you out (and they will), a strong personal brand can make them more receptive to your message. Consequently, this may translate into more sales.

5. Use buyer intent signals to prioritize leads

Not all leads are created equal—some are WAY more ready to buy than others. So, how do you determine who’s closer to a sale? By studying so-called buyer intent signals, a.k.a. clues that indicate a prospect’s level of interest or urgency.

These signals can include behaviors such as:

• Visiting your pricing page,
• Downloading a whitepaper,
• Opening several of your emails,
• Engaging with your LinkedIn content.

So, what you want to do is strike while the iron is hot. In other words, reach out to these individuals as they are exploring your solutions to maximize the chance of conversion.

Luckily, there are plenty of sales intelligence tools that can help you identify these high-intent individuals, such as ZoomInfo, Leadfeeder, 6Sense, and our personal favorite — Sales Navigator.

6. Zero in on your ideal prospects through LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Speaking of Sales Navigator, it can be used for a lot more than simply identifying buyer intent. As a matter of fact, it’s THE tool for LinkedIn prospecting, meaning it’s where you can find prospects with laser precision.

Now, why are we talking about prospecting when the focus is mostly on sales tactics that help you CLOSE leads? Because no matter how polished your pitch is, if you’re talking to someone who isn’t the right fit, it won’t lead to a deal. 

So, how do you get to those individuals? Through LinkedIn Sales Navigator filters. Though advanced LinkedIn filters are useful, Sales Navigator has a lot more to offer in this regard. 

Specifically, it offers:

• 29 Lead filters
• 15 Account filters

…and 27 of these can be found only on the platform!

You can use this filter to narrow down your search and then save it so you can revisit it later. You can also save individual companies or prospects that perfectly match your ideal customer profile and buyer persona into a Lead list. 

What's more, you can even set up Sales Navigator alerts to notify you of when your target prospects change jobs or share content so you know exactly when to reach out.

In terms of reaching out, our very own Skylead is a LinkedIn automation and cold email software that lets you contact these individuals at scale.

Namely, you can connect the tool to your Sales Navigator account to target leads from a Sales Navigator search or a Lead list and then set up automated outreach sequences that include them.

But more on that in a bit. 🙂

7. Engage multiple stakeholders (a.k.a. multi-thread your deals)

In B2B sales, rarely does a single person call all the shots. There’s usually a buying committee or group – and that group has grown larger in recent years, often including managers, executives, end-users, and procurement all weighing in. As a matter of fact, research indicates that the average buying group now involves about 10 to 11 stakeholders.

That’s why one of the best sales tactics of 2025 is to multi-thread. In other words, contact multiple stakeholders in the target account instead of relying on a single person.

As an example, let’s assume you’re selling some type of software. In that case, you might need buy-in from:

• The IT director (who cares about security and integration),
• The end-user team lead (who cares about usability),
• And a VP or C-level executive (who cares about ROI and strategic impact). 

Multi-threading would mean reaching out to each of these personas in parallel, which, in turn, increases your chances of finding at least one internal person who will advocate for you.

Not to mention, when you build relationships across the organization, you create multiple support points for your proposal. If your main contact leaves or goes silent, the deal doesn’t die because you’ve got others on board. Plus, when decision time comes, you’ve already addressed concerns from every angle, making it easier for the group to say yes.

8. Take advantage of multiple channels

So, we’ve already established LinkedIn and its Sales Navigator as the primary places to chat with prospects. But one of the best sales tactics is to rely on multiple channels for your outreach.

Multichannel outreach implies using more than one channel to reach out to prospects. Chances are, if they’re inactive on one, they won’t be on other(s), so there’s a higher possibility of getting a response.

You can use our tool, Skylead, to reach out to prospects found through Sales Navigator, LinkedIn, and Recruiter. 

But what you may not know is that, using it, you can engage those same prospects through 2 channels—LinkedIn and email.

But how exactly does Skylead let you use multichannel outreach? Through Smart sequences.

Simply put, Smart sequences are coherent outreach flows that consist of different LinkedIn and email actions and if/else conditions. They unfold according to your prospects’ behavior to reach them in the fastest possible way. In turn, they maximize your touchpoints with them.

Here’s an example of a Smart sequence.

And here are the steps and conditions you can mix-and-match to create your ideal Smart sequence.

You can also connect as many email accounts to Skylead as you wish. The tool will automatically rotate between them while sending emails to help you send tens of thousands of those a month.

Don’t have your prospects’ emails? No problem! You can still take advantage of unlimited email outreach! Namely, Skylead has a native email discovery and verification feature that you can add as a step to your sequence. As a result, the tool will discover and double-verify your prospects’ emails without breaking your outreach flow or using 3rd party tools. And did we mention all of this comes at no additional cost?

9. Warm up cold leads with research and personalization

Cold outreach doesn’t have to feel cold. The trick is to warm up your leads by doing a bit of homework and adding a personal touch to your communication. 

So, before reaching out to a new prospect, spend a few minutes researching them and their company. Look for a recent achievement (e.g., a funding announcement or product launch), mutual connections, or even a hobby or interest you can find. As we mentioned, LinkedIn can be useful for this. Then use that tidbit in your LinkedIn message, email, inMail, even a cold call. 

For example, you might start an email with:

“Hi Jane, I saw on LinkedIn that you just spoke at the SaaS Summit – congrats! I loved hearing you talk about user retention…” 

…and then, move on to how your product might help with a relevant challenge. This way, you show the prospect that you’re not just batch-and-blasting thousands of people with the same spiel. It earns you a few extra seconds of their attention, which is often all you need to stand out.

Keep in mind that when using Skylead, it’s possible to scale personalized outreach. Namely, our tool has built-in variables that you can add to your messages, which will get populated automatically with the information coming from your leads’ LinkedIn profiles.

Or, if you’re setting up a campaign using a CSV file, you can even define custom variables with any detail(s) you uncovered during your research.

Want to boost your response rate? We’ve got you covered with a native Image and GIF personalization feature. Use it to personalize any image or GIF with you and/or your prospects’ LinkedIn profile image, company logo, or text of your choice, complete with variables.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so trust us when we say your leads will love it! Who knows? You may even get to beat our 76% response rate that resulted from using this feature!

10. Embrace video selling

You might find yourself in a situation where a message or a static image may not fully convey your enthusiasm or explain a complex solution.

That’s when you want to turn to video selling. This involves using video at various stages of your sales process – from sending quick introduction videos during initial outreach to conducting live product demos or personalized walkthroughs on Zoom to even shooting a short, customized “thank you” video after a meeting. 

But why video? Because it helps replace the face-to-face connection that traditional field salespeople would establish in person. It’s simple. Humans trust what they can see, and by putting your face and voice in front of a prospect, you build familiarity and rapport much faster than text alone. Not to mention, it’s novel and shows you put in the effort.

Want to take advantage of video selling all while using Skylead? Well, you can, as our tool integrates with the #1 video selling platform, Sendspark, to bring you AI-powered dynamic video functionality. This means you can create your videos and personalize them at scale using Sendspark, and then include them in your messages, LinkedIn inMails, or emails in Skylead as you would personalized images and GIFs.

11. Sell value, not features (Value-based selling)

Too many salespeople fall into the trap of pitching product features or using buzzwords, which prospects tune out. 

Value-based selling changes this narrative by focusing on the prospect’s needs and how your solution improves their situation (saves money, increases revenue, reduces risk, saves time, etc.). 

In practice, this means your conversations, proposals, and demos should continually answer the buyer’s unspoken question: “What’s in it for me/my company?”

For example, rather than saying:

“Our software has an AI-driven analytics dashboard,” 

You might say:

 “With our software’s AI analytics, you’ll identify sales pipeline bottlenecks in seconds, potentially recovering 10% of deals that would otherwise slip through – directly boosting your quarterly revenue.” 

See the difference? The latter speaks the language of value and outcomes. 

Implementing this tactic requires discovery because you must understand what the prospect values. Just keep in mind that different business decision-makers value different things. A CFO might prioritize ROI or cost savings, whereas an operations manager could care most about efficiency and ease of use. So, you’ll need to adjust your value points accordingly and use metrics or case studies to quantify them.

Value-based selling also means sometimes challenging the buyer if they focus too much on price. This is when you steer the conversation to total value instead. It’s also closely aligned with gap selling because you highlight the gap between where they are and where they could be and emphasize the value of closing that gap.

12. Turn discovery calls into consultations (Consultative selling)

The discovery call is often the first substantive conversation with a prospect – and how you handle it can set the tone for the entire sales cycle. A top-performing tactic is to approach discovery calls as free consulting sessions instead of a qualifying checklist or a sales interrogation. 

In a consultative discovery, your primary goal is to understand the prospect’s world: their challenges, objectives, and constraints. You ask open-ended questions and really listen to the answers. 

But equally important, you provide valuable insights and advice right on that call, even if it means sharing some expertise without an immediate return. Treat the prospect as if they’ve hired you for an hour to improve their business – that mindset shift unlocks a ton of good.​

13. Practice active listening

Andrea insists that truly hearing your prospect is as vital as presenting the perfect solution. 

And no, we're not talking about just nodding along or waiting for your turn to speak. Instead, you need to be all in. Absorb every word they share, then hit them with clarifying questions to confirm you’ve caught the whole meaning behind their words.

14. Study non-verbal cues

Sometimes, listening isn't enough; you also need to study your prospects' behavior to determine if they are receptive to your pitch. Although, this sales tactic only works if you're on a video call. 

If yes, then pay close attention to subtle changes. You'd be surprised by how much a raised eyebrow, a quick glance, or even a change in posture can reveal.

15. Address “elephants in the room” head-on

When something’s clearly off but no one’s mentioning it, just bring it up. In other words, if you sense a lingering concern, be it about budget, competition, or any other obvious roadblock, address it directly. Confronting these issues shows you’re confident and upfront, and it builds trust by clearing the air.

16. Ask for referrals and introductions

One of the quickest ways to generate high-converting leads is to tap into the networks of your satisfied customers and contacts. 

The concept is straightforward: if you have happy customers (or even just happy conversations with prospects who maybe weren’t a fit), ask them if they could refer your company to anyone else who could benefit from your solution.

You can even create referral incentives or programs. Just be careful as, in B2B, professional courtesy and reciprocity are often incentive enough.

The high conversion aspect comes from the fact that referred prospects come in with a positive bias. They’ve heard a success story about you from someone they trust, so half the battle (credibility) is won. Then, it’s up to you to deliver a similarly great experience.

💡 Pro tip: Build a habit of asking for 1 referral at certain milestones (post-implementation, after a big win, upon renewal, etc.).

17. Co-create sales content with the marketing team

Sales and marketing go hand in hand…one just can't exist without the other. As a sales rep, you probably rely on content like e-books, white papers, and case studies to showcase your expertise and build credibility with prospects. 

Imagine if you had to create all that on your own! You'd be bogged down and have little time left to actually close deals. Instead, the smartest move is to feed your insider knowledge to marketing. They’ll take that information and craft compelling content that lets you focus on what you do best—selling.

Speaking of which, we (marketing) teamed up with the sales team to build a Sales playbook that helped scale Skylead in as little as 9 months. Check it out below to pick up a few tricks up your sleeves!

18. Share customer success stories

Storytelling is the art of sales. And the most convincing stories you can tell are those of your existing customers’ success. Thus, it’s not surprising that incorporating customer success stories, case studies, and testimonials into your sales process can dramatically increase conversion. 

This might happen in a variety of ways: you can mention a relatable client example during sales conversations. Alternatively, you can share written or video case studies (the ones your marketing team created) that detail the problem-solution-result journey of a customer. 

You might also bring up testimonials or quotes from happy users when addressing a prospect’s concern. The idea is to prove with evidence that you’ve delivered the results your prospect is looking for to customers just like them​.

Here’s a quick snapshot from our customer success story with Dennis Goyal to paint a better picture of what we’d share:

19. Streamline and simplify the buying process

An often overlooked sales tactic is making it incredibly easy for the buyer to say yes and move forward. Even if you have the best pitch, a prospect’s enthusiasm can fizzle out if the purchasing process becomes painful or complicated. 

As a salesperson, you should advocate for a seamless customer journey, reducing friction at every touchpoint​. Tactics to do this include providing clear and concise proposals that are easy to understand and not filled with jargon or unnecessary info. 

You can also offer to guide the prospect through internal hurdles. For example, suggest you set up a meeting with their finance team if needed to explain pricing and ROI or provide security documentation upfront to satisfy IT reviewers. 

Then, if scheduling a demo or trial, use a simple booking link or be very accommodating to their calendar to avoid delays. You can also introduce self-serve resources for those who prefer it. Some prospects might not be ready for a live call early on, so have recorded demos or interactive product tours available as well. This way, the buyer can explore at their own pace without pressure, which can then lead to a more productive live conversation when they’re ready (and often filters out folks who aren’t serious). 

Being responsive is part of this, too, so answer messages promptly and follow up when you say you will to keep the process moving.

20. Take advantage of automation

Modern sales reps rely on automation tools a lot more than they care to admit. With reason! After all, they help you automate repetitive tasks (e.g., prospecting, initial outreach, scheduling meetings, etc.) so you can focus more on selling and less on admin work.

There are hundreds of automation tools available, starting from B2B prospecting tools and LinkedIn automation tools like Skylead to sales outreach tools and CRMs even.

Of course, the tactic here isn’t to replace the human touch but to support it. Automation can open doors, but it’s your personal engagement that will close the deal.

21. Follow up with customers

You know your job doesn't end once the deal closes, right? To really show you care, you need to keep following up! 

You can try the 3-3-3 rule here: reach out 3 days after the purchase, then 3 weeks later, and finally, 3 months in.

The first check-in, just 3 days after the deal, is your chance to make sure everything’s running smoothly during the onboarding phase. Then, at 3 weeks, you can see if any questions or issues have popped up and let them know that you’re there for them beyond the initial sale. 

Finally, the 3-month mark is your chance to make sure they’re still satisfied, but it’s also the perfect opportunity to ask for a referral, which is a sales tactic we previously discussed.

22. Tap into cross-selling and up-selling opportunities

After you've built a solid relationship with your customers, it's time to consider if they could benefit from additional products or upgrades.

In other words, it’s time to cross-sell or up-sell them.

Cross-selling involves suggesting complementary items that enhance their current solution, whereas up-selling means recommending a higher-tier option that offers extra value.

If a customer mentions a need or challenge that isn't fully addressed by their current setup, that’s your cue to propose a relevant option. 

Keep in mind that your goal is not to push more products on them but to genuinely help them achieve better results. So, present the option as a natural extension of what they already use, and make sure the recommendation aligns with their aspirations and pain points.

23. Collaborate across teams for a seamless buying journey

Complex deals can involve technical questions or unique challenges that a lone salesperson might not solve. Top-performing sales reps aren’t afraid to pull in colleagues from other departments to help close the deal​. After all, teamwork makes the dream work!

As you know, this blog is a direct collaboration between our marketing and sales team. However, there’s a lot more that marketing and sales can collaborate on. 

Remember the buyer intent signals we talked about earlier? Well, say that a marketing team notices that a specific prospect has downloaded multiple eBooks. In that case, they can flag this as a high-priority lead for sales.

Of course, collaboration isn’t limited to these 2 teams. Sales can also collaborate with developers, where they ask them to hop on a demo call to better explain a technical feature. Or, they can collaborate with the customer success team during the onboarding phase. Scenarios are infinite!

24. Audit and analyze sales calls to improve performance

Recording your sales call is not a direct sales tactic. It is, however, something that will help you determine if the other sales tactics you're using are working. Before you've started recording, though, it's important to ask for permission from your prospects. 

Once you have the green light, go through with it. Then, use these recordings to analyze your calls. Look for the moments where you nailed your pitch and, just as importantly, where you stumbled. Use these insights to fine-tune your strategy, improve your responses, and boost your overall performance.

12 sales tactics to avoid using 

Some of these are high-pressure, aggressive, and purely manipulative, while others are simply outdated. Regardless, they all share one thing: they should be left behind in 2025.

1. Overselling

When you push your product too hard, exaggerate its benefits, or promise more than you can deliver, you risk losing credibility and scaring off prospects. 

So, instead of turning your pitch into a desperate sales push, focus on authentic value. Let your track record and genuine benefits speak for themselves—as they should!

2. Fake enthusiasm

Trying to force excitement that doesn't feel real is a red flag—prospects can definitely see through it. 

Rather than going overboard with enthusiasm, it’s better to be genuine. Being authentic doesn’t mean you can’t show passion, but it should actually reflect how you feel about what you're offering. 

