Sales Navigator Mastery
How to build searches that convert, import into Valley, and avoid the saved list trap.
What Sales Navigator Gives You
Without Sales Navigator, InMails are completely unavailable. 65% of booked meetings through Valley come from InMails. Running Valley without Sales Nav means you're operating at less than half capacity.
Sales Navigator is included in Valley agency plans with high seat counts (20+). If you're on a smaller plan without it, talk to your account manager about upgrading.
Key benefits of Sales Nav for Valley users:
InMail access - Open profiles receive free InMails. This is your highest-converting channel.
Advanced filtering - Target by title, company size, industry, geography, seniority with Boolean operators.
Sales Nav Advanced - 500-800 InMails/month vs. 100 on standard plans. Massive volume increase.
Continuous indexing - New profiles matching your filters appear on LinkedIn daily. Monthly refreshes always surface new prospects.
The #1 Mistake: Saved List URLs
Saved list URLs cause issues with Valley. When you save a search as a list in Sales Navigator, the URL changes from a search URL to a list URL - and Valley needs search URLs to work properly.
What Breaks
Search URL (works with Valley): https://www.linkedin.com/sales/search/people?viewAllFilters=true&titleIncluded=VP%20Sales&companySize=C&...
Saved List URL (causes problems): https://www.linkedin.com/sales/lists/people/7654321
The saved list URL is just an ID. Valley can't read the filters from it, so the import may fail or pull the wrong people.
Exception: A saved list WILL work if it's saved on the same Sales Navigator account that is connected to Valley. If it's saved on a different Sales Nav account, it breaks.
How to Fix It
Go to Sales Navigator
Find your saved list
Unsave it to go back to the raw search view
Make sure you can see all the filters applied (title, company size, industry, geography) in the left sidebar
Check the URL in your browser bar - it should contain viewAllFilters=true and show your filter parameters
Copy THAT URL and paste it into Valley
Quick check before pasting any URL into Valley: if you see /search/people? in the URL, you're good. If you see /lists/ anywhere, stop - go back to Sales Navigator and unsave the list.
Building a Sales Navigator Search from Scratch
Step 1: Open People Search
Log into LinkedIn, click Sales Navigator in the top navigation (or go to linkedin.com/sales/search/people). You'll see a filter panel on the left with all available targeting options.
Step 2: Set Your Core Filters
Set these in order of importance:
Job Title (Most Important Filter)
This defines WHO you're targeting. Use Boolean operators:
OR: Matches any listed title. "VP Sales" OR "Head of Revenue" OR "CRO"
NOT: Excludes titles. NOT "Intern" NOT "Student" NOT "Assistant"
Quotes: Exact match. "Chief Revenue Officer" only matches that exact phrase
Example combinations by role:
Sales leaders: "VP Sales" OR "CRO" OR "Chief Revenue Officer" OR "Head of Sales"
Marketing leaders: "CMO" OR "VP Marketing" OR "Head of Growth" OR "Head of Demand Gen"
Founders: "CEO" OR "Founder" OR "Co-Founder" OR "Managing Director"
Technical leaders: "CTO" OR "VP Engineering" OR "Head of Engineering" OR "IT Director"
HR/People: "CHRO" OR "VP People" OR "Head of HR" OR "VP Talent"
Finance: "CFO" OR "VP Finance" OR "Controller" OR "Head of Finance"
[TIP] Be specific with titles. "Sales" alone matches "Sales Development Representative" and "Sales Coordinator" - not the decision makers you want. Always use the full title in quotes.
Company Size
Match this to your actual customers, not your aspirations:
Code | Size | Best For |
|---|---|---|
A | Self-employed | Solopreneurs, consultants |
B | 2-10 | Micro startups |
C | 11-50 | Early-stage startups |
D | 51-200 | Growth-stage companies |
E | 201-500 | Mid-market |
F | 501-1000 | Upper mid-market |
G | 1001-5000 | Enterprise |
H | 5001-10000 | Large enterprise |
I | 10001+ | Mega enterprise |
Most Valley customers target C-E (11 to 500 employees). Enterprise sellers go E-G. Startup-focused sellers go B-C.
Industry
Select 1-3 industries matching your ICP. Common ones: Computer Software / Internet / Information Technology, Financial Services / Banking, Healthcare / Pharmaceuticals, Marketing and Advertising, Staffing and Recruiting, Real Estate / Construction.
If your product works across industries, skip this filter entirely. Narrowing by industry when you don't need to just shrinks your list.
Geography
Set your target market: Country (United States, UK, Canada), Region (North America, EMEA, APAC), or State/City for hyper-local targeting.
Seniority Level
Use as a safety net alongside your title filter: CXO (C-suite), VP, Director, Manager.
For most B2B outbound, select CXO + VP + Director. Skip Manager unless you're selling a tool where managers have purchasing authority.
Posted on LinkedIn
Turn on this filter to ensure you are only reaching out to people who are actually active on LinkedIn.
10 Ready-to-Use Search Examples
Copy these filter combinations directly into Sales Navigator. Adjust company size and geography to your market.
