Most salespeople and founders already have a CRM, yet many still chase prospects in spreadsheets, DMs, and email threads.
It’s unstructured, making building relationships and effective follow‑up much harder. Sales Navigator solves this when you set it up and use it like a focused ‘LinkedIn CRM’.
Sales Navigator will not fully replace your primary CRM, but it can significantly improve daily execution on LinkedIn.
Here is an overview of how you turn Sales Navigator into a powerful workflow you should use every day.
Saving Accounts and Leads
Every CRM should be based on structured data. Your goal is to be organised and in control of your data. In Sales Navigator, this refers to your saved accounts and leads.
Saving an account is the equivalent of adding a company record to your CRM. Saving a lead is like creating a contact linked to that company.
Once saved, these records drive your Sales Navigator home feed, recommendations, and alerts, much like a CRM activity view.
In Sales Navigator, you can save up to 10,000 leads and 10,000 accounts, which sounds generous but fills up fast.
If you save “everyone,” your ‘LinkedIn CRM’ becomes noisy and unusable very quickly. Because saved records power alerts and the newsfeed, you must be selective and intentional.
Treat a “save” as creating a CRM record you plan to work on, not just a casual maybe.
NB: I once worked with a client who had maxed out their saved Leads, and fewer than 1000 of them were targeted. It wasn’t fun removing 9,000 contacts at 25 contacts per page!
Whom Should You Save?
The quick and easy answer is companies and people who can buy from you, and those who can help you reach them.
Spend time identifying your ideal client or ideal partner. You will already have some of these (clients and partners), so profile them. What industry are they in? What job titles are the decision-makers and influencers? What location are they in? What company size are they?
Once you know exactly who to target, you are ready to start saving accounts and leads.
Lead Lists for Categorisation
Your ‘LinkedIn CRM’ is useless if everything sits in one giant bucket. This is where lead lists come in.
Lead lists are your way to segment accounts and leads into useful buckets based on common characteristics.
For example, create a client list for both Accounts and Leads and save key contacts from your existing customer accounts so you can defend, grow, and deepen those relationships.
This enables you to track job and role changes, as well as engagement with decision‑makers and influencers. Client saves also “train” Sales Navigator on what a successful buyer looks like for you.
The main lists you should create will be around your potential clients. Save target accounts from your territory or self-build your target list. Next, save decision‑makers and buying‑committee members inside those accounts.
Always add leads and accounts directly to the relevant list the moment you save them. Avoid the default “Saved on LinkedIn.com” list; it is another undefined bucket.
Good list structure makes it easy to decide whom to prioritise, follow up with and include in outreach campaigns.
Notes for Details
Once you have saved Accounts or Leads, notes turn a static record into a living ‘LinkedIn CRM’ entry. You can store context, call outcomes, objections, and next steps directly against leads and accounts.
Add the most important information at the start of your note so it is visible in the list view without extra clicks – scannable and a time saver.
For example: March 2026 follow-up (the next action). Add additional information, such as the last touchpoint and any insights or details from the conversation.
In addition to the above, use notes to capture insights such as buying triggers, personal details, and internal politics you uncover.
Notes can be private or public (see above). When private, only you can see this. When public, it is visible to everyone on your Sales Navigator company contract (only applies to Advanced and Advanced Plus accounts).
When you add a note, a date is assigned to help you see when you added it.
Alerts for Updates
Alerts in Sales Navigator notify you promptly about updates to your saved accounts and leads. These are valuable because they enable you to act in a timely way.
For example, when someone changes jobs, this is an opportunity to reach out to congratulate them and start a conversation. People who are new in roles are keen to make a difference and open to change.
Don’t plunge into ‘selling mode’; it’s a conversation starter. Use this to build a relationship and trust over time. Alerts are a trigger for outreach, not an invitation for spam.
Regular Maintenance is Required
As with all CRMs, they only work well if the data stays clean and relevant. This means regular maintenance, and not a “set and forget.” Build three maintenance habits:
Daily
Review alerts and lead lists daily and take appropriate action.
Update notes after key interactions to keep your records current.
Weekly
Add new accounts and leads from recent campaign interactions or activities.
Delete obvious irrelevant records to avoid bloating your lists.
Quarterly
Audit your saved leads and accounts for relevance and fit.
Update your list structure if your strategy, territory, or ICP evolves (use the search to help).
By doing this, you keep your Sales Navigator saved accounts and leads in good health, resulting in less wasted time and a highly effective and accurate structure for focused outreach.
The goal is to minimise clutter and maximise time so you can focus on the best targeted opportunities.
In Summary
Sales Navigator is more than a search tool. Set up and used well, it can become a focused ‘LinkedIn CRM’ for your LinkedIn pipeline.