After all, real interest and trust are what resonate the most, not a manufactured act, so you better drop it.

3. Rushing leads through the sales cycle

Speed may seem like an asset, but when you rush your leads, you risk undermining the entire relationship. Moving too quickly can come off as pushy, and you might miss the subtleties of what your prospect really needs. 

So, take a moment to genuinely engage, ask questions, and let the dialogue unfold at its natural pace. When you respect your prospect’s timeline, you're more likely to build loyalty and seal the deal on solid ground.

4. Beating around the bush

When you're not rushing your prospect, you might end up dancing around the important points. But being vague and avoiding the heart of the matter leaves your prospect confused and frustrated. 

The trick is to strike a balance—be clear and direct about the value you offer while still allowing the conversation to breathe.

5. Selling to just about anyone

If you're trying to sell to everyone, you're missing the point, which is to focus on those individuals that truly need your solution.

So, target your ICP and buyer persona, and your pitch will become sharper and more relevant, leading to deeper connections and a significant increase in conversion rate.

6. Pitching products, not solutions

One of the biggest rules of sales is to not do to others what you don't want others to do to you. So, put yourself in the prospects' shoes. How would you feel if a rep was talking about product features on and on? Not great, we bet! 

Prospects aren't looking for a spec sheet; they're looking for answers to their problems. Rather than listing features, translate technical details into tangible benefits that directly impact their bottom line.

7. Playing on FOMO (the ‘’Takeaway’’ tactic)

Many reps swear by this tactic, and if we're being completely honest, it does work. But is it ethical? Not so much.

The Takeaway sales tactic plays on the fear of missing out (FOMO). You hint that what you're offering might vanish if the prospect doesn't act right away. Think along the lines of, “This deal is only available for a limited time” or “We might have to pull this offer soon.” The idea is to create a sense of urgency, which compels the prospect to make a quick decision.

Now, while this pressure can sometimes seal the deal, it often leaves prospects feeling cornered. What’s more, the moment a prospect senses that urgency is artificially created, their genuine interest takes a hit.

8. Ignoring objections

Some sales reps might think that if they simply let objections fade into the background, the issue will just disappear. But ignoring objections is a dangerous game that gives room for doubt to grow and for your competition to swoop in.

Instead of hoping the objection will vanish on its own, ask probing questions to understand exactly what’s behind the objection, then address it directly. 

Andrea says that every objection is an opportunity to show you’re listening and that you genuinely care about solving your prospect’s challenges. Neglecting these concerns not only undermines your credibility but can also cause the prospect to feel dismissed, which is something no one wants to experience during a sales negotiation.

9. Using the ‘’higher authority’’ as a bargaining chip

Some reps love to say, “Let me check with my superiors,” even when they already know the answer. This move is essentially a bluff—pretending that you need approval, even though the outcome is already a done deal. 

The idea is to soften the blow by implying that there's room to maneuver so you can later come back with a counteroffer that looks more appealing. 

This might work to ease the conversation momentarily, but it isn’t exactly ethical. Not to mention, it can make you seem like you’re hiding behind someone else’s decision, which may come off as lacking confidence or authority.

10. Overrelying on discounts

Discounts may provide a quick sales boost, but the long-term effects can be damaging. 

In fact, over-discounting can erode your brand’s perceived value and train customers to wait for price cuts instead of purchasing at full price. More often than not, they also signal that your product/service just isn’t worth its regular price.

So, instead of overusing discounts, the smart play is to focus on adding value to your offerings in the form of exclusive features, better service, or loyalty rewards that don’t undercut your brand’s image.

11. Bad-mouthing the competition

We know how tempting it is to highlight a competitor’s shortcomings, but bad-mouthing them is a definite no-no. 

Talking bad about your competitors shows you’re insecure about your offerings or that you’re biased even. What’s more, it’s possible your prospects used their products/services in the past and had a positive experience with them, which means your negative comments are more likely to alienate them.

Thus, a much better approach is to let the strengths and unique benefits of your product/service shine through on their own merits.

Bonus: Using the ‘’follow’’ step on LinkedIn as a touchpoint in an outreach sequence

Including an extra “follow” step in your outreach sequence might seem like it adds a personal touch. But, in reality, it's redundant. 

When you send a connection request, LinkedIn automatically follows that person for you. This means you're essentially duplicating an action that already happened, which clutters your sequence without driving additional engagement. Moreover, adding an extra follow step can dilute your message by interrupting a concise outreach flow. 

The only scenario where it might make sense is if you're at the very end of your sequence and have exhausted other touchpoints. Even then, the impact is minimal since the follow doesn’t create a new interaction.

We deliver all our latest updates straight to your inbox.

Sales templates, cold outreach, and industry innovations.

Email *

• I agree with and accept Privacy Policy

Subscribe

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

1. What are tactics in sales?

Sales tactics are the specific, actionable techniques that you use day-to-day to engage prospects, overcome objections, and ultimately close deals. Think of them as the practical steps you take to implement your overall sales strategy.

2. What is the difference between sales strategy and sales tactics?

A sales strategy is your big-picture plan—it outlines your target market, overall approach, and long-term goals. Sales tactics are the hands-on methods you employ every day to execute that strategy and drive results. Simply put, strategy sets the destination, while tactics chart the course.

3. What is the 3-3-3 rule in sales?

The 3-3-3 rule is a follow-up guideline that helps maintain customer relationships after a sale. It means reaching out 3 days after the purchase to ensure smooth onboarding, then 3 weeks later to address any questions or issues, and finally 3 months in to check satisfaction and ask for referrals.

4. What are aggressive sales tactics? (a.k.a. high-pressure sales tactics)

Aggressive or high-pressure sales tactics involve pushing prospects to make a decision quickly by using relentless follow-ups, urgent language, and sometimes even a confrontational approach. These tactics often leave prospects feeling cornered or overwhelmed, which can damage trust and hurt long-term relationships.

5. How to avoid high-pressure sales tactics?

To avoid high-pressure tactics, focus on building genuine, consultative relationships. Listen actively, provide clear and honest information, and let your prospects make decisions at their own pace. By emphasizing transparency and customer-centric solutions, you build trust without forcing a quick sale.

Unleash your full sales potential with the right sales tactics!

You've just discovered 24 sales tactics that can transform your approach and drive conversions in 2025. 

Now, it's time to put these into action—test, iterate, and fine-tune your process until you’re closing deals like never before.

But if we’re being completely honest, the above sales tactics perform best when combined with high-quality automation tools, such as Skylead. So, don’t wait a second longer! Sign up for your 7-day free trial with Skylead and see how you can pair it up with these proven tactics to make them work in your favor just about every time!

In business, no deal is made without one person: a decision maker. Business decision makers are the ones who have the power to turn your pitch into a yes—or shut it down completely.

But the thing is, they aren't always so easy to find and reach out to. Not to mention, even when you think you're talking to one, there’s a chance you’re not.

So, how do you actually get your product/service in front of those who call the shots?

Since our Head of Sales, Andrea, has plenty of experience talking to business decision makers, we consulted her on the matter. And now, we are bringing her findings to help you:

• Identify B2B decision makers based on role, hierarchy, and behavior,
• Find them in real-life situations,
• And reach out to them effectively.

We’ll also teach you the right way to pitch to these individuals to close 3 times the deals!

Shall we?

What are business decision makers?

Business decision makers are the people in a company who have the authority to make important calls. For example, they approve budgets, sign off on partnerships, and decide which products or services to buy. Without them, no major decision moves forward.

Why are decision makers important in business?

Decision makers are responsible for shaping the direction of a business. In other words, their choices directly impact a company’s success—or failure.

They are especially invaluable in B2B environments because they:

• Drive progress - By deciding where resources go, which strategies to pursue, which partnerships to form, and more.
• Maximize efficiency - They prioritize initiatives and allocate resources in ways that ensure teams focus on what truly matters without getting distracted.
• Shape the future - They identify trends and adapt strategies to keep the company ahead of the competition, thereby setting the foundation for long-term success.
• Create opportunities -  They explore new possibilities through strategic decision-making. This can include entering untapped markets, facilitating collaboration with key industry players, or supporting initiatives that lead to fresh revenue streams.
• Unlock potential - Their approval enables teams and companies to act on ideas, scale operations, and achieve goals faster.

Who are business decision makers by role and hierarchy?

Some titles have become synonymous with decision-making. 

But the truth is, whether or not someone is considered a decision-maker depends not so much on their title but more on the company’s size, structure, and the type of decisions being made.

Regardless, there are certain roles and hierarchical levels where they’re commonly found.

C-Level executives

These are the ultimate decision makers in most organizations and are defined by titles such as:

• CEO - Chief executive officer
• CFO - Chief financial officer
• CTO - Chief technical officer
• CMO - Chief marketing officer

C-level executives are responsible for the big-picture strategy, resource allocation, and final approvals on major decisions (e.g., high-stakes partnerships, significant investments, organizational changes).

Department heads and directors

Another type of decision makers are department heads (e.g., Head of Sales, Head of Marketing, IT Director, etc.). 

These individuals don’t have the final say in multi-million-dollar deals. Nonetheless, since they know their departments best, they often make decisions on a department level. This is especially true in larger organizations.

Managers and team leads

At a more granular level, managers and team leads can make decisions about operational matters. They don’t control the company’s overall direction, but they often influence decisions by identifying needs, shortlisting options, and providing feedback to higher-ups. If you’re pitching a service or product that solves everyday challenges, these individuals can be your entry point.

Hierarchy matters—but so does context

No company has the same structure, and who’s in charge will often depend on the size of the organization.

For example, in small business environments, decision-making may rest solely on the owner or founder. 

Meanwhile, in mid-sized companies, decisions typically involve multiple layers of authority, starting from managers to directors. 

As for enterprise-level organizations, these often require consultation between cross-departmental teams and C-level executives.

Thus, you need to understand where decision makers sit within the specific company’s hierarchy. Only then can you be sure you’re targeting the right individuals.

5 Types of business decision makers based on behavior

Job titles and hierarchy can clue you in on who decision makers might be. But it’s their behavior that tells the full story.

That said, here are 5 types of business decision makers according to the way they make decisions. You’ll also find questions they may ask to help you recognize them, actionable tips on how to approach them, along with message templates.

1. Brand centric

These decision makers are heavily influenced by a brand’s reputation and image. For them, trust in your company is just as important as the quality of your product or service.

They’ll ask questions like:

• What’s your track record in the industry?
• Who else have you worked with?
• Is your company seen as an industry leader?

How to approach them:

Highlight your brand’s credibility because that’s what they are drawn to. To do so, use case studies, testimonials, or showcase awards your company has received.

Template:

Hi {{FirstName}},

I’ve noticed how {{CompanyName}} consistently stands out in the {{Industry}} space. 

Companies like yours have, with our help, won industry awards, built credibility, and boosted customer trust by {{X%}} in under {{Timeframe}}.

I’d love to explore how we can enhance your brand’s reputation and set you apart from the competition. Would you be open to a quick call this week?

Best,

Real-life example:

2. Multifocal

Multifocal decision makers consider multiple angles when making a choice. They look at how a decision impacts various aspects of the business, including budget, operations, scalability, and team morale. 

They’re the ones saying:

• How does this fit with our long-term strategy?
• Will this disrupt existing workflows?
• What are the potential trade-offs?

How to approach them:

Show how your product or service benefits their organization across the board.

Template:

Hey {{FirstName}},

It must be hard juggling costs, operations, and long-term growth at {{CompanyName}}. 

At {{YourCompany}}, we specialize in {{YourSpecialty}} that {{SpecificBenefit}}.

I’d love to share a quick overview of how our platform adapts seamlessly across various departments, ensuring every angle of your operation is covered. Care for a quick demo or call?

Best,

Real-life example:

3. Aggregators

Aggregators are all about gathering data, input, and opinions before making a decision. In other words, they seek consensus and rely on feedback from their teams or peers. 

You’ll commonly find them saying:

• I’ll need to discuss this with my team.
• Can you provide more information for us to review?

How to approach them:

Equip them with detailed resources and supporting materials such as product demos, white papers, or detailed proposals they can share with their team. Be patient, though, as these process-oriented individuals value thoroughness over speed.

Template:

Hi {{FirstName}},

I understand you often gather input from various stakeholders before making big decisions at {{CompanyName}}. 

To help streamline that process, I have a comprehensive set of resources—{{SpecificResources}}—that you can share with your team.

Once everyone has had a chance to review, I’d be happy to discuss specific needs and concerns to ensure a perfect fit. 

Interested in getting these materials?

Best,

Real-life example:

4. Risk-takers

Risk-takers are bold business decision makers who prioritize innovation and speed. As such, they’re willing to embrace uncertainty for the potential of big rewards. 

You’ll hear them say things like:

• Let’s be the first to try this out.
• We’re looking for a game-changer.

How to approach them:

Focus on innovation and differentiation, all while emphasizing what makes your solution unique and how it can give them a competitive edge. Nonetheless, be ready to discuss contingency plans, to let them know you’ve considered potential risks.

Template:

Hi {{FirstName}},

I noticed your track record at {{CompanyName}}, and it shows me you’re open to bold moves that can give you a competitive edge. 

Our latest solution, {{YourProduct}}, is still in development but has already shown a {{X%}} increase in efficiency among early adopters.

If you’re interested in pioneering something fresh and innovative, let’s chat. I’d be happy to share how we handle any potential bumps in the road.

Best,

Real-life example:

5. Cautious

The opposite of risk-takers, cautious decision makers prioritize safety and predictability. Thus, they’re methodical and prefer to stick with tried-and-true solutions. 

Common phrases include:

• Has this been proven in similar industries?
• What’s the guarantee this will work?
• What’s the ROI, and how soon can we expect it?

How to approach them:

Provide reassurance. In other words, use proven results, ROI data, and clear timelines to put their minds at ease.

Template:

Hi {{FirstName}},

I noticed you value tried-and-true solutions with clear payback. 

{{YourCompanyName}}’s approach has helped clients across {{Industry}} achieve up to {{X%}} ROI within {{Timeframe}}—and we document every stage to keep you informed and reduce uncertainty.

I’d be happy to walk you through these results and answer any questions about the timeline or implementation. Interested in a brief call?

Best,

Real-life example:

How to find the right business decision makers for your business

Now that you know who business decision makers are and how they think, it’s time to find them. 

Decision makers may not always be visible, but they’re not hiding either.

That said, here are 3 steps to take to make sure you catch them where they are.

Step 1: Develop your ICP and Buyer Persona

Before you start searching for business decision makers, you need to know exactly who you’re looking for. And that starts with creating your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and Buyer Persona.

Although these 2 terms are interchangeable, they differ in that:

• ICP defines the perfect company for your product or service based on factors like industry, company size, revenue, and pain points.
• Buyer Persona focuses on the individual within that company, covering their role, goals, challenges, and decision-making behavior.

Why is it important to define both, though? 

Because, by doing so, you’ll know:

• Which companies to target (e.g., mid-sized tech firms with 200-500 employees facing scaling challenges).
• Who the decision makers are (e.g., CTOs struggling with operational efficiency).
• What messaging resonates with them (e.g., cost-saving benefits, operational improvements, or competitive advantages).

That said, to actually define both your ICP and Buyer Persona, start by:

1. Analyzing your existing customers and identifying patterns in their industry, company size, and pain points.
2. Talking to your sales and support team, seeing as they interact with potential and existing customers daily. Thereby, they can provide valuable insight into their requirements and common objections.
3. Defining key attributes. For ICP, these can be location, industry, revenue, and the growth stage. Meanwhile, when it comes to your Buyer Persona, you can concentrate on the job title, responsibilities, challenges, and goals.

We wrote 2 detailed blogs that explain exactly how you can create both your Ideal Customer Profile and Buyer Persona. So, be sure to check those out!

Step 2: Zero in on them using LinkedIn or Sales Navigator

Given that LinkedIn is home to over 65 million business decision makers across the globe, including over 10 million C-level executives, it's clear it's THE place to hunt them.

There are a few ways to go about it, and they involve using:

• LinkedIn search
• Sales Navigator
• LinkedIn Boolean search

That said, let’s show you exactly how you can use all of these for LinkedIn prospecting.

1. Finding business decision makers using LinkedIn search

The simplest way is to type specific job titles into the search bar (e.g., CEO, Head of Sales, Marketing Director, etc).

However, if you want to get more precise results, we recommend you further refine the search using LinkedIn filters.

To activate filters, type anything you want in the search bar, be that a job title, a company name, etc., and hit enter. Alternatively, you can run a blank search. 

