LinkedIn Sales Navigator Economic Impact Study

Forrester found that by gaining access to more accurate profile data and replacing contact scraping and cold calling practices, the sales teams within the decision-makers’ organizations experienced significant efficiency improvements. 

The study concluded that Sales Navigator users (principally AEs and BDRs) saved 15% of their time each week in research-related activities. Access to 1+ billion professional profiles and 60+ million businesses on the LinkedIn deep sales platform, and the means to easily search and organize the information, saved the composite organization over US$2.6 million over a 3-year period in efficiency savings.

Sales Navigator enables AEs and BDRs with access to the world's most comprehensive and accurate professional database. It also sorts and organizes that data, allowing sales reps to save precious hours each week to spend time with customers and source new opportunities. Our product can give your sales reps 15% of their time back.

According to Forrester, the interviewees found the integration capability of Sales Navigator with CRM platforms enabled their sales organizations to synchronize data seamlessly. This ensured that leads, updates, and activities were accurately tracked in real-time within their sales pipelines. As a result, the teams experienced increased productivity by eliminating the need to switch between applications to perform similar tasks.

The study concluded that Sales Navigator users each saved 65 hours every year by using the platform, and could eliminate one legacy sales tool from their tech stack, saving the composite organization over US$2.3 million over a 3-year period in productivity savings.

Sales Navigator makes sales professionals more productive, features like Uploading your Book of Business, Spotlight Filters, and CRM Sync allow revenue-driving professionals to make incremental time savings that add up to meaningful volumes of time that are returned to the organization. It also cuts back on lengthy click journeys that sellers otherwise need to take to connect disparate data sources. All-in, these were found to save our composite organization US$2.3 million in productivity gains over 3 years.

According to the interviewees, the ability to leverage reliable, auto-reported profile data is a powerful value-add and helps drive the efficiencies experienced by their sales teams. The LinkedIn network now stands at 1+ billion people, and 60+ million businesses, making it the definitive source of trusted professional data.

LinkedIn continually seeks to maintain the integrity of our data, while prioritizing the user experience and protecting the privacy of our members. More than 7 million members have verified who they are or where they work, many using new integrations with Microsoft Entra, as well as CLEAR and Hyperverge**

Data is at the foundation of modern decision-making, and sales teams require access to the most up-to-date and trustworthy information possible to make the most out of their prospecting efforts. LinkedIn membership has accelerated for eight quarters in a row, a testament to how mission-critical the platform has become to help more than 950 million members connect, learn, sell, and get hired. Sales Navigator organizes and presents this data to sales professionals in a way that enables them to find, target, and engage with the right buyers at the right time.**

Sales Navigator reveals colleague relationships at a prospect's company. Current and former coworkers can provide insights, reach out to their connections, and make warm introductions, generally more effective than the cold-call approach. 

Features such as Alerts can proactively inform sales professionals when there is a change or development about a sales lead, providing buyer foresight that enables warm, personalized outreach. LinkedIn data shows that messages sent over the platform (InMails) have a higher response rate than traditional methods, they are 3x more likely to be accepted than a cold call, and 6x more than email.**

Have you heard of TeamLink? Customers who have a Sales Navigator Advanced or Advanced Plus account also have access to TeamLink, which is a tool that allows you to view your team's connections. TeamLink utilizes the power of your entire team's network to help you find the best path to a lead by showing you Sales Navigator license holders on your team account who are 1st-degree connections to the lead, even if you're not connected to your teammate. With this information, you can easily see who can help you connect with potential leads and make a warm introduction.

No type of sales outreach has ever beaten a warm introduction in terms of effectiveness. LinkedIn recognizes the power of personal connections, especially when it comes to sales. Sales Navigator has been designed with this in mind, it enables sales professionals to 'find their in' to prospective accounts. And when it can't find a mutual connection, it proactively surfaces the buyer foresight needed to organically start a relationship-driven conversation.

Interviewees discussed Sales Navigator features that track lead activity and alert team members when prospects show interest with an intent to buy. Examples of intent-to-buy activities include responding to InMail, viewing the seller’s profile, or viewing the seller’s employees’ profiles. The ability to view these actions on a buyer intent dashboard helps the organizations’ sales teams prioritize accounts and focus on those prospects most likely to engage.

Finding the perfect moment to reach out to a potential customer is crucial to optimizing outreach success. LinkedIn data shows that engaging with buyers when they show intent leads to +71% higher InMail response rates and 22% higher win rates.**

No type of sales outreach has ever beaten a warm introduction in terms of effectiveness. LinkedIn recognizes the power of personal connections, especially when it comes to sales. Sales Navigator has been designed with this in mind, it enables sales professionals to 'find their in' to prospective accounts. And when it can't find a mutual connection, it proactively surfaces the buyer foresight needed to organically start a relationship-driven conversation.

With advanced insights, unique search and filter options, and real-time updates, users can improve account data organization and streamline their sales pipeline management. Manipulating organized data helps unlock previously undiscovered opportunities, leading to improved outcomes and increased conversion rates. Moreover, Sales Navigator offers a scalable, flexible, upgradable product allowing for an increase in functionality and users according to business needs and direction.

Sales Navigator has three plan types — Core, Advanced, and Advanced Plus. Each plan type offers varying levels of functionality to accommodate every type of business need. Participants in the Forrester study were Advanced Plus plan users. Compare LinkedIn plan types here.

A project's expected return on investment (ROI) is calculated by dividing net benefits (benefits less costs) by costs. When risk and discount rates are factored in, Forrester calculated that the composite organization achieved a return on investment of 312% and a payback period of less than 6 months.

Sales Navigator equips all of your sales team with the tools to behave like your top-performing sellers and improves your employee experience. As one study participant noted, “Sales Navigator has improved the overall employee experience. It gives everyone the ability to do their tasks more easily and stay in touch with prospects on a professional and social level.”