1. B2B SaaS Founders (Seed to Series B)
Title: "CEO" OR "Founder" OR "Co-Founder" | Company Size: B-D (2-200) | Industry: Computer Software, Internet | Geography: United States
2. Enterprise Sales Leaders
Title: "VP Sales" OR "CRO" OR "Chief Revenue Officer" OR "SVP Sales" | Company Size: E-G (201-5000) | Seniority: VP, CXO
3. Marketing Decision Makers
Title: "CMO" OR "VP Marketing" OR "Head of Growth" OR "Head of Demand Gen" | Company Size: C-F (11-1000)
4. HR & People Leaders
Title: "CHRO" OR "VP People" OR "Head of HR" OR "VP Talent" | Company Size: D-F (51-1000)
5. Finance Decision Makers
Title: "CFO" OR "VP Finance" OR "Controller" OR "Head of Finance" | Company Size: C-F (11-1000)
6. Agency Owners & Principals
Title: "Founder" OR "CEO" OR "Managing Director" OR "Principal" | Industry: Marketing and Advertising | Company Size: B-D (2-200)
7. IT & Engineering Buyers
Title: "CTO" OR "VP Engineering" OR "IT Director" OR "Head of Infrastructure" | Company Size: D-G (51-5000)
8. Healthcare Executives
Title: "CEO" OR "Administrator" OR "Medical Director" OR "COO" | Industry: Hospital & Health Care, Health Wellness and Fitness
9. Real Estate & Construction Leaders
Title: "CEO" OR "VP Operations" OR "Director of Development" OR "Managing Partner" | Industry: Real Estate, Construction | Company Size: C-F (11-1000)
10. E-Commerce / D2C Brand Founders
Title: "Founder" OR "CEO" OR "Head of E-Commerce" OR "VP Growth" | Industry: Retail, Consumer Goods, Internet | Company Size: B-D (2-200)
Importing Your Search into Valley
Step-by-Step
Build your search in Sales Navigator
Verify the URL starts with: https://www.linkedin.com/sales/search/people?viewAllFilters=true&
Copy the FULL URL. Don't shorten or modify it
Go to Valley > click "Create Campaign"
Select both as your campaign type
Paste the Sales Navigator URL into the source field
Valley imports prospects and scores them against your ICP
Configure: Product, Writing Style, daily send limits, Research Agents
Go through Training Mode - review messages, give feedback
Click Launch
If you only create a Messaging campaign, you miss all open profiles (who convert better via InMail). If you only create an InMail campaign, you miss all closed profiles. Always create BOTH.
After Import: Delete Low ICP Fits
Click into the campaign to see the prospect list
Click the three dots menu on the campaign card
Click "Delete Low ICP Fits"
This removes anyone scored as Low fit, focusing your daily sending capacity on the best matches. Every message to a low-fit prospect is a message not sent to a high-fit one.
List Sizing and Strategy
List Size | Quality | Best For |
|---|---|---|
Under 200 | Usually very targeted | Niche ICP, ABM campaigns |
200-500 | Sweet spot | Most campaigns - focused and manageable |
500-1000 | Good if well-filtered | Broader ICP with tight filters |
1000-3000 | Max upload limit | Only if filters are very specific |
3000+ | Too broad | Add more filters to narrow down |
Valley's maximum upload limit is ~3,000 prospects per import. If your search returns more than that, add more filters: tighter geography, specific industry, or company size range. A list of 500 well-matched prospects will always outperform a list of 5,000 loosely matched ones.
How Many SalesNav Campaigns Should You Run?
SalesNav campaigns supplement warm lists - they don't replace them. Warm list reply rates are 4x higher. SalesNav campaigns give you volume and broader reach.
Stage | SalesNav Campaigns | Alongside |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 | 0 (focus on warm lists + Studio setup) | Setting up warm lists |
Week 2-3 | 1-2 SalesNav campaigns | Warm lists running |
Month 2+ | 2-4 SalesNav campaigns | Warm lists + optimization |
When to Refresh
Every 2-4 weeks: Re-import the same search URL via three dots menu > Refresh. New people matching your filters appear daily.
Every month: Review which searches produce the most interested replies. Double down on winners, pause underperformers.
Every quarter: Revisit your ICP definition. Update filters if your ideal customer has shifted.
Common Sales Navigator Mistakes
Mistake | What Happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
Using a saved list URL | Import fails or pulls wrong people | Unsave the list, copy the search URL instead |
Too broad filters (5000+ results) | Low ICP fit, wasted sending volume | Add constraints: tighter title, industry, company size |
Title too generic ("Sales") | Matches SDRs, coordinators, not decision makers | Use full titles in quotes: "VP Sales" OR "CRO" |
Skipping seniority filter | Junior employees mixed into your list | Add CXO + VP + Director as seniority |
Only creating one campaign type | Missing half your prospects | Always create Messaging + InMail from same URL |
Not deleting Low ICP Fits | Wasting sends on bad-fit prospects | Three dots > Delete Low ICP Fits after launch |
Never refreshing searches | Running out of prospects | Refresh via three dots menu every 2-4 weeks |
Importing 3000+ prospects | Upload fails or quality drops | Narrow filters to get under 3,000 |
Getting Help
Onboarding Sessions: Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 11:00 AM ET - live walkthrough of search building
Activation Sessions: Tuesday, Thursday at 11:00 AM ET - help optimizing existing campaigns and searches
Support: Email [email protected] or use in-app chat (Pylon) for specific search troubleshooting
The difference between a SalesNav campaign that books meetings and one that wastes sends is the search. Tight filters, right titles, right company size, right geography. Spend 10 minutes getting the search right and you'll save weeks of wasted outreach.