Then, right under the Navigation bar, you’ll find a couple of highlighted filters, along with the ‘’All filters’’ button. 

Click it to open a sidebar menu that contains all filters you can apply to your search, such as:

• Current company
• Past company
• School
• Industry
• Location
• etc.

The next step is to select filters relevant to your ICP and Buyer Persona and click ‘’Show results’’. 

As a result, you’ll get a list of all LinkedIn profiles that match your requirements.

📝 Note: No matter how many profiles show up in your search, LinkedIn only lets you see the first 1,000 results (that’s 100 pages with 10 profiles each). So, it’s best to refine your search as much as possible. Or, better yet—use Skylead to discover leads. But we’ll talk more about that later.

2. Finding business decision makers using Sales Navigator

If you thought LinkedIn search filters were powerful, wait till you see what Sales Navigator has got!

In fact, LinkedIn Sales Navigator Filters include a total of 29 Lead filters and 15 Account filters that allow you to target decision makers with laser precision, 27 of which are exclusive to the platform. In other words, the latter aren’t available to subscribers to LinkedIn Premium, Recruiter, or basic LinkedIn users.

To get to these, go to the search bar and select either “Lead” or “Account” filters, depending on whether you’re looking for business decision makers directly or companies they work for.

Once you do, you’ll be able to apply any filters you wish to refine search results.

Here’s a sneak peek into all the available filters.

After applying filters, Sales Navigator will list all leads that fit your criteria on the right side of the screen.

What’s more, the platform even lets you save your search with all applied filters. Thanks to this feature, you can revisit your search anytime instead of setting it up all over again. 

To actually save your search, just toggle the corresponding button to the right.

Then, every time you go to the Saved search dashboard, you’ll see:

• The last time you accessed the Saved search.
• The number of new leads added since your last visit.

Rather than saving the entire search, you can also organize your leads into Lead lists.

To do so, identify leads you believe are the decision makers you wish to keep tabs on. 

Then, click “Save” and either create a new list or add them to an existing one.

Finally, the last way you can find business decision makers on Sales Navigator involves using its Personas feature.

To use it, go to the “Personas” tab (you can access it via search or the homepage).

Then, click “Create a new persona”...

…define the following:

• Job title (e.g., Director of Sales)
• Function (e.g., Marketing, Sales)
• Seniority level (e.g., Director)
• Current job title (e.g., Director of Sales Operations)
• Geography (e.g., North America)

…and save.

Once your Persona is created, Sales Navigator will automatically add leads that match these criteria.

By default, Sales Navigator provides 2 preset Personas: Director+ and CXO. Nonetheless, you can create up to 3 additional custom ones according to your LinkedIn sales strategy.

📝 Note: Much like LinkedIn, Sales Navigator also has a search limit, meaning you can only view up to 2,500 profiles per search. Thus, we recommend you refine your search as much as possible using the available filters.

Bonus: Monitor job changes to find new decision makers

People change jobs, get promoted, or switch roles, which can impact your targeted outreach strategy. 

To make sure this doesn’t happen (and stay ahead of your competition), it’s important to keep track of job changes.

One of the best ways to do so is by using the Sales Navigator Alerts feature, which notifies you of important updates related to your leads and accounts, including when a decision-maker moves to a new role or company (among other things).

All you have to do to receive alerts is save a lead or account. Then, you’ll find all the updates on the Sales Navigator homepage.

But why track job changes? Because doing so allows you to:

• Reach out to decision makers at the right time since new hires and promotions often come with fresh budgets and opportunities.
• Gain a competitive edge by reaching out to them before your competitors.
• Strengthen relationships. For example, you can congratulate these individuals on their new roles to build rapport naturally.

📝 Pro tip: Set up ‘’New Decision Makers’’ alerts for specific companies (accounts) to get wind of new business decision makers as soon as they enter the picture.

3. Finding business decision makers using Boolean search

Want to take your search up a notch? Boolean search is a powerful way to do just that.

It’s a simple search technique that helps you filter through large amounts of data and zero in on exactly what (or who) you’re looking for. What’s more, it works in any field where you can type keywords.

That said, these are the Boolean operators you can use across LinkedIn and Sales Navigator:

• AND – Shows results that include both terms. (e.g., CMO AND B2B)
• OR – finds profiles containing either term. (e.g., CEO OR Founder)
• NOT – Excludes unwanted terms from your search. (e.g., Manager NOT Assistant)
• Quotation Marks (“ ”) – Searches for exact phrases. (e.g., ‘’Chief Technology Officer’’)
• Parentheses ( ) – Groups search terms for more complex queries. ( e.g., (“Marketing Director” OR “CMO”) AND “SaaS”)

💡 Pro tip: To make the most of Boolean search, mix and match these operators.

Step 3: Research and compile lead data 

So, you’ve identified business decision makers through LinkedIn or Sales Navigator?

Then it’s time to research deep into them and compile data that you’ll later use for outreach.

You can do this manually by reviewing your leads’ LinkedIn profiles, focusing on their LinkedIn headline, LinkedIn summary, work experience, posts, and activity. 

While this manual approach can provide you with valuable information, it can be time-consuming. Thus, to speed things up, you are better off using LinkedIn automation tools. And our very own Skylead is one of the best such tools for the job!

Namely, Skylead has a handy Discover leads feature that automates the process of gathering valuable data about prospects. This feature collects all publicly available information from a LinkedIn profile, thereby helping you save 11+ hours a week on research alone.

What’s more, if you're using a LinkedIn or Sales Navigator search URL as your lead source, Skylead can refresh the search periodically to capture new leads that fit your criteria and, thus, help you bypass the search limits. Provided you turn the option on, that is.

After gathering all the necessary details—whether manually or through Skylead—compile everything into a CSV file. Then, you can upload that same CSV file into Skylead to reach out to business decision makers at scale.

But more on that in a bit. 🙂

How to reach business decision makers

You know who you should be contacting. Now, it’s the time to actually do so.

You could go about cold outreach manually, but why not put it all on autopilot with Skylead?

Skylead is a one-stop-shop LinkedIn automation and cold email software that works with all LinkedIn Premium, Sales Navigator, and Recruiter accounts

That said, it lets you create outreach campaigns that incorporate automated LinkedIn and email actions using:

• LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, or Recruiter Search URLs
• Sales Navigator Lead lists
• LinkedIn Post
• Recruiter Pipeline URLs
• Recruiter Talent Pool
• CSV files

Today, we’ll show you how to launch a CSV-based campaign. 

Start by manually reviewing your leads’ LinkedIn profiles, paying special attention to:

• Job title and responsibilities – To verify they truly hold the decision-making position.
• Company size, industry, and locale – To make sure they match your target market.
• Recent activity – Posts, shares, and engagement can give you insights into their interests and pain points.
• Connections – To see if you have any mutual connections who can introduce you.

Once you’ve got the details, it’s time to create a Skylead-friendly CSV file. 

Here, you can find detailed instructions on how to format it and what columns to include to ensure Skylead picks up proper information. This is especially true if you’d like to use our native message variables for personalized outreach, a.k.a. placeholders that automatically get populated with your leads’ information.

Skylead has these predefined…

…which you add to the file by including columns with names formatted like this:

Nonetheless, you can add as many columns as you want to to create your own custom variables that our tool will pick up. 

These can be custom icebreakers based on the information you compiled through their LinkedIn profiles, intros…or anything else you believe will catch the attention of business decision makers.

If you’re not quite sure what that something is, you can add multiple custom variables, and later A/B test them in up to 5 different versions of your copy.

On the other hand, if you used Skylead to discover leads, you can also download the CSV from the Leads page directly. It is preformatted to fit our tool, so you can immediately use it in your outreach campaign. Additionally, you can add more columns to it to serve as custom variables.

Now, to create a campaign, navigate to the Campaigns page and click ‘’Create’’ to start the process.

Give your campaign a name and import your CSV file. Then, click Next.

The next step is to define email, LinkedIn, and global settings.

Feel free to explore the options you have. 

Nonetheless, we’d like to emphasize that under email settings, you can find the option to select unlimited mailboxes to send tens of thousands of emails a month at no extra cost.

What’s more, each Skylead user gets to prepare these same mailboxes for outreach free of charge. How? By using an infinite email warm-up feature provided by our partner—an email warm-up tool, InboxFlare.

Once you’re happy with your settings, proceed to the Smart sequence builder page, where, on the right side, you’ll see different LinkedIn and email actions & conditions.

Drag and drop them into the white space and connect them to each other to create your Smart sequence. In other words, a coherent outreach flow that acts according to prospect behavior to reach them in the fastest possible way.

Here is an example of a Smart sequence.

If the goal is to combine both email and LinkedIn outreach, the best course of action is to have Skylead first discover and verify leads’ business emails.

If it does so successfully, it can proceed to send an email, as you can see above. 

Now, say a few days have passed, and you haven’t received any word. Has your email been opened? Skylead can check that. If yes, it can send a follow-up email after no response. Whereas, if not, it can also send a follow-up, but with a different copy.

But what if the tool wasn’t able to find your lead’s email to begin with? Then, it can continue down the LinkedIn lead generation road and send an invite to connect instead. If your lead accepts it, it can follow up with a LinkedIn message and another one if there’s no response.

However, if your connection request goes unanswered, the final resort can be a LinkedIn inMail, which you can also use to bypass the LinkedIn connection limit to get to as many business decision makers as possible.

Personalize your outreach for maximum impact

Want to truly stand out in the decision makers' inboxes? Take your outreach up a notch with our Image and GIF personalization feature to increase your response rate to 76% and more!

Using it, you can personalize visuals with:

• Custom text
• LinkedIn profile images
• Company logos

…and insert them into any message-based step.

After you’re done tweaking your sequence and personalizing your messaging, set delays between steps. 

And finally, launch your campaign!

Respond & track replies with ease

Skylead can help you reach out to business decision makers on autopilot. 

But it's up to you to nurture relationships after they reply.

Luckily, Smart Inbox makes this rather simple, seeing as it lets you:

• View all LinkedIn messages, inMails, and emails in a single dashboard.
• Respond to them directly without switching between different platforms.
• Label your conversations to keep track of conversions and measure ROI.
• Leave notes about leads so you don't have to memorize important details.

Want to know how many leads have replied without manually counting your chats?

Visit the Reports page, where you can keep track of your response rate, along with other metrics, such as:

• Acceptance rate
• Email open rate
• Email click rate
• Bounce rate
• Emails verified
• etc.

You can do so in 3 different view modes:

1. Graph — to get a visual overview of campaign performance and spot oscillations easily.
2. Table — to analyze your campaign day-by-date and identify patterns.
3. Side-by-side — to track each stage of your outreach sequence to see where prospects are engaging or dropping off.

How to pitch to business decision makers 

How you approach business decision makers and pitch to them will depend majorly on how they make decisions. In other words, it will depend on their behavior.

Nonetheless, here are some general sales tactics to help you pitch successfully.

1. Befriend the gatekeeper

Decision makers are often shielded by gatekeepers, a.k.a. assistants, coordinators, or even automated systems. Instead of trying to bypass them, work on building a rapport (unless they are a bot). Doing so can help you gain insider info and improve your chances of getting through.

2. Provide value first

Decision makers get bombarded with pitches every day, so standing out is all about showing what’s in it for them. Jumping straight into your product features won’t cut it. Instead, focus on how your solution solves their challenges or helps them reach their goals.

Want to make them even more receptive? Offer something valuable upfront—like a free resource, industry insights, or a quick audit.

3 Offer social proof

People trust what others have already validated. And what better way to make them trust you than to share case studies, testimonials, or data that prove your solution has worked for those in similar shoes?

4. Tailor your pitch 

By all means, don’t use the same pitch on everyone! Instead, customize your message based on your leads’ pain points, industry, and goals to make it more personal and relevant. The more aligned your pitch is with their needs, the more likely they are to engage.

We deliver all our latest updates straight to your inbox.

Sales templates, cold outreach, and industry innovations.

Email *

• I agree with and accept Privacy Policy

Subscribe

Frequently asked questions

What are B2B business decision makers?

B2B business decision makers are individuals within a company who have the authority to make decisions on behalf of the organization. They can be found across different levels of an organization, from C-level executives to department heads and managers, depending on the size and structure of the business.

What are examples of decision makers?

Decision makers can include C-level executives, department heads, managers, and business owners, among others. Their authority varies depending on the company's size and structure, with executives making high-level strategic decisions and department heads focusing on team-specific ones. Meanwhile, in smaller businesses, the owner or founder often takes on the role of the primary decision-maker.

How long does it take to reach a business decision-maker?

The time it takes to reach a business decision-maker depends on various factors, such as their role, the size of the company, and your outreach strategy. Generally, high-level executives may take longer to respond due to their busy schedules and gatekeepers filtering their communications.

Get in front of business decision makers in record time!

As you can see, finding and reaching out to business decision makers isn't as complicated as it seems to be. At least not when you're armed with the right resources and tools.

And what better tool to arm yourself with than Skylead? After all, it's your one-stop-shop solution that helps you get to more decision makers faster and do it at scale.

Sounds too good to be true? It’s not. But don’t just take our word for it—start your 7-day free trial now to get in front of the right people and grow your business like never before!

Ideal Customer Profile? Say what?

Are you outreaching your leads and the efforts are just not paying off? Chances are you’re targeting the wrong crowd and your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) isn’t right.

Andrea, our Head of sales, says that pitching to the wrong crowd only means wasted time and resources. Luckily, we are here to help you create the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). This article will show you:

• A 4-step guide with actionable data to create your ICP
• The difference between an Ideal Customer Profile vs. Buyer Persona
• A template for Ideal Customer Profile
• How to use ICP for lead generation
• How to improve your ICP if you already created it

Our teams have worked hard to do the research, and now we present our findings, so pay close attention. 💡

What is an ICP?

The Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is a firmographic description of companies that would benefit from your product/service the most. These companies should have the fastest sales cycle, highest LTV, and retention rate. ICP guides your targeted marketing and sales strategies to attract and keep valuable prospects efficiently.

Your ICP is a company that:

• Will become a long-term customer that you can easily upsell
• Loves your product/service because it solves issues seamlessly
• Becomes your brand ambassador

Pro tip: From our research, an Ideal Customer Profile can be positive and negative. We will focus on the positive ICP, but creating a negative ICP can help you outline all prospects that are a poor fit for your product/service. By keeping an eye on the negative ICP, you’ll surely avoid wasting your budget and time on the wrong companies.

The difference between an ideal customer profile and a buyer persona

ICP and Buyer Persona are crucial documents for sales, targeting, and prospecting on LinkedIn. Despite being similar, they serve different purposes.

Firstly, an Ideal customer profile combines firmographic and demographic data that best describes a company ideal for your business. This data can include: 

• Location,
• Average company size, 
• Revenue,
• Pain point, 
• Industry, etc.

Secondly, a Buyer Persona is a document that describes an individual profile of a person involved in the buying process. While ICP outlines the perfect company, Buyer Persona details the individuals within. The data from your ICP might mention the decision-makers and their positions, but the data we need to create a Buyer Persona is a bit more personal:

• Job title
• Social media and communication channels used
• Annual salary, etc.

Basically, the Buyer Persona focuses on more psychological and personal details, while the Ideal Customer Profile focuses more on the company itself and the metrics.A single ICP may contain several Buyer Personas, which means you can target multiple roles within a single company. Additionally, businesses can have various ICPs, which typically differ by industry, highlighting a layered approach to market segmentation. Here’s how it looks:

Now, back to the ICP and Buyer Persona. Here is a simplified example of their main differences.

Pro tip: If your company is new, it’s better to start by creating an Ideal Customer Profile and then move on to a Buyer Persona.

Key Benefits

Now, let’s look at how your outreach will change after clearly defining your ICP:

1. Personalize your outreach - The main and most obvious benefit of customer profiling is that it can help every sales team personalize communications for each prospect. This can only lead to more engagement, a better experience for your prospects, and improved sales.
2. Target a relevant audience - You will target more relevant prospects for your business that actually have a need for your product/service.
3. Improve response rates - When you’re speaking to the right crowd in the right way, you experience better results and boost lead nurturing. A tailored approach can boost response rates significantly.
4. Optimize customer acquisition - A good ICP can help you understand your best customers so you know what characteristics to look for in the future, helping boost customer acquisition.
5. An informed market expansion plan - With a good ICP, you can easily determine your current market share and plan to expand your reach and discover untapped revenue, only to grow your business even more.
6. Nurture brand loyalty and profitability - Knowing your audience and presenting a solution to their problem at the right time can help boost your brand image, thus attracting more loyal customers.

How to create an ideal customer profile?

