# LinkedIn Sales Navigator for Marketers and SDRs: Setup Guide

> Choose a Sales Navigator plan, build account and lead lists, use Account IQ, Lead IQ, Buyer Intent and alerts, and align SDR work with LinkedIn ads.

Source: https://mentionx.ai/learn/linkedin/linkedin-sales-navigator  
Author: Dipuck Jones, founder of MentionX  
Updated: 5 November 2026  
Level: Practitioner

**Sales Navigator is LinkedIn's paid prospecting tool. Core suits one seller, Advanced adds team lists, Buyer Intent, Smart Links and TeamLink, and Advanced Plus adds two-way CRM sync. For marketers, its value is account-based: build one target account list, share it with SDRs, run the same list as an ads audience, watch Buyer Intent and alerts for timing, and use Account IQ and Lead IQ for faster research. Every plan includes 50 InMail credits per user a month and room for 10,000 saved leads and accounts. Never export data with scrapers; use the official CRM integrations.**

> **Key takeaways**
>
> - Core is single-user; Advanced adds team collaboration and Buyer Intent; Advanced Plus adds CRM sync.
> - All plans: 50 InMail credits per user a month (accumulating up to 150), 10,000 saved leads and accounts, alerts and the Relationship Map.
> - Account IQ and Lead IQ give AI research summaries; check availability and admin settings.
> - Align Sales Navigator account lists with your ad audiences so sales and marketing target the same buyers.
> - Use official CRM integrations; scraping Sales Navigator breaks LinkedIn's User Agreement.

*Checked 5 November 2026 (CET) against LinkedIn Help on Sales Navigator account types and features, Account IQ, Lead IQ, InMail credits and prohibited software, cited in Sources. Workflow recommendations are practitioner guidance; reports of newer AI search features are from secondary sources. "Our view" marks MentionX opinion. Ledgerline is a fictional company used for illustration.*

## Which plan do you need?

| Feature | Core | Advanced | Advanced Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Users | Single | Multiple | Multiple |
| Advanced Search filters | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| InMail credits per user per month | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Saved leads and accounts per user | 10,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| Custom lists, alerts, Relationship Map | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Upload book of business (CSV) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Smart Links | No | Yes | Yes |
| Shared lists and saved searches | No | Yes | Yes |
| Buyer Intent signals | No | Yes | Yes |
| TeamLink and TeamLink Extend | No | Yes | Yes |
| CRM data both ways | No | No | Yes |
| Embedded profiles (SNAP), ROI reporting | No | No | Yes |

Source: LinkedIn Help, "Sales Navigator account types and features". Prices vary by market and contract; check LinkedIn's plan page.

**Decision rule (our view):** a founder or single seller starts on Core. A team of three or more doing account-based selling needs Advanced for shared lists and Buyer Intent. Choose Advanced Plus only when CRM sync will be used daily.

## How do you set up Sales Navigator for account-based work?

1. **Sales preferences:** set geography, industries, company sizes and functions so recommendations are relevant.
2. **Upload or build your account list:** on Advanced, upload your target account CSV (book of business). On Core, search accounts with filters and save them.
3. **Create account lists by tier:** Tier 1 (30 to 50 accounts), Tier 2 (100 to 200), Tier 3 (the rest).
4. **Map buying committees:** for each Tier 1 account, use the Relationship Map to save the economic buyer, champions, users and blockers.
5. **Save searches:** for example "Finance directors at Tier 1 accounts who posted in the last 30 days".
6. **Turn on alerts:** job changes, company news, hiring and lead activity.
7. **Connect your CRM (Advanced Plus):** sync accounts, contacts and activity.

