Is it worth paying for Linkedin Sales Navigator?

As the enthusiast that I am of Linkedin and any digital tool that makes you more efficient, there are many people around me who have asked in recent months whether it is worth paying for  Sales Navigator to get better prospects and thus gain more customers.

For this reason, without being a reference or an influencer, I decided to write a short post in which I hope to clarify some doubts and, above all, add value.

For me, prospecting makes the difference between a good seller and an ordinary one, and if done well, it reduces the effort to close the sale. Therefore, with all the help we can have thanks to the combination of technology and social networks, why not take advantage of it?

Then, to the great dilemma: is it worthwhile paying for Linkedin Sales Navigator to improve the results of the sales department in my company or simply mine as a salesman?

The answer is simple: IT DEPENDS

Before making the decision, you should reconsider some questions:

Is your business model B2B?

It is logical to pay for this solution if your potential customers are companies and you are clear about which department / s to interact with; if, on the other hand, your focus is on the final consumer, it is better to look for social media alternatives.

As a general rule in the B2B sales, you are looking to solve a specific need that is especially effective for the customer who decides rationally. In addition, long-term relationships are created where trust is a fundamental pillar and where the seller-client relationship has a great impact.

In what sector are you developing your activity?

There are more traditional sectors where the majority of employees don’t even have a LinkedIn profile, and if they do, they hardly connect once every two months. What’s yours?

In order not to waste time, I recommend making a “customer journey” of your target, examining the phases through which they pass and making the appropriate decision.

The success rate of closing a sale depends on the stage of the purchasing process in which your potential client is located:

• Discovery: You are aware that they have a need, do you know where they are looking for the solution? You have to be there! 64% of B2B buyers say they value listening to professionals who provide knowledge about the industry they belong to.
• Consideration: Basically they compare the different alternatives and draw conclusions to see which one they choose. It’s never too late if you really add value!
• Decision: Move to action and opt for what (a priori) seems the best option; the normal thing is that in this phase you are too late to change their mind and a big discount is not advisable.

If your client searches online, your company is well positioned and your personal brand is consistent with it, it can be an opportunity to present yourself through Linkedin. Do not forget that currently approximately 75% of B2B purchases are socially influenced.

Anyway I did not want to stop telling you that shouting “bingo” is to find companies that are not even aware that they have a need! Why? Because it is most likely that you are their only alternative, transmit good feeling about you / your company and most importantly: you solve a problem or you generate remarkable improvements that they did not even expect.

What profile do those have who will use it?

To take advantage of Sales Navigator you have to spend a lot of time and if you enjoy it, better than better. Why?
It requires a lot of patience and dedication to identify the “key” people with whom to contact (decision maker, influencer, ambassador, etc.) and understand the organization chart of each company.
A good way to choose who to give a Sales Navigator account to in the company is by their SSI (Social Selling Index) as it gives us clues about the level of activity that the person has and their impact.

It is not advisable for a professional with a low SSI to use Sales Navigator since they are not even taking advantage of their personal account. Moreover, I dare say that a high SSI denotes a lot of constancy over time and therefore ATTITUDE, which is an essential requirement for TOP prospecting. It is no coincidence that many companies require a minimum SSI coefficient for candidates for a position in the business area.

What CRM are you using?

This factor may be more focused on medium and large companies where they use a CRM to record all sales activity, share information and measure KPIs.

Did you know that Sales Navigator can be integrated with some of the most recognized CRMs?
It may seem like nonsense, but if you do it right it becomes a great advantage and a brutal time saver. If for example you are a Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics or Hubspot user, you have an extra reason to acquire Sales Navigator

Hopefully, later on it can be integrated with more modest CRMs since it would be very useful for many SMEs.

Having said all this and depending on what each one answers, I would decide if it could be interesting to try Sales Navigator.

What is clear is that currently there is no comparable tool and, if you know how to squeeze it, it is the dream of any seller!! You can create labels, track / save accounts, contacts, perform advanced searches, create alerts, teach the platform to recommend leads, see company info (growth, decreases, which profiles you hire …), see news, etc. etc. What more can we ask?

Years ago it was unthinkable to make an appointment, collect and qualify information or simply build “familiarity” without picking up the phone!

Even so, today, a large number of managers are reluctant to pay premium accounts of Linkedin to their sales teams and even to HR:

• It seems very expensive to pay € 121 / month
• They are afraid that when the person leaves they take away the entire database that they have built
• They think that they are going to waste time and that it is one more social network
• Simply their ignorance / outdatedness leads them to act like this

Companies that work in the B2B field must adapt their sales strategies to the new social trends and make the most of the tools offered by the digital sector. Those that do not, will be left behind and you already know how the saying goes:

Do not fear the competition, fear your incompetence.