An Ideal Customer Profile needs to be as detailed as possible to identify all aspects of your target companies, create a good base for your Buyer Persona, and help your LinkedIn lead generation activities. Here is how to create an ICP in case you:

1. Already have an Ideal Customer Profile as your customer
2. Don’t have an ICP as your customer or customers at all.

If you already have an ideal customer profile as your customer

1. Analyze your current customers' data

When creating an ICP, data is your best ally. You can easily spot patterns and anomalies from which your business can benefit. In this case, you should start with your existing customers’ data.

What we’ve learned from our experience is that the trick is to pinpoint your best customers. Here’s a list of questions you need to answer to find them:

1. What company became your customer the fastest?
2. Who are the customers that have the highest retention rate?
3. What customers have the highest LTV?
4. What company did refer your product and service elsewhere?

2. Identify the patterns

Once you have a list of companies that are your current customers according to previous criteria, it is time to analyze. The key here is to notice patterns and similarities between these companies.

Here is the list of patterns to keep in mind when analyzing:

Pro tip: Open Google Sheets for this step, note customers listed in rows, and put patterns in columns. Once you have them neatly written down, you can find similarities more easily.

3. Have a chat with your customer

By now, you should have rough data, which means it’s time to get personal and go deeper into the analysis. To gather more personal information, you can book online meetings and chat with your existing customers.

Here’s a list of questions you can ask:

Keep in mind that not all customers have time to talk to you, or your meeting may not be their priority. If you did the social selling part right, you would have instant positive feedback because of your well-established relationship with them.

From what we have learned so far, you need to find an alternative motive for the customers so they are willing to hop on this meeting. This is where discounts or gift cards come into play. You will get valuable information, and they will gain something in return—a win-win.

4. Assemble information about your ICP

You are almost done. The last step is to assemble all this information in one place. As we mentioned before, it would be easier to start with ICP industry segmentation and go on from there. 

Now that you have defined an Ideal Customer Profile, you can adjust your sales and marketing efforts to target the right companies for your business. If you create an ICP in this way, you’ll have actionable data to find your profile right away and pointers on how to personalize outreach, but more on that second part later.

Note that later in this blog, you’ll get a chance to download our ready-made template you can use, so keep reading. 👇

If you do not have an ideal customer profile using your product or a service

In this case, we don’t have much data to go on, so we will create the ICP from scratch. If you don’t have an ICP as your customer or any customers at all, follow the steps below to create the profile.

1. Identify your ideal customers 

One of the best ways to start creating an Ideal Customer Profile in case you don’t have any customers is to zero in on the companies you believe will most benefit from your product or service. You can do this by identifying a couple of things on your end:

• Product or a service benefits
• Problems and solutions your product or service offering

Now, choose a group of ideal companies to research. Follow their founders or other decision-makers and discover what they write about. Are there any pain points they often talk about? Visit their websites or check out their LinkedIn pages. This approach will help your sales and marketing team narrow down the target group and be more effective in their activities.

2. Identify the key aspects

Similarly to the previous approach, you should add firmographic and demographic data to the companies list. Here is the information you can gather about these companies and add to the list next to the companies’ names: 

• Industry 
• Location 
• Company headcount
• Revenue
• Challenges on the company level
• Decision-maker
• Technology used
• Goals and objectives
• What is their product or service
• What is their status on the market

Pro tip: When creating an ICP, our best advice is to make your ICP as detailed as possible since it will provide the best options for LinkedIn lead generation targeting. 

3. Finding personal information about the company

To make your ICP as detailed as possible, you need to find more personal information about the companies, which means you need to reach out to them. 👋

Do not underestimate the power of LinkedIn - most people will be glad to chat with you and share experiences. You can go one step further and use this opportunity to reach out to their decision-makers and start your social selling while you gather data.

Here’s a template example of a conversation starter invite to connect and a follow-up:

Hey {{firstName}},

Your profile struck a chord with me, particularly your role as {{occupation}}. How about we connect and share a few unscripted insights since we work in similar fields?

From there, you can continue the conversation like this:

Hey {{firstName}},

Thanks for welcoming me into your network! I noticed your impactful role at {{currentCompany}}, and I'm curious—what challenges do you face in your position? I'm in the midst of creating a solution tailored for professionals like you, and your insights could be incredibly useful.

Looking forward to hearing your perspective!

Here are a couple of questions you can ask if they are on board:

• What is the process of decision-making in their company?
• What are the pain points in the field of your product/service?
• If they were looking for a solution, what features would they love to see?
• What are their goals and objectives?

4. Build an ideal customer profile

The last step is to assemble the information you gathered, which we will show you in our template below. 👇

Note: If you choose companies that work in different industries, start with industry segmentation first, and import the rest of the data to create multiple ICPs. Otherwise, you will have only one.

Ideal customer profile template

Here’s what an assembled Ideal Customer Profile should look like for a fictional company that offers a time-tracking system to other companies.

If you want to download this template, be sure to click here and make a copy.

How to use ICP for lead generation

Now that we have an Ideal Customer Profile, it’s time to use it to identify your ideal leads. Note that, from what we have learned over the years, companies that don’t perfectly match your ICP are still worth a shot. The retention rate will possibly be lower or the buying experience longer, so optimize and adjust your efforts accordingly.

The Ideal Customer Profile is easy to apply for lead generation. The idea is to search for and create a company leads list to match your ICP and then reach out to them. Here’s how to do it. ⬇️

Step #1 - Find your ICP via LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a powerful lead generation tool. So, what you need to do now is use your ICP by going to LinkedIn and doing a similar companies search. Here’s how:

Find leads using a basic LinkedIn search

Go to your LinkedIn account and research the industry or type of companies defined in your ICP document. Then use additional filters available to narrow down the search according to your ICP.

When the search is complete, make sure to jot down all the companies. Then, continue from there by clicking on every company page in the People section, as shown below, to find your qualified leads. 

Create a CSV file with every lead’s first name, last name, profile URL, and email. And then save this file for the next step.

Hacks to find leads using Sales Navigator

There are two ways you can filter your leads if you have a Sales Navigator subscription.

1. Find leads from the company profile

Go to your Sales Navigator search, apply Sales Navigator filters, and see the results. Find your ideal company from this list, and click on the three-dots button. Then, click on “View Similar”. 

"View Similar" is a useful Sales Navigator feature that will try to find companies most similar to the company you choose according to industry, company size, etc. It will show you up to 50 similar companies.
You can also usethe existing customer you selected as your ICP, type theirname in the Sales Navigator search bar, and click on the “View Similar” button for that company.

From there, click on the company you are most interested in, find your decision-maker, and save them to the lead’s list. Repeat the process for every company.

Step #2 - Create an outreach campaign

You can reach the leads you find manually, but to make this process even easier, you should use a sales engagement tool to do it for you. Let’s take Skylead, for example–a LinkedIn automation and email outreach software.

First, to create a campaign, choose your lead source. If you've written down all the decision-makers from your ICP in Google Sheets, you can upload it as a CSV file. However, if you used LinkedIn or Sales Navigator filters to find them, copy the search URL and paste it into Skylead. 👇

The next step is to adjust the campaign settings, such as start date or LinkedIn and email settings preferences, and click on the “Create sequence” button. 🧰

Note that what makes Skylead’s first-to-market Smart sequences special is that you can combine LinkedIn and email action with if/else conditions. This will help you get to your prospects one way or the other while maximizing touchpoints with leads. 

How? Through a carefully thought out and placed a set of actions. Here’s what you can drag and drop in the sequence builder to create an outreach flow 👇

A clear ICP will allow you to determine which steps or communication channels to use in your outreach campaign. Plus, you can use personalized visual elements that match your ICP thanks to our Image & GIF personalization feature to increase your response rate to 63%.

Lastly, once you’re done combining elements and personalizing, your sequence will look something like this:

Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ

How do you measure the success and accuracy of an ICP over time, and what metrics are most important?

To measure the success and accuracy of an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) over time, companies should track conversion rates, sales cycle lengths, customer lifetime value, and retention rates. Adjustments to the ICP may be necessary as these metrics are analyzed to ensure alignment with market conditions and customer needs.

Are there industry-specific variations in creating an ICP, and how should companies in different sectors adapt the template provided?

Industry-specific variations in creating an ICP do exist. For instance, the factors that define an ideal customer in the technology sector may differ significantly from those in the manufacturing sector. Companies should consider their unique industry trends, challenges, and customer behaviors when adapting the ICP template.

How can small businesses or startups with limited data or customer interactions effectively create an ICP?

Small businesses or startups with limited data can still effectively create an ICP by leveraging industry reports, competitor analysis, and qualitative feedback from initial customers or stakeholders. These insights can form the basis for a preliminary ICP that evolves with more customer interactions and data accumulation.

Ready to find your ideal prospects?

In conclusion, an Ideal Customer Profile allows you to narrow down, analyze prospects, and optimize your approach. It shows precise challenges—valuable information to help you adjust unique selling points and offer tailor-made solutions to your prospects’ problems.

To jog your memory once again, here are the 4 easy steps you need to take to create an ICP:

Pro tip: After creating an ICP, the next step is to create a Buyer Persona. 

Did you make your ICP? Good, then use Skylead to get to your prospects faster and save up to 11 hours of manual work per week. Come, say hi via chat on our website, and test our all-in-one tool during a 7-day free trial. Let’s get to those perfect prospects together and enjoy the results of hard work. 🤝

Looking for leads? Ever heard of LinkedIn prospecting? It’s about time you do!

If we know that LinkedIn is the largest professional social media network in the world, with a staggering 1 billion users, of whom 65 million are decision-makers, then it’s safe to say that it is a place to be for prospecting. Our complete guide on LinkedIn prospecting will cover:

• the concept of LinkedIn prospecting 
• why LinkedIn is the best place for prospecting 
• how to get started
• the do’s and don’ts of prospecting on LinkedIn
• 18 best strategies
• 3 tools that can help with prospecting

What is LinkedIn prospecting? 

By definition, LinkedIn Prospecting is the practice where salespeople and recruiters leverage LinkedIn as a part of their social selling activity to identify and engage with potential customers among platform members. Their goal is to build professional relationships and offer products or services that best meet their needs.

What does LinkedIn prospecting mean? 

LinkedIn is a professional network ideal for B2B (business-to-business) interactions, where salespeople can find and nurture potential business clients. It’s all about identifying the right target audience and fostering relationships with them, using the platform's features to manage the entire process.

But how does it work? LinkedIn helps you spot new prospects by providing insights into members' job titles, company information, and some personal information—key data for your outreach. Look at your prospect's LinkedIn profile as a gold mine of information, crucial for deciding if they're a fit for your product so you can plan and personalize messages and follow-ups.

Before reaching out, we believe that studying your prospect's profile is essential. Connecting is only the start; understanding how your product can help them and genuinely caring about their business is what can keep the conversation going. This process is gradual and involves patience, thoroughness, and constant optimization.

Now that you’ve found and studied your target audience, we get to initial contact. Cold outreach on LinkedIn involves contacting potential clients you haven't met before, aiming to pitch your product or service. But it's not just about the pitch; it's about building relationships and understanding their needs.

Remember: LinkedIn prospecting isn't a one-size-fits-all formula. It's complex, demands a solid strategy, and depends on many factors. But there's a reason LinkedIn is a top pick for social selling and online prospecting, as you’ll come to learn while you go through this blog.

Why LinkedIn prospecting? 

LinkedIn differs from other social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter because it's focused on B2B relationships. It's a one-stop shop for finding business contacts. Plus, it supports both prospecting and lead generation.

We need to clarify something: Prospecting and lead generation are not the same. Prospecting is about identifying and nurturing potential customers, while lead generation attracts and converts customer interest. A prospect is a qualified contact, whereas a lead is unqualified.

In recent years, the pandemic shifted these activities to the online world. This was when social selling became a thing - the practice of using social media to find and build relationships with prospects to meet sales goals. LinkedIn, being a professional, B2B-focused platform, has thus gained more advantages for social selling, as it supports all stages of the sales process.

However, success on LinkedIn isn't easy. Sales teams face the challenge of identifying the right business contacts among many, and decision-makers on LinkedIn are flooded with LinkedIn connection requests, regular messages, and InMails. But don’t worry! There are strategies to stand out and connect effectively with potential clients, which we will cover later in this blog.

How to get started with LinkedIn prospecting? 

1. Define your Ideal Customer Profile & Buyer Persona 

An ideal customer is someone who will benefit from the product or service on many levels and has also shown interest in it. In marketing and sales, we call that a qualified prospect. 

Defining your ideal prospects helps focus your sales and marketing on the most promising leads. In B2B, this means understanding the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) for target companies and the Buyer Persona for their decision-makers or a person who will use your product. 

Knowing these details improves how you identify and approach them on LinkedIn, making your social selling more effective while saving time in future outreach efforts. In fact, our Head of Sales, Andrea, says that if you define your ICP and Buyer Persona right away and you do it correctly, you won’t waste time on bad results. 

Let’s go over them. 👇

Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) describes companies that benefit most from your product or service. These companies typically have:

• the fastest conversion cycles
• highest customer retention
• highest lifetime value (LTV)
• are likely to refer your product or service to others.

Buyer Persona is a detailed profile of your ideal customer, encompassing behavioral, demographic, firmographic, and psychographic traits. This persona represents someone who:

• Experiences pain points directly addressed by your product or service,
• Is a decision-maker,
• Contributes to a shorter buying cycle when aligned with the ICP,
• Actively advocates for your product.

Note: Each company that fits your ICP can have one or more than one Buyer Persona for you to target. In short, ICP represents the company profile, while the Buyer Persona focuses on the particular type of person’s profile within that company.

2. Find potential customers 

Once you’ve defined your Ideal Customer Profile and Buyer Persona, it’s time to find them on LinkedIn. You can use LinkedIn to understand their pain points and keep all communication in one convenient place, from initial contact to follow-ups.

But that’s not all LinkedIn does. It encourages a series of behaviors through certain features that we can use to find ideal prospects and build B2B relationships.

1. LinkedIn allows networking among the members attending the same LinkedIn event despite some members not being connected. 
2. LinkedIn awards posting relevant content by giving these members greater exposure on the platform. 
3. LinkedIn gives you options to join LinkedIn groups of your interest. Use Sales Navigator to target members of a LinkedIn group.
4. Reach busy decision-makers through paid and free LinkedIn InMails 
5. You can use numerous filters to find your ideal prospects. 

You will find strategies on how to effectively find more prospects later in the blog.

3. Structure your campaign 

Effective LinkedIn connections go beyond just sending requests to users matching your Buyer Persona. It involves a detailed outreach plan, including:

• a LinkedIn sales strategy
• message flow
• messaging frequency
• follow-up actions
• identifying the prospect's preferred communication method (LinkedIn, InMail, email, or call)
• strategically timing your sales pitch
• optimizing your outreach for better results.

We know, it’s a lot to keep track of: conversations, relationship stages, and buyer's journey positions for multiple prospects. This is why we recommend you use a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software for your LinkedIn leads. It organizes customer data and streamlines lifecycle processes, replacing countless spreadsheets and documents.

4. Reach out & follow up

Once your LinkedIn outreach campaign is structured, start connecting with potential customers. Remember, first impressions matter in social selling. Look at it like this: your profile is your business card; members will take a peek and focus on your profile picture, cover photo, LinkedIn headline, and LinkedIn summary.

An all-star-status profile increases views and connections due to higher search visibility. When reaching out, ensure every message, whether a connection request or InMail, is personalized, showing you've researched the recipient and leaving room for conversation.

Follow-ups are key in outreach. Not all potential customers will be immediately responsive, especially busy decision-makers with a ton of requests. Be persistent but also recognize when to pause with outreach and wait for a better opportunity to re-engage. Also, be sure to try templates.

5. Automate your LinkedIn outreach 

We’ve come to our favorite part: outreach automation. ✨
LinkedIn automation tools can be the secret ingredient to your business success. With these powerful tools, you can streamline almost all outreach tasks, such as:

• Sending messages (regular messages, InMails, emails)
• Follow-ups
• Profile views
• Scrape data
• Personalize data (Image & GIF personalization, videos)
• A/B test content and more.

Automation tools save time, allowing more focus on crafting sales messages and closing deals. When it comes to the type of automation, cloud-based automation is the way to go. They are safer and can operate independently of your computer, unlike Chrome extensions or desktop apps, which can lead to account bans and you ending up in LinkedIn jail.

The good news is that advanced tools like Skylead use smart algorithms for efficient prospecting and add cold email outreach to the LinkedIn outreach equation. By offering multichannel outreach, a Smart sequence builder, hyper-personalization, and an email discovery & verification feature, Skylead gives its users safety, efficiency, and the ultimate outreach experience. 