## Which filters matter for marketers?

| Filter | Use |
|---|---|
| Function and seniority | Find the buying committee |
| Company headcount and headcount growth | Fast-growing accounts |
| Posted on LinkedIn in past 30 days | People who will see your content and comments |
| Changed jobs in past 90 days | New leaders re-evaluate vendors |
| Following your company | Warm audience |
| Viewed your profile recently | Warm audience |
| Shared experiences, TeamLink connections | Warm introductions |

## How do the AI features help?

| Feature | What it does | Notes from LinkedIn Help |
|---|---|---|
| Account IQ | AI summary of a company: priorities, financials, news | All plans; uses LinkedIn first-party and public data; admins can turn it off; not available for all companies |
| Lead IQ | AI summary of a lead: role, interests, activity, conversation starters | All plans; on by default; English only; also appears in CRM integrations |
| Buyer Intent | Signals of account interest and engagement | Advanced and Advanced Plus |
| AI-assisted search | Search in natural language | Reported by secondary sources in 2026; check your account |

Always check AI summaries against the source before quoting them to a prospect.

## How do marketers and SDRs work together in Sales Navigator?

| Marketing does | SDRs do |
|---|---|
| Owns the target account list and tiers | Map buying committees and save leads |
| Runs the same list as a company-list ad audience (lesson 13) | Engage with prospects' posts and connect manually |
| Shares content kits and Smart Links | Send Smart Links in messages; follow up on views |
| Reviews Buyer Intent weekly | Prioritise outreach to high-intent accounts |
| Reports pipeline by tier | Log activity in the CRM |

### What are Smart Links?

On Advanced and above, Smart Links package content (for example a case study and a one-pager) into a single tracked link. You see who viewed it and for how long. Use them for follow-ups, not cold first messages.

> **Pro move:** every Monday, sort your Tier 1 account list by Buyer Intent and by "posted in the past 30 days". For the top ten accounts, marketing raises Thought Leader Ad bids or budget to that company list for the week, while SDRs comment on the buying committee's posts. Ads warm the account, SDRs engage the people and you can compare meetings booked against the other tiers.

## What is off-limits?

- Scraping Sales Navigator results into spreadsheets with extensions.
- Automating InMails or connection requests.
- Sharing login seats between people.

These break LinkedIn's User Agreement section 8.2 and its prohibited software rules. Use CSV upload, shared lists and official CRM sync instead.

## How do you measure Sales Navigator?

| Metric | Source |
|---|---|
| InMail acceptance and reply rate | Sales Navigator usage reports (Advanced and above) or manual log |
| Accounts with at least three saved leads | Account lists |
| Meetings and opportunities by tier | CRM |
| Smart Link views | Smart Links analytics |
| Pipeline and revenue influenced | Advanced Plus ROI reporting or CRM |

## Worked example: Ledgerline

*Ledgerline is a fictional accounts-payable software company. Competitors A to D and all figures are illustrative.*

Ledgerline has two SDRs on Premium Business and a separate ads list built by marketing. They rarely target the same companies. Competitor A runs coordinated ABM.

### Walkthrough

1. **Plan:** Sales Navigator Advanced for three seats (two SDRs and the founder).
2. **List:** 180 target accounts uploaded by CSV; 40 Tier 1.
3. **Committees:** an average of four saved leads per Tier 1 account.
4. **Ads alignment:** the same CSV used as a company-list audience for Thought Leader Ads.
5. **Weekly ritual:** Monday Buyer Intent review and Smart Links for follow-ups.
6. **Results after one quarter (illustrative):** InMail reply rate 21%, 28 meetings from Tier 1 versus 9 from untargeted outreach in the previous quarter.

## Common mistakes

- Buying Advanced Plus without a CRM owner.
- Separate lists for sales and ads.
- Saving thousands of leads with no tiering.
- Treating AI summaries as fact.
- Scraping exports.

## Try it yourself

Build a Tier 1 list of 30 accounts. For five of them, use the Relationship Map to save four people each and note one signal per person from alerts or recent posts.

## Quick quiz

**1. Which plan adds Buyer Intent signals?**
*Answer:* Advanced (and Advanced Plus).

**2. How many InMail credits does each plan include per user per month?**
*Answer:* 50.

**3. Is Lead IQ on by default?**
*Answer:* Yes, according to LinkedIn Help, and it is English only.

**4. What should replace scraping exports?**
*Answer:* CSV upload, shared lists and official CRM sync.

## What should you check before the next lesson?

- A plan chosen with a clear reason.
- One tiered account list shared by sales and marketing.
- Alerts and saved searches set.
- No scraping tools in use.

