LinkedIn is not a “set it and forget it” platform – things change every day: people change jobs, new companies form, existing contacts share new posts. Saved searches and alerts (particularly in LinkedIn Sales Navigator) are powerful tools to keep you updated on these changes and new opportunities automatically. They act as your personal sales radar, so you don’t have to manually search the same things over and over. Here’s how to use them effectively:
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What are Saved Searches? A saved search in LinkedIn (or Sales Navigator) is when you take a specific set of search filters (for leads or accounts) and save that query. LinkedIn will then continually look for new profiles that match those criteria and notify you when it finds any. For example, you can save a search for “Office Manager” + “San Francisco Bay Area” + “Company headcount 50-200”. If next week a new LinkedIn member fits that profile or an existing member updates their profile to fit, you’ll get an alert in your email or Sales Nav alerts.
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Setting Up a Saved Search (Sales Navigator): In Sales Navigator, after you apply all your filters for a lead search, you’ll see an option to Save search (usually a small toggle or button at the top of the results). Click it, name the search (e.g., “SF Office Managers 50-200”), and choose how you want alerts (Sales Nav will typically show weekly alerts by default). You can save up to 50 lead searches【38†L42-L44】. Once saved, each week you’ll receive an email and in-app notification of new results for that search – essentially new potential leads on a platter!
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Example: Save searches for each of your key segments: e.g., “SF Bay Area Office Managers”, “Peninsula Facilities Directors”, “Oakland/East Bay Coworking Space Managers”. Now you have segmented buckets that LinkedIn watches for you.
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Utilizing Lead Alerts: Apart from new people in saved searches, Sales Navigator provides alerts on your saved leads (individual profiles you’ve saved) and saved accounts (companies). These alerts include:
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Job changes: e.g., “Jane Doe started a new position: Facilities Director at XYZ Corp”. This is a perfect time to send a congratulatory message to Jane – new role, new responsibilities (perhaps new needs for office design?) – and it’s a natural touchpoint: “Congrats on the new role, Jane! I imagine you’re already thinking about how to make your mark at XYZ’s office – if adding some greenery is in the plan, I’m here to help. 🙂 Either way, wishing you success!”. Many sales happen when a new decision-maker comes in and shakes things up, so don’t miss these.
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Company news or growth: “ABC Company (a saved account) has 2 new job postings in Office Administration” or “XYZ Corp was mentioned in the news”. These can hint that a company is growing or has new initiatives. For example, new job postings for office roles might mean they’re expanding – perhaps expanding office space (hello, opportunity for plants!). A news mention might reveal an office move or a funding round – a chance to reach out: “Hey, saw the news about your new office opening – exciting! If you need any help making it green and welcoming, I have a few ideas.”
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Engagement alerts: Sometimes you get alerts like “Lead posted on LinkedIn” or “Lead shared an article”. This is your nudge to go engage with that post (like/comment) as discussed earlier. It keeps you in their sight.
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InMail reads or profile views: If you sent an InMail and they opened it, Sales Nav might alert you. Also, LinkedIn sometimes shows who viewed your profile – if a prospect you reached out to is looking at you, that’s a green light to perhaps send a message if you haven’t, or a good sign they’re considering you.
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Free LinkedIn vs. Sales Navigator: On free LinkedIn, you don’t have as robust saved search features. However, you can still use some hacks:
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Use the basic search and filter by “Connections of” a friendly contact or specific companies and then sort by newest – not exactly a saved search, but a way to see new entries occasionally.
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Manually note to re-run key searches monthly (put a reminder on calendar). For example, search “Office Manager” + “San Francisco” each month to catch newcomers or updates.
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Follow target companies (when you follow a company, you see their posts and sometimes news in your feed).
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And of course, keep an eye on your feed for those “Congratulate [Name] on the new role” notifications – that’s LinkedIn essentially giving you a heads-up to act on.
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Stay Organized with Alerts: To avoid information overload:
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On Sales Nav homepage, go to the Alerts section. You can filter alerts by type (job changes, mentions, etc.) or by lead vs account. Make it a routine (maybe twice a week) to review your alerts and decide actions.
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Not every alert needs action. Pick the meaningful ones – e.g., a target lead changed jobs (action: congratulate message), a target account hired a new office manager (action: maybe reach out to that new hire after a few weeks), a saved lead posted something (action: comment/like).
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Dismiss or archive alerts after you’ve handled them, so you focus on fresh ones next time.
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Use Alerts for Timely Outreach: Reiterate the importance of timing: Alerts enable well-timed, relevant outreach【39†L19-L27】. Instead of a generic “just checking in” email, you now have context: “I saw your company just moved into a new floor – congrats on the expansion! That must be an exciting project to manage. Need any advice on sprucing it up? Happy to help.” This shows you’re paying attention and not just blasting everyone with the same pitch.
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Team Collaboration: If multiple team members have Sales Nav, you can share saved searches or leads. For instance, if you focus on Tech companies and a colleague on Finance, share any cross-industry insights you get from alerts. Also, ensure leads are assigned to one owner to avoid overlap in outreach (no one wants two people from the same company contacting them separately without coordination).
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Clean Up Occasionally: Every few months, review your saved searches and leads:
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Are the criteria still relevant? (Maybe you’re now also targeting HR managers who handle facilities at smaller startups – add a new search or tweak an existing one.)
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Remove any searches that aren’t yielding useful results to declutter your alerts.
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Update lists: perhaps you closed a deal with a company – you might remove that account from prospecting alerts (or keep it for expansion opportunities, but mark it differently).
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Leverage External Tools (Optional): There are some third-party tools (like Surfe, formerly LeadIQ, etc.) that can monitor LinkedIn changes for you and integrate with CRM. Only consider these if provided/approved by The Mellow, as they sometimes can violate LinkedIn’s terms. Generally, Sales Nav does a fine job if used well.
By harnessing saved searches and alerts, you essentially multiply yourself – LinkedIn works in the background to feed you intel and new leads. This proactive flow of information means you’ll always be ahead of the curve, catching opportunities the moment they arise (like a prospect changing jobs or a new prospect appearing). Instead of reactive selling, you’ll be in a continuous, informed pursuit of prospects. Combine these alerts with the great relationship-building you’re doing, and you’ll find it much easier to strike when the iron is hot – with context and timing on your side, which is often the recipe for turning a prospect into a happy client.