6. Combine cold emailing with your LinkedIn outreach 

A cold email is an unsolicited email that is sent to your prospect without prior contact as part of your cold outreach strategy. It could also be defined as the written equivalent of cold calling. Cold email outreach, just like LinkedIn outreach, aims to make contact with prospects and build professional relationships for the sake of sales as an end goal. 

Since sales processes moved mostly online, the combination of LinkedIn outreach and cold emailing has given the best results. From our experience, we believe that combining LinkedIn with cold email outreach will increase your chances of getting to your desired prospects and converting them. Pavle, our sales executive, used a multichannel sequence to reach a 35% reply rate.

The 18 most effective LinkedIn prospecting strategies

As promised, we’ve done the research so you don’t have to, and now we present the 18 most effective LinkedIn prospecting strategies that are likely to bring qualified prospects for your business. Let’s review the list.

1. Use the Boolean search to narrow down your prospects

LinkedIn Boolean search allows you to combine words and phrases using the Boolean operators AND, OR, and NOT to limit, broaden, or define your lead generation target. Both LinkedIn and Sales Navigator filters support this type of search. 

Keep in mind that the Boolean search can help you focus your prospecting efforts on ideal potential customers of a niche market that works best for your business. 

2. Target LinkedIn event attendees 

LinkedIn event attendees might not all be connected, but what connects them is what your sales pitch might be. To target prospects at LinkedIn events, focus on events your ideal audience attends. This approach not only groups them in one place but also offers insights into their needs and perspectives, which you can use to get to know them better and connect.

3. Use LinkedIn groups for prospecting

Yes, we know. Most of the LinkedIn groups are dead. However, their members are still there, despite being inactive, gathered around a common interest. This is why targeting LinkedIn groups for LinkedIn prospecting is recommended. 

However, if some of these communities are active, make sure you take time and genuinely engage with them. Ask questions, offer advice, share your experience, and answer and comment on posts. Aside from high-quality prospects, you might gain valuable insights into your Buyer Persona’s problems and needs. 

Remember: LinkedIn allows you to send a direct LinkedIn message to each group member without being connected to them. This is how you find groups of your interest. 👇

Option 1 - LinkedIn basic and Premium users 

#1 Run a blank search or enter a keyword in the LinkedIn search engine. Use other available filters if needed.

#2 Choose your ideal LinkedIn group and click “Request to Join.”   

#3 Once you get accepted, this is where you find the list of members - or your prospect list. 😉 

Option 2 - Sales Navigator filters: Group filter  

You can find members of different LinkedIn groups through Sales Navigator filters. Unlike other LinkedIn users, you can narrow down LinkedIn group members further to fit your search criteria even better by applying other filters.

#1 Open Lead Filters

#2 Scroll down to the “Groups” filter. Put in a keyword or the exact name of the LinkedIn group. 

#3 Sales Navigator will suggest other similar groups. 

Note: Once you’ve chosen LinkedIn groups of interest, use other Sales Navigator filters to narrow your search results. 

4. Take full advantage of free & paid InMails 

LinkedIn InMail message is a direct private message to or from a LinkedIn member who is not part of your network. LinkedIn members that are not part of your network can be your 2nd or 3rd-degree connections.

If you’re not yet connected with your prospect, you can still send them messages, and this is where InMails comes in. Make sure to combine both free and paid InMails for a more effective outreach. However, our experience has shown that it is more effective to use InMails as the last step of the sequence in outreach if LinkedIn and email combined do not give results.

5. The People Also Viewed feature 

As you may know, the LinkedIn People Also Viewed feature displays a list of LinkedIn members that the platform’s algorithm found important for your LinkedIn experience, whether you are using the platform for networking, job search, or lead generation. Use the algorithm to your advantage and better target your audience.

6. The People You May Know feature 

Unlike the People Also Viewed feature, People You May Know suggests LinkedIn members for you to connect with based on commonalities between you and those LinkedIn members. 

LinkedIn recommends members who may have shared connections have similar profile information (experiences, company name, company size, industry, or attended the same school). You will see these profiles on the right rail of your LinkedIn profile.

Leveraging mutual connections on LinkedIn is a strategic way to grow your network and connect with potential prospects. Mentioning a common connection can go a long way. It boosts acceptance rates, overall trust and helps build new professional relationships.

Note: Keep in mind that the better your LinkedIn profile is optimized, the more accurately algorithms will suggest members that fit your prospecting preferences.

7. Check your prospects’ Contact Info 

We’ve already said that your prospects’ profile acts as a business card. Contact info sections usually contain everything you need to know to reach out. It’s available only for your 1st-degree connections.

“Contact info” can contain your prospects’ business email, private email, phone number, company website, and LinkedIn profile URL. However, not all of this information has to be filled out.

Here’s an example 👇

In this case, we see our lead’s business email, company website, and even phone number.

Some LinkedIn automation tools, such as Skylead, collect this publicly available information for you. All you need to do is move the toggle button to the right before creating your sequence. Skylead will collect all of your prospects' publicly available data and allow you to use it at any moment.

8. Follow job changes on your feed

If your 1st-degree connection changes jobs, you will get a notification. 🔔

It will show up in your feed as well. If your 2nd-degree connection changes jobs and the mutual connection reacts to it or posts a comment, you will also see it in your LinkedIn feed.

Regular updates on job changes are crucial for the LinkedIn prospecting process because a member's new job title may align with your ideal prospect profile. Additionally, leads in new decision-making roles are often more receptive to sales pitches, so you can use this moment to introduce your product/service to them.

9. The new job position alert

Setting job alerts for specific positions in companies is a long-term LinkedIn prospecting strategy. You'll get notifications about new openings, indicating company growth, investment in departments, or increased demand for their products or services. You can use these signals as an intro for your outreach efforts. 

Seems convenient? This is how you set the New Job Position alert on LinkedIn 👇

#1 Write the job position or a keyword you wish to get altered for in the search bar. Then, click “Jobs.” Let’s say you are interested in the “Sales Manager” position opening.

#2 Set up the location (mandatory) first. Then, use any other filter under the “All Filters” option that will get you as close to your ICP as possible.

#3 Finally, turn the alert on.

However, if you have a list of companies you would like to set alerts for, you can manually insert them here. This way, you will create job alerts for those companies only.

#4 Once you’ve set everything, turn the alert on and receive alerts for multiple companies or a single alert for multiple companies.

10. Target specific job openings

This hack involves searching for job openings and functions, listing companies in a spreadsheet, and contacting decision-makers. It targets current job openings, unlike the long-term strategy of setting alerts and waiting, which offers immediate search results to work with.

This is how you find leads by targeting specific job openings 👇

#1 Put the keyword in the LinkedIn search engine. For example, search for a “Sales Manager”. Set all filters to get as close as possible to your ICP. 

#2 Manually add each company (or handpick your target companies) into a spreadsheet. Then, find decision-makers within these companies and outreach away! ✨

11. Target your competitor’s network

Targeting your competitor’s network on LinkedIn can be an effective prospecting hack, as their connections are likely qualified leads already interested in similar products or services. To put this hack into practice, you have to connect with competitors, as it applies only to your 1st-degree connections.

Option 1 - Go to your competitor’s LinkedIn profile and find their connection list 

#1 Go to your competitor’s profile and click on their connection list.

#2 Once you click, you will be able to filter your leads further. You can then handpick them or copy-paste the link of your final search result to a LinkedIn automation tool, such as Skylead.

Option 2 - Search for your competitor’s connections through LinkedIn filters 

#1 Type a keyword into the search bar or run a blank search. Click “All filters”.

#2 Scroll down to the “Connections Of” filter. You can target one competitor or multiple competitors’ connections. Filter your search results by using other LinkedIn filters. 

12. Reach out to people who endorsed your competitor or ICP

Keep in mind that people often connect with those similar to themselves in lead generation. Explore the "Skills" section on LinkedIn profiles, both yours and your competitors', to find potential leads through shared connections and endorsements.

#1 Scroll all the way down your potential prospect’s profile.

#2 As you may see, there’s a total number of people who endorsed your prospect for a certain skill. LinkedIn automatically shows only those who are categorized as “highly skilled.” 

Note: When you have many connections that endorse you for a particular skill, LinkedIn marks you as “highly skilled.” Click on the link as marked above. 

This is how it looks 👇

You can target everyone from the list or just the individuals marked as “highly skilled.” They are most likely to be from the same industry or use the services of your prospect.

Note: From our 5-year experience in the market, we found that endorsing someone on LinkedIn doesn’t have the same weight as writing a recommendation. The LinkedIn members you find through the Recommendations section are more likely to be high-quality prospects.

13. Target leads who wrote or received a recommendation

As mentioned above, checking the recommendation section of a prospect's LinkedIn profile is a smart move. It reveals members who have written or received recommendations, along with their names, current titles, and relationship to your prospect. This provides immediate insight into their business connections.

Let’s look at an example 👇

You can check out both your prospect’s recommendations and the ones your prospect wrote for others. 

When leaving recommendations, you need to specify the type of business relationships you had with that LinkedIn member, as well as the position you held at the moment. 

Note: The type of relationship will be displayed together with your recommendation. 

14. Target members who commented or reacted to your ideal prospect's LinkedIn post

For LinkedIn prospecting, only target posts relevant to your business and engaged by members that fit your Buyer Persona. Focus on posts from your industry, similar businesses, or those shared by people targeting or engaging your Buyer persona.

Here are two ways to find a LinkedIn post ideal for prospecting.

Option 1 - Find a LinkedIn member whose posts you want to target 

#1 Scroll down through their profile and check out the “Activity” section. Click “See all activity.”

#2 Click “Posts” to see only content posted by that LinkedIn member. 

#3 Choose a post that you want to target. If you are doing outreach manually, click here to see who reacted and commented on this particular post. 

#4 If you’re using a LinkedIn automation tool, this is where you copy a link to a post. 

Note: The majority of LinkedIn automation tools can target only members who reacted (not commented) to a certain post. 

Option 2 - Find a LinkedIn post by using LinkedIn filters 

#1 Use LinkedIn's search bar to find posts containing your keyword that interest your ideal prospects. 

#2 Filter your posts further if necessary. 

#3 Collect prospects either manually or by using a LinkedIn automation tool.

15. Reach out to people who reacted or commented on your post

Using LinkedIn content for prospecting allows you to create tailored posts, articles, or LinkedIn polls to attract qualified prospects. Engage with them by asking questions, starting discussions, or teasing about new releases, and then identify potential leads manually or with a LinkedIn automation tool.

16. Check your company’s LinkedIn page followers 

Running out of places to look for prospects? Why not target individuals who follow your LinkedIn company page but don't use your services or products? They might be in related industries, seeking information, exploring options, or staying updated just in case they need you someday. The best way to understand their interest is by reaching out to them. 

Option 1 - Check out your company page as an admin 

Step #1 You need to be your LinkedIn company page admin to see the list of your followers. 

This is how the follower list looks like 👇

Option 2 - Sales Navigator spotlights filters: Leads that follow your company page

Step #1 Go to Sales Navigator Filters. Click “Lead Filters”.

Step #2 Choose the “Spotlight” filter. Click on “Leads that follow your company on LinkedIn”. You can use other filters to narrow down your search results.

17. Check out the Who’s Viewed Your Profile feature

People view your LinkedIn profile for various reasons. You appeared:

• in their feed
• search results
• recommendations
• company website listings
• through mutual connections. 

This indicates potential interest and a good sales rep will take any signal and turn it into a valid reason to reach out. Now go try it out!

This is where you can see who viewed your profile on LinkedIn. 👇

Option 1 - Check your notifications

Option 2 - Check out the Analytics section

The LinkedIn Analytics section is right below the section with your profile picture, name, headline, and other info. 

Step #1 Find the “Analytics” section.

Step #2 Check out who viewed your profile. 

You’ll find the list of LinkedIn members who viewed your profile. You can use the available filters to narrow down your list.

Interesting Viewers is a category of profile views that LinkedIn's algorithm assumes you'd be most interested in talking to. Aside from that, LinkedIn will categorize certain contacts according to their company, industry, occupation, etc. This can be useful for LinkedIn prospecting.

18. Activate the Bell feature 

Did you know you can get notified if your prospect makes an action on their LinkedIn profile? If you activate the Bell feature, you won’t miss an opportunity to talk to your prospects, plus you can learn about their pain points and use that for your outreach messages. How to get the bell to ring? Follow the steps below 👇

Step #1 Go to your prospect’s LinkedIn profile. If you are not connected, click the “Follow” button first, and then turn the bell on. If they are your 1st-degree connection, just click the “Bell” button.

Step #2 You’ll get a notification each time your lead publishes something. It looks like this.

LinkedIn prospecting: Top 3 tools to use

Now, when it comes to LinkedIn prospecting, strategies are good, but what if we told you some tools could help speed up the process? Before we get into the examples, let’s review some basic knowledge about LinkedIn automation tools.

What you need to know is that automation tools come in many shapes and sizes, but their type is what needs to be one of the first things to look at. We have three types of automation tools:

1. Browser extensions - Browser-based LinkedIn tools need an extension download to work. To use them, all you need to do is open LinkedIn and activate the extension. The tricky part is that it is less safe to use because it injects a code into LinkedIn, making it noticeable to LinkedIn’s algorithms that search and ban suspicious, non-human behavior.
2. Desktop apps - Desktop-based tools require a PC download to work. They act like desktop apps, and they need to work in the background at all times for the automation to happen. Apart from that, all data is stored on your computer. However, you can’t turn your PC off if you want it to work, and it is detectable by LinkedIn, so it’s a safety concern right away.
3. Cloud-based - Finally, cloud-based tools use a dedicated IP address that serves as a proxy and shields from all automated activity, so LinkedIn won’t notice the automation happening. Your data is stored in a cloud, which makes it even more safe, and it also runs even when your computer is off.

So, when picking a tool, it’s easy to conclude that cloud-based is the way to go! Now let’s look at the tools 👇

1. Skylead

As we’ve mentioned a bit earlier, Skylead is a LinkedIn automation and cold email software, and since prospecting comprises of two parts, finding and nurturing the clients, our tool will help with the outreach and nurturing part.

The LinkedIn automation solution helps you automate LinkedIn action and email. Plus, by using Image & GIF personalization, you can personalize all messages in a follow-up sequence, not just the initial one.

Lastly, our first-to-market Smart sequences help combine LinkedIn with unlimited email automation, thus covering all user behavior actions and reaching prospects one way or the other. Remember - multichannel sequences are the future of outreach!

2. LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Sales Navigator is LinkedIn’s premium platform created for B2B sales and marketing professionals to prospect and generate leads for their businesses. Every Sales Navigator feature is prospecting-oriented and aims to give you the most relevant information and insights into your desired companies and their decision-makers. 

Sales Navigator benefits:

• Sales Navigator advanced filtering options (with 29 Lead Filters and 15 Account Filters) to help you find your Buyer Persona or ICP
• Lead suggestions according to your sales preferences
• Add prospects to custom-made lists
• An advanced notification system (set customizable alerts, and you’ll receive notifications when certain actions are done by prospects) and more.

Also, when you subscribe to one of 3 Sales Navigator plans, you can still enjoy all the benefits of LinkedIn Premium without additional charges.

3. Hubspot

Another tool that you probably heard of used for prospecting and lead management is Hubspot. It’s a free CRM solution that helps sales reps monitor their prospect lists and outreach stage. 

This CRM helps you take complete control of your entire sales process, starting with creating your prospect lists. Once you import new prospects, Hubspot offers an enrichment feature that will get you crucial company insights.

Hubspot’s paid version, for $500 per month and a minimum of 5 users, includes the following features:

• Creating email sequences and email campaigns
• ABM tools & tools to automate lead generation
• Workflow integration with other apps
• Target accounts dashboard
• Identifying logged-in website visitors to send personalized emails or live chat replies
• Streamlining new lead assignation to your sales representatives

LinkedIn prospecting: The 4 do’s of sales prospecting 

Here are the top 4 LinkedIn prospecting tips and best practices to have in mind when prospecting on LinkedIn.

1. Connect on a human level 

Successful salespeople remember that prospects are humans and center their sales process, from prospecting to pitching, around this. Social selling, especially on platforms like LinkedIn, is challenging as is and requires frequent follow-ups. 

To connect with prospects on a human level, it's important to show genuine care, share personal business struggles or advice, and respect their decision-making time. This approach leads to more positive returns and respects the human aspect of sales. LinkedIn prospecting gives you an insight on what your prospect is all about so you can connect on a deeper level, even online.