Previous: [Social selling and compliant outreach](https://mentionx.ai/learn/linkedin/linkedin-social-selling-compliant-outreach) · Next: [LinkedIn Ads objectives and formats](https://mentionx.ai/learn/linkedin/linkedin-ads-objectives-formats)

Or return to the [LinkedIn Marketing for Marketers track](https://mentionx.ai/learn/linkedin/linkedin-marketing-for-marketers).

Related: [Social selling and compliant outreach](https://mentionx.ai/learn/linkedin/linkedin-social-selling-compliant-outreach) · [Targeting, matched audiences and ABM](https://mentionx.ai/learn/linkedin/linkedin-ads-targeting-abm) · [n8n CRM and HubSpot workflows](https://mentionx.ai/learn/n8n/n8n-crm-hubspot-workflows)

## Common questions

**What is the difference between Sales Navigator Core, Advanced and Advanced Plus?** Core is a single-user plan with Advanced Search, 50 InMail credits a month, lists, alerts and the Relationship Map. Advanced adds team features such as shared lists, CSV book-of-business upload, Smart Links, Buyer Intent and TeamLink. Advanced Plus adds two-way CRM sync, embedded profiles and ROI reporting.

**Does Sales Navigator integrate with HubSpot or Salesforce?** Yes, on Advanced Plus. LinkedIn lists CRM sync for supported CRMs including Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics 365, HubSpot and Oracle Sales. Use these official integrations rather than scraping or third-party export tools.

**What are Account IQ and Lead IQ?** They are AI summaries in Sales Navigator. Account IQ summarises a company from LinkedIn and public data and can be turned on or off by admins. Lead IQ summarises a lead's profile and activity; LinkedIn says it is on by default and available in English.

**Should marketers use Sales Navigator?** Often yes in account-based marketing. Marketers use it to build and check target account lists, see Buyer Intent signals, share content with Smart Links and keep SDR prospecting aligned with ad targeting.

## Sources

- LinkedIn Help, [Sales Navigator account types and features](https://www.linkedin.com/help/sales-navigator/answer/a104003)
- LinkedIn Help, [Account IQ in Sales Navigator](https://www.linkedin.com/help/sales-navigator/answer/a1655021)
- LinkedIn Help, [Lead IQ in Sales Navigator](https://www.linkedin.com/help/sales-navigator/answer/a6841315)
- LinkedIn Help, [InMail message credits and renewal process](https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a543696)
- LinkedIn Help, [Prohibited software and extensions](https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a1341387)
- All accessed 5 Nov 2026.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the difference between Sales Navigator Core, Advanced and Advanced Plus?

Core is a single-user plan with Advanced Search, 50 InMail credits a month, lists, alerts and the Relationship Map. Advanced adds team features such as shared lists, CSV book-of-business upload, Smart Links, Buyer Intent and TeamLink. Advanced Plus adds two-way CRM sync, embedded profiles and ROI reporting.

### Does Sales Navigator integrate with HubSpot or Salesforce?

Yes, on Advanced Plus. LinkedIn lists CRM sync for supported CRMs including Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics 365, HubSpot and Oracle Sales. Use these official integrations rather than scraping or third-party export tools.

### What are Account IQ and Lead IQ?

They are AI summaries in Sales Navigator. Account IQ summarises a company from LinkedIn and public data and can be turned on or off by admins. Lead IQ summarises a lead's profile and activity; LinkedIn says it is on by default and available in English.

### Should marketers use Sales Navigator?

Often yes in account-based marketing. Marketers use it to build and check target account lists, see Buyer Intent signals, share content with Smart Links and keep SDR prospecting aligned with ad targeting.

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Written and reviewed by Dipuck Jones for MentionX Learn. The HTML version of this page: https://mentionx.ai/learn/linkedin/linkedin-sales-navigator