Save only the best-targeted accounts and leads, organise them into clear, focused lists, and stay up to date with your notes. Doing this ensures the alerts you see are relevant and the campaigns you run are focused and effective.
Set up and maintain this system regularly, and you will never be stuck thinking, “Who should I follow up with today?”
How to Use Sales Navigator like a CRM
How to Use Sales Navigator like a CRM
Most salespeople and founders already have a CRM, yet many still chase prospects in spreadsheets, DMs, and email threads.
It’s unstructured, making building relationships and effective follow‑up much harder. Sales Navigator solves this when you set it up and use it like a focused ‘LinkedIn CRM’.
Sales Navigator will not fully replace your primary CRM, but it can significantly improve daily execution on LinkedIn.
Here is an overview of how you turn Sales Navigator into a powerful workflow you should use every day.
Saving Accounts and Leads
Every CRM should be based on structured data. Your goal is to be organised and in control of your data. In Sales Navigator, this refers to your saved accounts and leads.
Saving an account is the equivalent of adding a company record to your CRM. Saving a lead is like creating a contact linked to that company.
Once saved, these records drive your Sales Navigator home feed, recommendations, and alerts, much like a CRM activity view.
In Sales Navigator, you can save up to 10,000 leads and 10,000 accounts, which sounds generous but fills up fast.
If you save “everyone,” your ‘LinkedIn CRM’ becomes noisy and unusable very quickly. Because saved records power alerts and the newsfeed, you must be selective and intentional.
Treat a “save” as creating a CRM record you plan to work on, not just a casual maybe.
NB: I once worked with a client who had maxed out their saved Leads, and fewer than 1000 of them were targeted. It wasn’t fun removing 9,000 contacts at 25 contacts per page!
Whom Should You Save?
The quick and easy answer is companies and people who can buy from you, and those who can help you reach them.
Spend time identifying your ideal client or ideal partner. You will already have some of these (clients and partners), so profile them. What industry are they in? What job titles are the decision-makers and influencers? What location are they in? What company size are they?
Once you know exactly who to target, you are ready to start saving accounts and leads.
Lead Lists for Categorisation
Your ‘LinkedIn CRM’ is useless if everything sits in one giant bucket. This is where lead lists come in.
Lead lists are your way to segment accounts and leads into useful buckets based on common characteristics.
For example, create a client list for both Accounts and Leads and save key contacts from your existing customer accounts so you can defend, grow, and deepen those relationships.
This enables you to track job and role changes, as well as engagement with decision‑makers and influencers. Client saves also “train” Sales Navigator on what a successful buyer looks like for you.
The main lists you should create will be around your potential clients. Save target accounts from your territory or self-build your target list. Next, save decision‑makers and buying‑committee members inside those accounts.
Always add leads and accounts directly to the relevant list the moment you save them. Avoid the default “Saved on LinkedIn.com” list; it is another undefined bucket.
Good list structure makes it easy to decide whom to prioritise, follow up with and include in outreach campaigns.
Notes for Details
Once you have saved Accounts or Leads, notes turn a static record into a living ‘LinkedIn CRM’ entry. You can store context, call outcomes, objections, and next steps directly against leads and accounts.
Add the most important information at the start of your note so it is visible in the list view without extra clicks – scannable and a time saver.
For example: March 2026 follow-up (the next action). Add additional information, such as the last touchpoint and any insights or details from the conversation.
In addition to the above, use notes to capture insights such as buying triggers, personal details, and internal politics you uncover.
Notes can be private or public (see above). When private, only you can see this. When public, it is visible to everyone on your Sales Navigator company contract (only applies to Advanced and Advanced Plus accounts).
When you add a note, a date is assigned to help you see when you added it.
Alerts for Updates
Alerts in Sales Navigator notify you promptly about updates to your saved accounts and leads. These are valuable because they enable you to act in a timely way.
For example, when someone changes jobs, this is an opportunity to reach out to congratulate them and start a conversation. People who are new in roles are keen to make a difference and open to change.
Don’t plunge into ‘selling mode’; it’s a conversation starter. Use this to build a relationship and trust over time. Alerts are a trigger for outreach, not an invitation for spam.
Regular Maintenance is Required
As with all CRMs, they only work well if the data stays clean and relevant. This means regular maintenance, and not a “set and forget.” Build three maintenance habits:
Daily
Weekly
Quarterly
In Summary
Sales Navigator is more than a search tool. Set up and used well, it can become a focused ‘LinkedIn CRM’ for your LinkedIn pipeline.
Save only the best-targeted accounts and leads, organise them into clear, focused lists, and stay up to date with your notes. Doing this ensures the alerts you see are relevant and the campaigns you run are focused and effective.
Set up and maintain this system regularly, and you will never be stuck thinking, “Who should I follow up with today?”
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