2. Provide value 

Sales reps should focus on providing value in social selling, both through content and interactions with prospects, regardless of their response to sales pitches. Sharing industry knowledge on LinkedIn positions you as an expert, making prospects more likely to choose you over others. 

Also, offering value through direct messages, like recommending resources, sharing ebooks, or giving advice about something they actually need, builds appreciation and trust, no matter their purchase decisions.

3. Personalize 

Personalization is crucial in prospecting, and it goes beyond just using the prospect's name. It involves in-depth research to understand and segment prospects. LinkedIn automation tools can automate this process using variables for personalization and CSV files for scaling. 

Image & GIF personalization is another effective technique, using customized images with the recipient’s data to capture attention. Tools like Skylead offer image personalization as a feature, allowing you to customize images for each recipient to enhance LinkedIn inbox visibility.

4. Be patient

From what we’ve seen in sales, it’s safe to say with absolute certainty that you shouldn’t be pushy or aggressive with prospects, despite the pressure of monthly or quarterly quotas. Sales reps who focus on nurturing prospects and understanding their stage in the buyer's journey tend to meet their sales quotas more. 

Prospects actually value the space to make decisions and appreciate sales approaches that aren't solely focused on closing a sale at any cost, so keep that in mind when reaching out.

LinkedIn prospecting: The don’ts of sales prospecting

Here’s what you should avoid at all costs when prospecting on LinkedIn. 👇

1. Overlooking Profiles Before Reaching Out

Not taking the time to research and go through your prospect’s profile thoroughly before reaching out can lead to irrelevant or inappropriate offers. You need to understand their interests, experiences and needs to help tailor just the right message.

2. Not Following Up 

Always keep in mind that messages can be missed or forgotten. Not following up can be a huge mistake and lead to potential client loss. Sometimes, prospects need a little push before they do what you want them to. When writing a follow-up email after no response, make sure not to be too aggressive or pushy.

3. Neglecting LinkedIn Etiquette

Like in the real world, LinkedIn also has a set of rules you need to follow when communicating with people online. Neglecting LinkedIn etiquette could include endorsing people you don't know for skills, joining groups and immediately spamming them with your offers, or not respecting people's time and interests. 

4. Ignoring Analytics and Feedback 

Lastly, not tracking the performance of your outreach efforts (like response and open rates) could lead to bad outreach results. If you’re not adapting constantly based on real-time metrics and optimizing, you won’t reach any sales goals. So, remember to always look at the numbers and optimize accordingly.

Frequently asked questions about LinkedIn prospecting

How do I measure the success of my LinkedIn prospecting efforts?

Measure success by tracking metrics like connection acceptance, response rates, meetings arranged, and conversion rates. Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Skylead or CRM tools for analytics. Consistently analyzing these metrics will help you understand the effectiveness of your strategies and make necessary adjustments to improve your prospecting efforts.

How can I ensure my LinkedIn outreach messages stand out from the competition?

Personalize your messages by referencing specific details from prospects' profiles. Create engaging, value-centric messages that invite a response. Tailoring your outreach to each prospect's interests and needs enhances the likelihood of initiating meaningful conversations, fostering professional relationships, and ultimately achieving successful connections.

What are the common pitfalls to avoid in LinkedIn prospecting, and how can I navigate them?

Avoid common pitfalls by steering clear of mass, impersonal messages and neglecting profile optimization. Focus on crafting tailored, value-driven outreach messages and maintaining a professional, up-to-date LinkedIn profile. Personalized communication combined with a polished online presence is key to sidestepping frequent errors and succeeding in your prospecting endeavors.

How to use LinkedIn Sales Navigator for prospecting?

Use Sales Navigator and its multiple features, such as advanced search and filtering, lead suggestions, and advanced notifications to search for the right audience - your ICP and Buyer Persona, then implement an outreach strategy, preferably using multiple channels.

How do you use LinkedIn for sales prospecting?

Optimize your LinkedIn profile, use LinkedIn or LinkedIn Sales Navigator to target specific leads, actively engage in relevant groups, consistently share insightful content, and effectively use InMail for personalized outreach.

How do I use LinkedIn for prospecting?

First, you need to define your Ideal Customer Profile. Then, identify companies matching it. Lastly, find your Buyer Persona within those companies. Use LinkedIn and Sales Navigator search filters to find qualified prospects. In this blog, we listed 19 additional strategies to find prospects on LinkedIn.

Does LinkedIn work for prospecting?

Yes. LinkedIn is a gold mine for finding qualified prospects for the majority of businesses. With the help of advanced search on LinkedIn and Sales Navigator, you can study prospect information to build qualified lead lists and proceed to implement your sales strategy with better results. 

Ready to use LinkedIn prospecting for outreach?

If your goal is to grow your business and your business is outreach, LinkedIn prospecting should be an integral part of your outreach strategy. Although it is complex, LinkedIn prospecting shouldn’t be such a hassle, thanks to advanced tools that can relieve some of the workload. 

That’s right, we’re talking about LinkedIn automation tools. Let’s look at the benefits one more time:

• Save time on countless manual tasks 
• Use multichannel outreach and double the success rate of your outreach
• Automate parts of the sales process (prospecting, lead generation, lead nurturing)
• Monitor and optimize outreach campaigns with advanced metrics

But how do you get to enjoy all these benefits?

You can try Skylead, of course! 🤩 Simply register for a free trial today and watch how an all-in-one tool can turn something as complex as prospecting into an easily manageable task that produces results.

LinkedIn Boolean search is a query technique that combines words and phrases with the Boolean operators AND, OR, NOT, (), “”, to limit, broaden, or better define your search. It is used to produce more accurate results on the platform and allows you to navigate through relevant leads while disregarding unrelated ones.

Boolean search can be a powerful tool to get the most out of your LinkedIn lead generation process while saving time and resources.  That’s why, our sales team uses Boolean search in their everyday filtering activities on LinkedIn, and we can proudly say that this was one of the most effective LinkedIn prospecting  strategies to go from 2500 to 10 000+ users in 9 months. 

To apply Boolean search successfully on LinkedIn, you’ll need to know:

• Boolean search rules & operators;
• LinkedIn filters that support Boolean search;
• How to prepare for Boolean search on LinkedIn to get the most relevant leads for your business.
• Also, we will give you 5 Boolean search string examples for LinkedIn that you can copy & paste or get inspired by to make a Boolean string that fits your business needs better. 

The benefits of using a Boolean search on LinkedIn

Utilizing Boolean search on LinkedIn, especially when combined with other filters, offers several benefits. Our sales team has found that Boolean search, when integrated into their search strategy, helps: 

• Handpick leads en masse. Boolean search allows you to combine keywords in a way to provide a more detailed search experience.
• Blacklist unwanted leads. The NOT operator enables you to exclude specific terms, which is helpful for subscribers using LinkedIn filters that don't have the Exclude option. 
• Efficient talent sourcing: Recruiters can use Boolean search to identify potential candidates with high precision, saving time and resources.
• Fine-tune company research: Boolean operators can be applied to investigate companies, their employees, or industry trends, aiding in thorough research.
• Stay updated with relevant content: Boolean search within filters helps users discover and engage with specific content, discussions, or news pertinent to their professional interests.

How to do a Boolean search on LinkedIn? 

Here are some ground rules when it comes to Boolean search principles in general and on LinkedIn. 

Boolean search rules for LinkedIn

Here are some basic Boolean search rules to follow when searching on LinkedIn. 

• The Boolean search operators AND, OR, and NOT must be written in uppercase. Example: content OR copywriting
• If your search term is composed of more than one word, it needs to go under quotation marks. Example: “content writer” AND copywriter
• If combining the Boolean search terms, use parenthesis to define your query. Example: (“content writer” OR copywriter) NOT “content manager”

Boolean search terms for LinkedIn

Boolean search terms on LinkedIn consist of the following 5 operators that help you create a logical relationship between the keywords you would like to search, and therefore, bring back more precise and targeted search results.

The AND operator

The AND operator tells a search engine to find all people whose LinkedIn profiles include both terms. 

For example, if you search for writer AND copywriter, LinkedIn will only bring back users whose profiles contain BOTH the term writer and the term copywriter. 

The OR operator 

The OR operator tells a search engine that you wish to find users whose LinkedIn profiles include either of the terms. Also, if there’s a LinkedIn profile containing both terms, it will appear in your results. 

For example, if you search for content OR copywriter, LinkedIn will bring back users whose profiles contain EITHER of the terms or BOTH terms. 

The NOT operator

The NOT operator tells a search engine what words to exclude from search results. Differently from other operators, it needs to stand before the term you wish to exclude. If you wish to exclude multiple terms, the NOT needs to be inserted before each term. 

For example, if you search for content NOT copywriter, LinkedIn will bring back profiles containing the word content and it will avoid all profiles that contain the word copywriter. If you wish to exclude editors as well, you should compose your query as content NOT copywriter NOT editor. 

Quotations “”

Quotations are used in LinkedIn Boolean search when your search term is composed of two or more consecutive words that need to stay in a specific order. For example, if you wish to find content editors, but avoid content writers, your query would look like this “content editor” NOT “content writer”. If you don’t put the term composed of two or more words under quotation marks, the search engine will look them up as separate terms. 

For example, content editor NOT “content writer” will bring back results that contain the word editor, the word content, and will avoid profiles with the word content writer. 

Parenthesis ()

This Boolean operator is essential for writing complex search strings that give carefully picked results. Namely, when including parenthesis in the Boolean search, the algorithm sees the string between the brackets as a query that needs to be solved separately and then in relation to other parts of the string. 

For example, the query head AND (sales OR marketing) NOT (intern OR assistant OR communications) will bring back results of all leads who are either Head of Sales or Head of Marketing or Head Of Sales & Marketing but will exclude all people from the same departments that are interns, assistant, or hold the title of the Head of Communications. 

Here’s a visual presentation of the LinkedIn Boolean terms.

Which LinkedIn filters support Boolean search? 

Here are the filters supporting the Boolean search according to your LinkedIn plan. 

LinkedIn Boolean search 

On LinkedIn, you can apply the Boolean search only to the Keyword group of filters, which are:

• First Name 
• Last Name 
• Title 
• Company 
• School

This means that, whatever you put in the Keywords filter on LinkedIn, it will search within these 5 sections of your lead’s profile. If you want LinkedIn to search within a specific section, use precisely that filter instead. 

Also, our SRD, Pavle, tested applying longer Boolean search strings to LinkedIn basic and premium filters, and it was interesting to note that they don’t allow longer searches. He would get the “No results found” message, which is not quite true. 

LinkedIn just wants to point out the benefits of investing in Sales Navigator, LinkedIn’s premium platform designed specifically to handpick ideal leads through Sales Navigator filters, or in Recruiter with its 23+ filters designed for finding the finest talent for your business. 

Sales Navigator Boolean search

Sales Navigator allows you to apply the Boolean search to the following filters:

• Keywords 
• Current company 
• Past company 
• Current job title
• Past job title 
• First name
• Last name 

The most commonly used filter to apply the Boolean search is the Keywords filter. However, keep in mind that this search result can be very extensive and imprecise since the search engine will list all users whose LinkedIn profiles include that particular word anywhere on their profile (in their title, LinkedIn headline, posts, hashtags, skills, etc). 

On the other hand, when you apply the Boolean search to other, more specific filters listed above, LinkedIn will search only those sections of your lead’s LinkedIn profile to find the keyword match. 

That’s why, the Boolean search produces the best results when combined with other filters. 

Recruiter Boolean search

Unlike other LinkedIn subscriptions, Recruiter explicitly indicates which filters support Boolean search (plus the First and Last name filters which also support Boolean search but don’t have it clearly stated below). 

Here’s the list of ALL Recruiter filters supporting Boolean search:  

• Job titles 
• Companies 
• Keywords
• First name
• Last name 

How to prepare for Boolean search on LinkedIn

Before creating a Boolean string for your LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, or Recruiter search, make sure you define your Ideal Customer Profile and Buyer Persona. 

Then, off of that information, answer the following questions just to make sure you don’t miss out on any relevant leads.  

• Are there any synonyms or another name for the same or similar job title of your ideal? If yes, make sure you include them in your search. 
• Are there any key skills and expertise your ideal lead should have? If yes, did your ideal lead attend any specific schools or courses, or is part of a specific LinkedIn group where they gained these skills?
• Are your ideal lead’s years of experience in a specific position or company relevant to your search? 

Also, on the other hand, to get what you want, sometimes you need to eliminate what you don’t want first. 

• Are there any titles you want to exclude from your search? Typically, people exclude assistants, interns, etc. 
• Are there any companies that you would like to exclude from the search? Maybe you are already talking to these companies, they are your competitors, or you wish to blacklist their employees for any other reason. 
• Is there a particular keyword that could help you exclude a specific niche from your search? 

Finally, one of the hacks our sales team uses is to save their Boolean search strings on a separate sheet of paper such as Google Docs or a Word document, just to keep a record of what they combined since LinkedIn filters don’t show longer queries in full. 

5 LinkedIn Boolean search string examples 

Here are 5 Boolean search string examples inspired by the strings used by our Head of Sales, Andrea, to find the most relevant leads for Skylead. 

You can copy & paste them or adapt them to your filtering needs. Also, we always encourage using ChatGPT for sales, so in this case, you can use some of the below Boolean string examples as prompts and ask Chat GPT to produce similar ones. 

Finally, the below templates will help you understand better the Boolean principle in general, and how powerful it could be to bring back the most relevant search results on LinkedIn. 

Let’s set several Boolean string formulas that can help you understand the Boolean principle better and how to apply it to produce more relevant and precise results.

Boolean search string example for matching job titles with seniorities 

Use this Boolean search string to find specific job titles matched with their seniorities while at the same time excluding some of the options.

Formula 

(Seniority OR Seniority OR Seniority) AND (Title OR Title) NOT (Seniority OR Title OR KeywordsYouWishToExclude)

Example

(Head OR Chief OR VP) AND (Sales OR Marketing) NOT (Intern OR Assistant OR Consultant OR Growth)

Expected search results from this Boolean string

This LinkedIn Boolean search string will make the search engine bring back LinkedIn profiles including either of the following terms:

• Head of Sales
• Chief of Sales 
• VP of Sales
• Head of Marketing 
• Chief of Marketing 
• VP of Marketing 

And it will exclude any profile containing the words - intern, assistant, consultant, or growth. 

How to use this Boolean string 

If you are a LinkedIn user (basic or premium), check out the Which LinkedIn filters support Boolean search to understand why LinkedIn members cannot use more complex, longer Boolean search strings. 

If you are a Sales Navigator user, apply this Boolean string to the Current job title filter. 

To access this filter, go to your Sales Navigator home page > Lead filters > Current job title. 

As mentioned above, Boolean search works best if combined with other filters. 

Also, Sales Navigator offers the Exclude option for some filters, so you can exclude some criteria through that feature if it works better for you. 

Boolean search string example to target or blacklist leads from a niche industry 

 Use the Boolean search to target or blacklist leads from a specific niche industry. 

Formula 

Field of work AND (keyword OR keyword OR keyword) NOT keyword 

Example

“Medical Practice” AND (sports OR nutrition OR wellness) NOT injury 

Expected search results from this Boolean string

This Boolean search string should bring back LinkedIn profiles that include keywords such as medical practice and either of the terms between the parentheses (or all terms) mentioned somewhere on their LinkedIn profile. If a specific keyword is not your target, like injury, in this case, LinkedIn will exclude these users from the search results. 

How to use this Boolean string

This Boolean search string can be used by both LinkedIn (free & premium) and Sales Navigator subscribers. 

LinkedIn 

Sales Navigator 

As you may see, we applied the string to the Sales Navigator Keywords filter. Additionally, to get an even more specific list of leads, we applied a simple Boolean search string to the Current job title as well.

Formula

Title OR title OR title 

Example

“Sales specialist” OR “Sales Manager” OR “Sales Representative” 

Of course, you should always add other criteria to refine your search. 

Boolean search string example to combine job titles with seniority or a specific skill

The following Boolean search string is particularly useful for LinkedIn users (free & premium) since they don’t have the Seniority filter, nor can they blacklist leads based on different criteria. 

Also, it’s useful if your ideal lead’s job title varies, but you want to include a seniority level, a specific skill (a programming language in this case), and maybe even exclude certain companies from your search. 

