LinkedIn Launches a Standalone Sales Navigator

Change is the only thing constant in a business . Today’s social media channels are perfect example of that. After facebook’s announcement of a new ‘buy button’ for online selling, now its Linkedin which is making the news.

It has announced launch of the new Sales Navigator, a data-driven product to enhance the buyer-seller relationship and make it more efficient. ADP, Hootsuite, Juniper Networks and Swiss Re, are some of Linkedin’s pilot customers who are already using this.

courtesy: Techcrunch

The main idea behind this new product launch is, to reduce cold calls and give warm leads to salespersons.

So how do we know if the product has the potential to deliver? According to LinkedIn Social Selling Index Survey, Feb 2014, social sellers are 51% more likely to beat their quota than traditional sellers.

Here is what Linkedin Group Product Manager Sachin Rekhi told Techcrunch, in a recent post by Anthony Ha.

Social selling consists of four main steps — establishing a presence on social networks, finding the right people, engaging with those people, and building trust.

The Sales Navigator tries to cover all four points. It will recommend the sales leads you should be connecting with on the site, allow you to track updates and news related to important leads and companies (thanks to the recent acquisition of Newsle), and find mutual connections — including other people at your company — who can introduce you.