How to Build Targeted B2B Prospect Lists With LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Outbound starts with the list. Josh walks through how he actually uses LinkedIn Sales Navigator, which is mostly for one thing: building tight, saved searches of the right decision makers to reach out to.

Key takeaways

• The core plan is usually enough. Josh mainly uses lead and account searches, and says most people do not need the higher tiers unless a whole team is using it.
• Account searches find companies first. Filter by revenue, headcount, headcount growth, location and industry, then use "view current employees" to pull the people inside those companies.
• Lead searches are where most people should live. Combine company headcount, geography, industry, seniority and current job title (founder, owner, CEO) to find decision makers directly.
• Exclude as much as you include. Every filter can exclude values, such as sales titles or entry level roles, which is how a search gets precise.
• Use quotes in keywords. Searching business coach without quotes matches either word anywhere on the profile. Putting it in quotes matches only the exact phrase and shrinks the list to people who fit.
• Aim for a workable list size. Josh typically tunes a search to somewhere between 1,000 and 4,000 results, then saves it so new matches keep flowing in.

Apply it to your business

Write down your best client's company size, location, industry and the title of the person who signed. Build one saved lead search from that, use exclusions to remove the noise, and check a sample of profiles to confirm they fit. A tight list makes every message you send afterward more relevant, whether a person or an automation is sending it.