Formula 

Seniority AND (title OR title) AND keyword NOT keyword 

Example 

Senior AND (“Software Engineer” OR “Software Developer”) AND Java NOT TomTom

Expected search results from this Boolean string

This LinkedIn Boolean search will bring back users who hold or used to hold either one of these titles. Also, they need to have Java programming language mentioned somewhere on their page (this is where you need to see manually if they have it as a skill or they just mentioned it in a post or similar), and if they don’t work or that didn’t work for a specific company (in this case TomTom, or they never mentioned a specific company in their LinkedIn profile).

How to use this Boolean string

As mentioned above, this Boolean search string is particularly useful for LinkedIn users, but it can be applied to Sales Navigator filters as well. 

We applied this Boolean search string to the Keywords filter and then added other filters to narrow the search result. 

Boolean search string example to combine your leads’ titles or functions

Use the Boolean string to be specific about the combination of titles or functions of your ideal lead.

Formula 

Title AND (title OR title) NOT title 

Example 

Owner AND (CEO OR “chief executive officer”) NOT Founder

Expected search results from this Boolean string

For example, this Boolean search string is useful if you’ve noticed that lots of Owners and CEOs are also Founders of their companies. However, you wish to exclude companies where founders are Owners and CEOs at the same time. 

How to use this Boolean string

Apply this Boolean search string to the Title filter if you’re a LinkedIn subscriber, and to the Current job filters if you’re a Sales Navigator subscriber. 

This Boolean string is particularly useful for LinkedIn subscribers as Sales Navigator filters have the Exclude option. 

Boolean search string example to add industry jargon to your search 

Consider adding terms or jargon or simply keywords that are common for that particular industry in your Boolean search. 

Formula 

Seniority AND (title OR title) AND (Keyword OR keywordSynonym)

Example 

Head AND (Sales OR Marketing) AND (Saas OR “Software as a service”)

Expected search results from this Boolean string

This Boolean search string will bring back LinkedIn profiles whose users hold or held titles such as Head of Sales, Head of Marketing, or Head of Sales & Marketing, and worked in the SaaS industry, or simply mention Saas or Software as a service in their headlines, posts, about section, experience, etc. on LinkedIn.

How to use this Boolean string

Apply this Boolean search string to the Keywords filter whether you’re a LinkedIn or a Sales Navigator subscriber. 

How to streamline the process of reaching leads found through Boolean search

Luckily for you, there’s a way to apply the Boolean search only once and set up an auto-refresh to continuously get new leads that match your criteria and eliminate the time-consuming process of repeatedly going through the search process.

The answer is - Skylead. 

Skylead is compatible with ALL LinkedIn subscriptions, and in this blog, we will show you how to reach and auto-refresh leads found through the Boolean search if you’re a Sales Navigator subscriber.

First, set up your Sales Navigator Boolean search and combine it with other filters. In this case, we applied the Boolean search string example #1 from this blog, added the industry filter, and the location filter, and turned on ‘Changed jobs’ in the Recent updates filter section.  

Then, copy and paste the URL of your Sales Navigator search result into Skylead’s campaign creator. 

Turn on Skylead’s auto-refresh option. Essentially, if new leads appear within the same URL source, they will be pulled into active campaigns if you turn this option on within the tool. 

Then, proceed to make a Smart sequence.

Skylead’s Smart sequences are smart algorithms that allow you to combine LinkedIn automation, unlimited Email automation, Email verification & discovery, and Image & GIF personalization to help you book 3x more meetings than before. 

Here’s an example of a ‘classical value proposition’ type of a Smart sequence. 

Once you start your campaign, Skylead will do all the work for you, and you can focus on building professional relationships with your leads and closing the deals.

Boolean strings for refined targeting 

We understand that the Boolean search on LinkedIn could seem a bit intimidating. However, we hope you understood its huge potential, and that this short manual helped you gain a better understanding of how it works, and how to use it to optimize your search results. 

Speaking of, another way to optimize your lead generation, is to automate time-consuming outreach processes with Skylead. Curious to know how? Sign up for Skylead’s 7-day FREE trial, and test out the most powerful tool for LinkedIn and email automation on the market.

To be as accurate as possible when it comes to the LinkedIn Industry List 2025, we manually checked all industries listed below as well as the number of leads and accounts for each industry on LinkedIn and Sales Navigator.

Currently, LinkedIn and Recruiter members can filter leads and accounts based on 149 industries. The LinkedIn and Recruiter industry options are more generic according to the ones reserved for Sales Navigator subscribers. 

Namely, Sales Navigator members have 413 industries at their disposal and include both generic industries as well as their sub-industries. This implies that Sales Navigator subscribers can take their LinkedIn prospecting to the next level and filter leads and accounts with more precision. 

Also, when choosing the industry for your LinkedIn profile and your company’s LinkedIn profile page, LinkedIn will let you choose among the 413 industries from the Sales Navigator list that you can find down below independently from your LinkedIn subscription. 

All of this being said, in this blog, you’ll find:

For Sales Navigator 

• The complete updated Sales Navigator industry list with the number of leads and accounts for each industry. 
• The top 20 industries with the highest number of companies according to Sales Navigator. 
• The top 10 industries with the highest number of leads according to Sales Navigator. 
• The bottom 10 industries with the lowest number of companies according to Sales Navigator. 
• The bottom 10 industries with the lowest number of leads according to Sales Navigator. 

For LinkedIn

• The complete updated Recruiter and LinkedIn industry list with the number of leads and accounts for each industry. 
• The top 10 industries with the highest number of companies according to LinkedIn.
• The top 10 industries with the highest number of leads according to LinkedIn and Recruiter.
• The bottom 10 industries with the lowest number of companies according to LinkedIn.
• The bottom 10 industries with the lowest number of leads according to LinkedIn and Recruiter. 

However, bare in mind that these numbers change on a daily bases. LinkedIn members update their industries, the platform welcomes new members and new company pages. Therefore, there will always be a fluctuation in the number of registered leads and accounts.

Furthermore, the below statistics refers only to people and company pages registered on LinkedIn. There might be businesses and industries for which it doesn't make much sense to be on the platform or online in general, despite the times that we live in. Take this into consideration if one of those businesses or industries is your target.

SALES NAVIGATOR INDUSTRY LIST 2025

Starting June 2022, Sales Navigator switched to a more detailed list of industries that now has both industries and their sub-industries for better categorization and targeting. Further, we manually checked their official industry list and updated some of the industries based on what's live on Sales Navigator at this moment. The Sales Navigator industry list counts 413 industries for leads and 413 industries for accounts.

Furthermore, when setting up your profile, LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to use the following Sales Navigator list of industries and therefore be as specific as possible when it comes to your field of business. 

Also, some of the niche industries will not show up in the drop-down menu unless you specifically type them in, both in your contact info and when using Sales Navigator filters. 

The complete Sales Navigator industry list 2025

Industry rankings [Sales Navigator]

Here are the top 20 LinkedIn industries with the highest number of companies according to the Sales Navigator classification.

Here are the top 10 LinkedIn industries with the highest number of leads according to the Sales Navigator classification.

Here are the bottom 10 LinkedIn industries with the lowest number of companies according to the Sales Navigator classification.

Here are the bottom 10 LinkedIn industries with the lowest number of leads according to the Sales Navigator classification.

LINKEDIN INDUSTRY LIST 2025 [+ RECRUITER]

The LinkedIn industry list is a bit less specific compared to the Sales Navigator one. The list of industries is generic and it counts 149 industries for leads and 149 industries for accounts. 

If you are a recruiter and using the LinkedIn recruiter plan, you should know that it has the same industry list as the below LinkedIn industry list. 

The complete LinkedIn industry list 2025

Industry rankings [LinkedIn]

Here are the top 10 LinkedIn industries with the highest number of companies according to the LinkedIn classification.

Here are the top 10 LinkedIn industries with the highest number of leads according to the LinkedIn classification.

Here are the bottom 10 LinkedIn industries with the lowest number of companies according to the LinkedIn classification.

Here are the bottom 10 LinkedIn industries with the lowest number of leads according to the LinkedIn classification.

Summary

Setting up your LinkedIn profile is the first step toward a positive and satisfying LinkedIn experience whether you are using the platform to network or for generating leads on LinkedIn. 

Moreover, for a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to optimize your LinkedIn profile and earn an all-star status, sign up for our FREE masterclass here. 

The all-star status positively affects the visibility of your profile on the platform. Your LinkedIn profile will come up more often in the search results. That way, other members will be more likely to respond to your sales messages. 

Furthermore, we released a sales book with templates and sales tactics that our Sales Team used to level up Skylead. It contains 5 multichannel Smart Sequences with templates for each step and all the necessary steps that you should take before your outreach to maximize your results. 

Finally, sign up for our free demo and see how Skylead can take care of all time-consuming sales processes for you. Focus on generating qualified leads and on closing the deal, while our platform takes care of the rest. 

One of the most commonly used LinkedIn prospecting hacks for getting qualified leads is targeting people who attend specific LinkedIn events. 

Why is that? 

LinkedIn events represent an excellent way to find people from the same or similar industry in one place. Usually, professionals attend webinars and other types of online networking and learning opportunities to expand THEIR knowledge and expertise. However, when it comes to using events for LinkedIn lead generation, you need to think the other way around - what does your target audience want to hear and what kind of topic would gather them in one place? 

Furthermore, by attending a LinkedIn event with your ideal leads, you have a direct insight into their concerns, needs, and room for improvement. Use this information to reach out to the attendees, further investigate their pain points, and finally, offer your product as a solution to their problems. 

Last, but not least, targeting LinkedIn event attendees turns out to bring high acceptance and response rates, all of which directly influence your conversion. Our Sales Team reports several campaigns in which they reached out to people who were at a specific LinkedIn event with the following results: 

• January 2022 - acceptance rate 75% / response rate 41 %
• November 2021 - acceptance rate 66% / response rate 51 %
• September 2021 - acceptance rate 74% / response rate 43%

What are LinkedIn events?

LinkedIn events help organizations and individuals deepen their relationships with the target audience through virtual gatherings around a specific topic. Although LinkedIn started rolling out the events feature in late 2018, the pandemic definitely sped up the entire process of switching from live to virtual webinars, masterclasses, and gatherings of any kind. And LinkedIn turned out to be the perfect platform for it for many reasons. 

LinkedIn events are free of charge and available to all LinkedIn users. 

Benefits of using LinkedIn events for lead generation 

• Find leads from over 200 world countries in one place. 
• You can either organize the event with the intent of drawing your ideal customers or simply attend an existing event that gathers your target audience.
• LinkedIn events give you valuable insight into your target audience’s needs, room for improvement, and pain points. 
• Referring to a LinkedIn event you and your lead attended in a cold outreach message gets you a step closer to the conversion. 

How do I find a LinkedIn event?

There are two ways to find the most suitable LinkedIn event. 

• Use LinkedIn Search to find future LinkedIn events. 
• Check out past events (whether you attended them or not, all that matters is that you signed up for them). 

Find future events

#1 Run a blank search or enter your keyword(s) into the search bar. 

#2 Click the “Events” tab and check out all future LinkedIn events. 

#3 The list of events looks like this on LinkedIn. Pick the one you wish to attend. 

#4 Click the “Attend” button. 

This is the only way to see the event attendees. 

LinkedIn will give you the option of adding the event reminder to your calendar.

Down below you can find information about the event, speakers, and the organizer too, so you can check them out on LinkedIn before joining.

#5 You have two options to see the attendees. 

Click on the link below (where it says the number of attendees) or on the “Networking” section on your right. This is how you see the list of attendees and apply LinkedIn filters to narrow them down as close as possible to your Buyer Persona. 

Also, on your right, there is an option of directly messaging any event attendee or sending a Connection Request. This is your opportunity to engage, chat with your attendees and build a community around the event you joined or maybe even created yourself. 

However, the practice shows that it is better to engage after the event, as you will have more room for personalization and to be as specific as possible when it comes to making references to something that was said or asked at the event itself. 

#6 Let’s say you decided to go with the list of LinkedIn attendees and you clicked one of the two above-mentioned links. 

This is how you apply any of the LinkedIn filters to your list of leads. 

You can narrow them down by the following filters: 

• Connections (whether they are your 1st, 2nd, or 3rd-degree connection)
• Connections of (in case you have a shared connection)
• Locations
• Current Company 
• Past Company 
• School 
• Industry
• Profile Language (what language is their profile in)
• Open To (if they set their profile to be open to “Pro bono consulting and volunteering” or “Joining a non-profit board”
• Service categories 
• Keywords (any keywords that you find suitable for your search)

Find a past event 

#1 If you wish to target leads from a past LinkedIn event, click here and go to your LinkedIn feed page.

#2 Scroll down and check out your “Events” section on the left. 

#3 You’ll see the list of ALL events - future and past. 

The rest of the process is the same as above. 

How to reach out to LinkedIn event attendees? 

Reach out to LinkedIn event attendees:

• Manually 
• Using a Sales Engagement Platform such as Skylead
• 
  

Manually 

When we talk about reaching out to leads manually, we refer to either writing to them directly on LinkedIn or exporting their contact information one by one in a .CSV file. Then, you can import the file into a Sales Engagement Platform and make the entire outreach process faster and easier. 

Use a sales engagement platform

#1 If you decide to use a Sales Engagement Platform, you can also copy your final search results’ URL.

#2 Paste the link into Skylead. 

#3 Choose “Collect Contact Info” (optional). This way, Skylead will download all publicly available data such as your lead’s email, phone number, website, etc., depending on what your leads made public on their LinkedIn profiles.

Go ahead and make your Smart Sequence.

Smart Sequences are based on algorithms that track your lead’s behavior and act accordingly. This way, they assure the highest number of touchpoints with people you wish to reach out to. Smart Sequences work on an “if/else” principle, where if the condition for one path is not fulfilled, the algorithm searches for its alternative. 

Here’s an example of a simple Smart Sequence. 

If you wish to learn more about how Smart Sequences work check out our solutions page and also get inspired by some ready-to-use Smart Sequence templates. 

LinkedIn templates for approaching a LinkedIn event attendee

A LinkedIn event that you organized, attended, or are planning to join or conduct can be used in so many ways in your outreach. Either way, making a reference to it is a huge plus, and people who participated will be more prone to talk to you if you mention it. 

Here are 6 situations how to use a LinkedIn event reference in your outreach. 

Scenario #1 You attended the same event as your lead 

Template 

Hello {{firstName}},

I saw that you too attended the {{eventName}} event! 

What resonated with me the most is {{somethingThatResonated}}! 

It would be awesome to connect with you! 😀

Example

Hello Mario,

I saw that you too attended the “How To Enable Trust Building Skills In Your Sales Team” event!

What resonated with me the most is their Trust Equation and the way Darrel explained it!

It would be awesome to connect with you! 😀

Scenario #2 Ask for feedback on a certain LinkedIn event as a conversation-starter 

Template

Hello {{firstName}},

I am curious to hear what resonated with you the most from the {{eventName}} event since I saw you attended it too! 

Would love to keep in touch! 

Example 

Hello Sonya,

I am curious to hear what resonated with you the most from the “How To Enable Trust Building Skills In Your Sales Team” event since I saw you attended it too!

Would love to keep in touch!

Scenario #3 You are the event organizer and want to hear feedback from people who attended it

Connection request template 

Hey {{firstName}},

I just wanted to thank you in person for attending the {{eventName}} event! It was truly a pleasure having you there. 

Let’s stay in touch! 

Connection request example 

Hey Jenny,

I just wanted to thank you in person for attending the “How To Enable Trust Building Skills In Your Sales Team” event!

It was truly a pleasure having you there.

Let’s stay in touch!

LinkedIn message #1 

Once you get accepted on LinkedIn, use personalized Images or GIFs to improve engagement. Since we started using this feature, our response rates went up by 63%. 

This is one example to get inspired by, but the more creative you get the better. 

Scenario #4 Use a LinkedIn event that has to do with your product/service and ask for feedback on your product/service 

Connection request template 

Hey {{firstName}},

I saw that you attended {{eventName}} on LinkedIn! 

Would love to hear the most useful tips you got from it! 

Let’s connect 😀 

Connection request example 

Hey Tom,

I saw that you attended “How To Enable Trust Building Skills In Your Sales Team” on LinkedIn!

Would love to hear the most useful tips you got from it!

Let’s connect 😀

LinkedIn message #1 template 

Hey {{firstName}},

Thank you for accepting my connection request! 

I am still super-curious to hear your most valuable takeaways from the {{eventName}} event. For example, I personally found {{takeawayThatStoodOut}} surprising! 

Anyways, I {{yourOccupationExplained}}. I would love to share the solution we have and hear your feedback on it too! 

LinkedIn message #1 example 

Hey Tom,

Thank you for accepting my connection request!

