LinkedIn is where most B2B buyers keep a public record of what they do, who they work with and what they care about. That makes it the best place to research a prospect, and a good place to start a conversation, as long as you do not treat it like a mailing list. This guide walks through the whole process, from your own profile to the follow up.
01
Set up a profile buyers trust
Every person you contact will look at your profile before they reply. It should tell them, in a few seconds, who you help and why that matters to them.
- A headline about the buyer. Say who you help and with what, not just your job title.
- A clear photo and a real name. Accounts that look like sales tools get ignored.
- An About section in plain words. The problem you solve, for whom, and one line of proof.
- Some recent activity. A few posts or thoughtful comments show you are a person, not an automation.
02
Find the right people
Start from your ideal customer profile, not from a keyword. Decide the companies first, then the people inside them.
- Filter by company. Industry, size and region narrow the list to companies that fit.
- Filter by role. Function and seniority find the person who owns the problem, which is often not the most senior title.
- Look at second degree connections. Someone you know who knows them can make a warm introduction, the strongest opener there is.
- Save lists. Keep accounts and people in saved lists so you can watch them over time instead of searching from scratch.
03
How to use Sales Navigator for prospecting
Sales Navigator is LinkedIn's paid prospecting tool. It adds filters and alerts that the free search does not have.
Search
Lead and account filters
Filter people by function, seniority and years in role, and companies by size, industry and growth.
Watch
Saved searches and alerts
Get told when someone new matches your search, or when a saved lead changes jobs or posts.
Organise
Account and lead lists
Group target accounts, add notes, and see the people at each one in one place.
The free search is enough to start. Sales Navigator earns its cost when you work a defined list every week and want to know when something changes at those accounts. For how it fits with other tools, see B2B prospecting tools, compared.
04
Research before you reach out
Five minutes of reading makes the difference between a message that gets answered and one that gets ignored. Look at the person's recent posts, the company's news and job posts, and anything that changed in the last few months. You are looking for one specific, dated reason this person might care now, the kind of buying signal that holds up, such as a new role, a new team being hired, or a change the company announced.
If you cannot find a reason, wait. Writing without one is how LinkedIn messages start to look like spam.
05
Connection notes and messages that get answered
Keep the connection note short and about them. Do not pitch in it. After they accept, send one message with the reason and an easy question. For copyable versions of each step, see these LinkedIn outreach templates.
| Step | Invented example | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Connection note | "Saw you are building out the operations team after the new warehouse. Would like to follow your updates." | Specific, true, asks for nothing |
| First message | "Congrats on the new site. Teams in that spot often struggle with stock across two locations. Is that on your list this quarter?" | One reason, one easy question |
| Follow up | "No worries if the timing is off. Happy to send the short checklist we use for second sites if useful." | Offers something small, easy to say yes or no |
Avoid the "pitch slap": a sales message seconds after someone accepts. It turns a new connection into someone who will never reply.
06
Pacing and limits
LinkedIn limits how many invitations you can send each week, and it watches how many are ignored or reported. The limit you can live with depends on how targeted you are: a short list of well-researched people gets accepted far more often than a long list of strangers.
Withdraw invitations that have sat unanswered for a few weeks, avoid sending the same message to many people at once, and be careful with automation tools. Many break LinkedIn's terms, and a restricted account costs you far more than the time they save.
07
Follow up across channels
LinkedIn works best as one channel among three. A connection request, an email with the same reason (see these cold email templates), and a call that opens with it reach the same person in different places, so they hear one consistent story. For timing and what to say in each step, read cold email follow up timing.
08
Common LinkedIn prospecting mistakes
A profile about you, not the buyer. People reply to someone who clearly understands their problem.
Pitching in the connection note. It reads as spam and lowers acceptance.
No reason to write. "I'd love to connect" gives nobody a reason to answer.
Sending at volume. Low acceptance and reports put your account at risk.
Stopping at LinkedIn. Many buyers read their inbox more than their LinkedIn messages.
09
The LinkedIn prospecting checklist
Before you send a connection request
- Your headline and About section speak to the buyer's problem.
- The company fits your ideal customer profile.
- The person owns the problem, not just the biggest title.
- You checked for a mutual connection who could introduce you.
- You found one specific, recent reason to write.
- The connection note is short and has no pitch.
- The follow up is planned across LinkedIn, email and phone.
10
Where to go next
LinkedIn is one part of a prospecting process. For the whole process, start with what sales prospecting is.