There have been lots of changes in LinkedIn this and with all the new changes and features, some were bound to be retired. When Sales Navigator was released, we heard rumors that eventually, LinkedIn was going to encourage the majority of their members to subscribe to Sales Navigator. How? We weren’t sure a few months ago, but we certainly are now.
LinkedIn recently sent an email to Premium members to notify them that two pretty popular features will not be accessible down the road. These features will now be accessible only through Sales Navigator. Yes, LinkedIn is encouraging members to move to Sales Navigator.
If you are not familiar with Sales Navigator, it launched about two years ago and is quickly becoming our go-to LinkedIn resource. LinkedIn defines Sales Navigator as a product “targeted at Sales Professionals – it lets you keep track of your existing relationships, research your network, and find new leads faster with tailored recommendations.”
I often spend most of my day in Sales Navigator doing outreach and prospecting for clients. It is different from LinkedIn.com and a must have tool if you are doing serious business development and sales. I definitely would not be as successful in my outreach efforts if I was only using LinkedIn.com but it does take time and a willingness to learn. When we coach our clients on Sales Navigator most say they prefer it to LinkedIn.com.
So, let’s take a look at what LinkedIn is taking away from their premium members.
Notes and Tags will be removed. They allowed you to add notes and tags to your connections. Although the feature will be removed, you will be able to download any information you had in Notes and Tags through March 31, 2017.
Premium Search Filters will be history and only available in Sales Navigator. Advanced Searches are essential to targeting your ideal client. LinkedIn is offering a free three-month trial (yes, you read that correctly) to see if Sales Navigator is right for you. According to LinkedIn, the trial will give you the ability to transfer and view your existing notes and tags as well as access the Advanced Search Features.
I understand and appreciate LinkedIn notifying me about the soon-to-be-retired features. It will be interesting to see if there is a decline in Premium memberships as Sales Navigator memberships increase. If you are a business development oriented Sales Professional, I highly recommend try Sales Navigator if you are already not using it!