I am still super-curious to hear your most valuable takeaways from the “How To Enable Trust Building Skills In Your Sales Team” event. For example, I personally found the fact that they never mentioned how this process works during the onboarding period surprising!

Anyways, I help small-to-medium-sized Sales Teams optimize their schedules. I would love to share the solution we have and hear your feedback on it too!

Scenario #5 You want to network before the LinkedIn event 

Template 

Hello {{firstName}},

I saw that you also signed up for the {{eventName}} event. 

I already attended an event {{organizer’sName}} organized on {{topic}}. {{yourFeedback}}. 

Let’s keep in touch! 

Example 

Hello Angela,

I saw that you also signed up for the “How To Enable Trust Building Skills In Your Sales Team” event.

I already attended an event Darrel organized on the time-management of medium-sized Sales Teams. He was amazing!

Let’s keep in touch!

Scenario #6 Promote your LinkedIn event by targeting people who are attending an event similar to yours 

Suggestion: Use LinkedIn InMails to reach out to your leads if you don’t have any more Connection Requests available, you wish to reach out to people who are generally getting lots of requests, or who are your 3rd-degree connections. 

Also, LinkedIn InMails work well if you need more characters for your message or your lead doesn’t accept your Connection Request in a timely manner. Aside from paid InMails included in your premium LinkedIn plan, you can also take advantage of free InMails (800 for each paid LinkedIn profile) for users who set their profiles to “open to free InMails”. 

We have 13 additional InMail examples you can check out.

LinkedIn InMail template 

Subject line: {{company}} + {{yourEventName}} = {{benefit}}

Hey {{firstName}},

I saw that you attended the {{eventName}} event. Did you find it to be useful for the {{lead’sIndustry}} industry?

Hopefully yes, because I have something even more specific for you! We are organizing {{yourEventName}}, a LinkedIn event that will give you {{uniqueSellingProposition}} specifically for your industry. We would really love to have you there! 

Would you be interested in hearing more? 

LinkedIn InMail example 

Subject Line: FlyHigh + SaaSEnMasse = 20+ additional calls in 3x less time

Hey Nicolas,

I saw that you attended the “How To Enable Trust Building Skills In Your Sales Team” event. Did you find it to be useful for the SaaS industry?

Hopefully yes, because I have something even more specific for you! We are organizing “SaaS en masse”, a LinkedIn event that will give you a step-by-step guide on 5 prospecting hacks specifically for your industry. We would really love to have you there!

Would you be interested in hearing more?

Summary

In the sea of professionals using the platform, it is getting harder and harder to find qualified leads. Sales reps are trying to get as creative as possible and to think strategically about where their target audience gathers. Reaching out to people who attended specific LinkedIn events is sure one of the best places to start. 

Have in mind that you can always target a future event, a past event, or even create one of your own that will attract your potential customers. 

And if you decide to speed up annoying sales processes, and put more focus on building meaningful relationships and closing the deal, sign up for Skylead's 7-day free trial! 

Over the years, cold email marketing turned out to be the right choice to unleash the full potential of outreach as a Lead Generation strategy - apart from LinkedIn lead generation, that is. 

With its minimal cost and extensive reach, it is clear that cold emailing has probably the highest ROI compared to other marketing approaches. 

In the present day, modern email marketing drifted away from the one-size-fits-all model. It is now based on consent, segmentation, and personalization. Consequently, the response rates went up and so did its value.

However, the minimum requirement for cold email marketing is to have your leads', preferable business, emails. If you run into their private ones, it is only up to you to use them for outreach purposes. 

Here are 8 easy ways to find your leads' business emails that work. 

Ask them for it 

There are different ways of asking for your lead’s email. 

Make an online form for people who visit your website and would love to be updated on a regular basis through your newsletter. 

Or, insert a pop-up asking your visitors to subscribe to your newsletter first to access your website’s content. This one can be a bit annoying, as many people might give up unless whatever you have to offer is absolutely worthy of sharing their information. 

If you don’t have a newsletter or it is not aimed towards your leads, try giving your website visitors a free gift in the form of a pdf or audio file that will bring value to their business in exchange for their email address. 

Lastly, you can do a LinkedIn prospecting of your own and reach out to people who would be interested in subscribing to your newsletter.

Subscribe to your lead’s newsletter 

Yes, that’s correct. If your lead doesn’t want to subscribe to your newsletter, you can always do vice-versa. You will eventually get an email from them that you can use to reach out. 

Check their website 

Each brand most likely has a website. If not, there is for sure some kind of an online presence in the form of a LinkedIn, Facebook, and/or Instagram account (see below). 

When you visit your lead’s website, search the “Contact”, “About Us”, and/or “Team” pages. 

These are the places where their general email or a message form is located. It might not be the contact of the person you would like to speak to. However, by reaching out to them, explaining who you are, and asking for a specific person’s email address, you might actually get it. 

Check their social media 

As mentioned above, if not a website, there is for sure some kind of a social media presence. 

LinkedIn

Start with LinkedIn, the biggest professional network out there. If a lead has a publicly available email, it will most likely be on their LinkedIn profile. If not, try finding their company’s LinkedIn page, search for the generic email, and ask for the target lead’s direct contact. 

Anyways, there are two ways of scraping a publicly available email from LinkedIn - manually and with Skylead. 

Depending on the number of leads and your company’s outreach policy you can decide what works best for you. 

Scraping emails manually

There are three places you should look up for an email address on LinkedIn. 

1. Click on the “Contact Info” section. 

2. Check out their LinkedIn cover picture, especially if a corporate one. 

3. Read the Profile Summary. 

Sometimes users leave their business email at the end or in the middle of their LinkedIn bio section to make it seem as a call to action. Make sure you read it to the end. 

Using Skylead to scrape emails 

Collecting publicly available information of your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-degree connections tends to be quick and effective with Skylead. 

Check out how it works. 

Turn on the “Collect Contact Info” option. 

What Skylead does is visit each of your lead’s LinkedIn profiles and collect their publicly available data. 

Once the magic has been done, use the “Export Data” on the “Campaign Tracking Page” to export emails and other information in a CSV file.

Have in mind that the “Collect Contact Info” can be just one of the steps of your automated outreach. Skylead’s Smart Sequences allow you to combine different actions based on your leads’ behavior while serving your business goals and creating a valuable database that you can export and reuse at any moment. Therefore, building an outreach campaign with Skylead can serve multiple purposes. 

Or you can decide to make a campaign with the sole intention of collecting your leads publicly available emails and other valuable data. 

Facebook

Go to the company or individual’s page on Facebook and check out the “About section”. 

Step #1

Step #2

Instagram

There are two options for finding somebody’s email address when it comes to instagram.
The first one is only available and visible in the app.

Click on the “Contact” option. 

This action will take you to see the following information. 

The second option is available in both desktop and app versions.

Just check the “Info” section of the targeted profile. 

Try following the pattern 

There are two ways to "guess" your lead's business email. 

The first way starts with knowing the name of your lead’s company. Try composing a generic email such as info@domain.com or contact@domain.com. Reach out and ask for the direct contact of a person you would like to talk to. 

The second way is knowing the company’s business emails pattern. If one of the employee’s emails goes like john.smith@domain.com, there is a great chance that your desired lead’s email is also composed of name, dot, last name, at sign, domain. 

Then, try inserting it in your email provider and see if it will be recognized or if the picture will show up. However, have in mind that not having a picture doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not the correct one. 

Use Email Permutator 

Using an Email Permutator is one of the options.

Go to the main page and type in your lead’s name, surname, and domain.  

The Email Permutator produces all the possible email combinations based on the inserted data.

How will you know which one is the right one? Insert all of them in the recipient's field of your email and see which one will be recognized by your provider. If there is one with a profile picture, it is most likely to be the right one.

Search on Google  

There are several ways through which Google can help you find someone’s email address. 

Here are three. 

• Search “james.johnson@amazon.com” 

By using quotation marks in your query, you’re telling Google to search for results that contain that exact keyword. If your lead's business email ever showed up anywhere publicly, it will be displayed.

• Type site:amazon.com James Johnson email address in Google search

By using site: domain Google will give you results only from that domain. 

• Search [James Johnson] + email 

Google will find your lead’s email address if ever published somewhere on the web. 

Use Skylead

Use Skylead’s Email Discovery & Verification feature to find your prospects’ business emails even without being connected on LinkedIn. 

With a Smart Sequence as simple as this one, Skylead will provide you with verified business emails, implying the lowest possible bounce rates. 

After the sequence was executed, you can go ahead and export all the collected data in a CSV file. 

In case you didn't know, Skylead is an automation tool, email finder, and scraping tool, all in one platform. 

Sure, you can use it to find and verify emails and scrape publicly available data. But you can also opt for LinkedIn, Email, or combined outreach (LinkedIn + Email) that will serve your business goal best while bringing down the manual work to the minimum.

This is just one of the numerous options you have with Skylead. Check out our templates to get the idea of Smart Sequences and to get inspired for unleashing the full potential of your outreach. 

Summary

Finding somebody’s email address doesn’t necessarily have to be difficult, but it can be time consuming. 

The best approach will depend on the number of leads you want to reach and your company’s outreach policy. 

However, with nowadays software development, have in mind that automating the process of finding somebody’s business email and getting through to that person can be a quick and painless process. 

Think about it. 

Or schedule a demo call with our team member and hear out all the possibilities you can have with Skylead. 

If you’ve ever wondered if switching from LinkedIn Basic to LinkedIn Premium Account would change your filtering options, the answer is no. 

However, going for the LinkedIn Premium Account is highly recommended because of an Unlimited Profile Search and 5 InMails Credits per month. Not only. You also get to view and engage with a much greater number of profiles when having a Premium account, as you decrease the chances of getting jailed or restricted on LinkedIn. 

However, if you want an ultimate filter experience, we recommend signing up for Sales Navigator. Of course, this implies learning how to use Sales Navigator Filters for better targeting.

In this blog, we will cover all the options you have for narrowing down your search results on LinkedIn Basic and Premium Accounts. 

Let’s get started! 

Where can I see LinkedIn filters? 

Type your keywords in your LinkedIn Search Engine or just hit “Enter” while leaving the Search Engine blank. 

This action will lead you to the following choices that help you further narrow down your LinkedIn search. 

• People;
• Jobs;
• Courses;
• Posts;
• Schools;
• Event;
• Groups;
• Companies;
• Services. 

You can also click the “All Filters” option and see them in one place. 

In this blog, we will cover the three filter blocks that we recommend for better LinkedIn prospecting - “People”, “Posts”, and “Events”, and reasons why we consider them quite convenient. 

“People” filters on LinkedIn 

Connections

The “Connections” filter allows you to filter leads based on the type of your LinkedIn relationships. 

You can be somebody’s 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-degree connection.

1st-degree connections are members that you are already connected with on LinkedIn. 

2nd-degree connections are 1st-degree connections of your 1st-degree connections. They are available to be added through an Invite to Connect and are perfect for expanding your network. 

3rd-degree connections are 1st-degree connections of your 2nd-degree connections. They are also excellent for expanding your network. The only difference is that LinkedIn doesn’t recommend reaching out to them through Invite to Connect, rather getting in touch via LinkedIn InMails.

You can send paid InMails to anyone who is not your connection on LinkedIn while only those who set their profile to “Open to InMails” can be reached out via free InMail. 

You can also check out our guide on 13 LinkedIn InMail examples to improve your response rate.

Connections of

Filter your leads by choosing only those that are 1st-degree connections of your 1st-degree connections.

You can put in more than one contact. 

Locations

The “Locations” filter narrows down your leads based on the city, region, geographic area, and country. 

Current company 

Use this filter to narrow down leads based on the company they currently work at. 

Past company 

Filter your leads based on their past company. 

School 

You can filter your leads based on the school(s) they attended/are attending.

Industry

Track your leads based on the industry they listed on their profiles. 

Industries are predefined. 

Profile language

LinkedIn Profile is available in 24 different languages. 

However, this filter offers only a 5-language search. 

Open to

The “Open To” option filters your leads depending on whether they are open to “Pro Bono Consulting and Volunteering” and/or “Joining a Nonprofit Board”. 

Service categories 

Service categories are also predefined. 

You can go ahead and target your leads based on the services they offer listed on their profiles. 

Keywords

You can use the following option to search your leads via keywords. 

This filter supports the so-called “Boolean” search. That is, it gives you the option of combining keywords with modifiers such as AND, NOT, and OR to produce more relevant results. 

For ultimate targeting, consider using “Posts” and “Events” filters. 

“Posts” filters on LinkedIn 

“Posts” filters can be quite useful to gain insight into the latest industry trends and hot topics. You can also benefit from it to learn what kind of posts your ideal leads like to engage with and then use it for your outreach.

Targeting users who reacted to a certain post

There are two benefits of targeting users who reacted to a certain post. 

The first benefit is that it implies that these users are active on Linkedin and most likely interested in that particular subject or have jobs in the same or adjacent industry. 

The second benefit is that you can use their interest to ultimately personalize your outreach. Your pitch can be based on the fact that you both liked the same post and then develop your conversation from there. 

This kind of approach increases the acceptance and response rates. 

Automating post engagement campaigns 

If you want to target prospects who reacted to a certain post but would also like to save time and reach out to as many of them as possible, automating this process could be the right decision! 

Skylead offers the opportunity to automate targeting users who reacted to a certain post thanks to its “Post Engagement Campaign” options. Yes, there is a type of campaign dedicated exclusively to these types of leads! 

To use a post as a source for generating leads all you have to do is click on the 3 dots at the top right corner of said post and choose the “Copy Link to Post” option. 

Paste the generated URL to the Skylead dashboard.

From here, Skylead will take you to the Campaign Settings page. You will be able to adjust your campaign in a way that fits your business needs best.
Here is an example of a multichannel Skylead campaign.

As you may see, Skylead will not limit your Lead Generation to LinkedIn only. Thanks to its multichannel outreach and “if/then” condition, you are able to build as many possible paths to your lead.

For example, in case someone is not answering on LinkedIn, Skylead’s Email discovery & verification feature will enable a business email outreach.

The above campaign is just one of many options at your disposal thanks to Skylead’s Smart Sequences. 

Also, the dashboard allows you to create the sequence and write out message copies all in one place. 

Just by clicking on the step, you will have an option to insert your messages.

If you would like to see a step-by-step guide on how to create your first Skylead campaign and have an insight into all the steps/options, check out our complete outreach campaign guide for every professional.

Filters for posts

The following filters will allow you to narrow down countless posts on LinkedIn to the ones that are of high interest to your target audience. 

Thanks to LinkedIn’s filtering options, you will be able to find a post that your ideal prospects find relevant to their business and/or interests. 

The most important filter is the keyword. It is your best bet for finding the industry’s most relevant posts. 

Then, you can further narrow them down by using: 

Posted by

You can search posts depending on whether you posted it or someone from your network. 

Date posted 

You can search posts depending on the timeframe within which your leads posted them.

Sort by

Author industry 

Search by the author’s industry. You can add multiple industries. 

Author company 

Search by the author's current company. You can add multiple companies. 

“Events” filter on LinkedIn

Just like with “Posts” filters on LinkedIn, reaching out to prospects attending a specific LinkedIn event can be beneficial for two reasons.

The first reason is that users attending a particular event on LinkedIn are most likely highly interested in the subject and therefore make a perfect target audience. 

The second reason is that you can use the event reference to ultimately personalize your outreach and be more appealing to those to whom you reach out. 

In case you would like to target a larger number of leads, Skylead has a solution for you! 

Automate targeting leads attending a LinkedIn event

First, choose the event which leads you would like to target and click on “Attend Event”.

You will not be able to see the list of leads attending the specific LinkedIn event unless you are one of the attendees.

Once you’ve signed up, you will see the list of people who attended or were planning on attending the event. 

You can further narrow down your leads list by including other filters. 

Once you are satisfied with your search result, copy - paste the URL to Skylead’s Campaign Creator. 

Check out our step-by-step guide on how to target leads attending a specific LinkedIn event and you will see all the options and tips when it comes to automating this outreach with Skylead. 

Use this reference to highly personalize your outreach.

This filter doesn’t have options of being further narrowed down except using a specific keyword in the search engine.

Summary

Targeting is the first and most important step in your LinkedIn lead generation.

By taking the time to get to know LinkedIn or Sales Navigator filters, you will narrow down your audience to people who are most likely to be truly interested in your products and services. 

This will automatically affect your lead generation and conversion in the most positive way. 

And if you ever decide to scale your business and opt for a Sales Engagement Tool, schedule a demo call with a Skylead representative and get to know the range of options available to you!