Combining LinkedIn Prospecting and Scraping for Stronger Leads

What is LinkedIn Prospecting

Theoretically, LinkedIn prospecting is a ritual that every salesperson and recruiter performs to get their social selling activities going. 

It’s all about identifying and engaging with prospects. The goal is to make professional relationships and offer products/services that fit their requirements. Prospecting helps avoid mass and generic messaging. The method includes:

- Prospect list building

- Copywriting

- Automation

Why LinkedIn is the Ideal Place for Prospecting

LinkedIn is very different from other social media platforms. LinkedIn should be your primary B2B lead generation channel if your target audience uses LinkedIn frequently. At least, the numbers suggest so: 

Among 1 billion LinkedIn users, 65 million are decision-makers. 

Unlike Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, LinkedIn focuses solely on B2B relationships. 

So, you can bet it’s a one-stop shop for genuine business contacts. But wait, that’s not all - the platform simultaneously supports prospecting and lead generation. Talk about opportunities! 

*Disclaimer: Prospecting and lead generation are not the same. Prospecting = identifying signs and nurturing potential customers. Lead generation is all about attracting and converting interests. A prospect is a QUALIFIED contact, whereas a lead is UNQUALIFIED. 

How to Get Started

Successful LinkedIn prospecting includes 11 straightforward steps:

1. Optimizing your LinkedIn profile
2. Leveraging Boolean search
3. Deploying sales navigator
4. Exporting leads and finding contacts
5. No note addition for connection requests
6. Shooting highly personalised messages
7. Value added follow-ups
8. Checking on open profiles
9. Using paid emails
10. Automating outreach
11. Prospecting + Cold email

Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile 

First impressions count! Think carefully: Would you really like to spend your hard-earned money on paid ads to push traffic to an unoptimized landing page? 

Probably not. 

It goes the same with your LinkedIn profile. You never get a second chance to build an impression. Hence, make sure you have highlighted your value proposition like this: 

Can’t figure out how to optimize your profile before carrying out prospecting? Simply follow this quick checklist:

• -Upload and original profile picture
• -Upload a banner
• -Write a clear headline
• -Update the About section
• -Customise LinkedIn URL
• -Add education and experience
• And you are done!

Leveraging Boolean Search

Boolean search lets you find specific profiles. The idea is simple - you will use operators like "AND," "OR," and "NOT" to narrow down relevant leads.

This is a fantastic technique for refining search results. 

Deploying Sales Navigator

A sales navigator license is a must if you want LinkedIn to work as your primary B2B lead generation channel. 

The tool is an advanced version of the basic LinkedIn search, and it helps you reach your target audience easily. It offers many search filters so you can pinpoint and connect with the right audience. 

Exporting Leads and Finding Contacts (Combining Scraping with Prospecting)

Okay, you won’t be able to export leads into a CSV with LinkedIn Sales Navigator. It doesn’t give you that option. This is where scraping comes in handy. 

3rd-party tools like Scrupp let you do this in minutes. Simply add Scrupp to your Chrome:

Then, you will see this screen:

Complete the registration—it will take a minute or two. Next, connect your LinkedIn account right after you sign up.

Finally, perform the Navigator search.

Then, go back to Scrupp to start the export process. Here’s a visual explanation of the steps involved:

It’s just a few clicks - that’s it!

Try Scrupp Now

No Note Addition for Connection Requests

Skip the note when you send connection requests. This usually helps improve the acceptance chances. Keep those personalized messages saved for future conversations. 

Shooting Highly Personalised Messages

Personalization can change the game. Simply use insights from your prospect’s profile to craft relevant messages that grab attention and show genuine interest. 

Value Added Follow-Ups 

Don’t ghost after the message! Send helpful follow-ups, including industry insights or relevant resources. This goes beyond sales effort and builds value. 

Checking On Open Profiles

Open profiles let you send messages even without a connection. You can use this feature if you want to reach prospects without using emails. A smart way to extend reach - isn’t it? 

Using Paid Emails 

For tougher-to-reach leads, you can use InMail. However, they are capped, so you can either reserve them for high-priority prospects or simply leverage Scrupp scraping (you have just learned the process). Scraping helps you dodge LinkedIn limits - using the scrapped data; you can reach out to as many prospects as you want. 

Automating Outreach

Tools like Scrupp let you scale up your outreach. After all, you have access to hundreds of contact details, and since you are using a 3rd party tool, you don’t have to worry about being suspended because of crossing LinkedIn’s limits. 

Prospecting + Cold Email

Combine LinkedIn outreach with email. That said, after connecting on LinkedIn, follow up with a cold email to increase your response chances.