Using LinkedIn for B2B Sales Lead Gen

30 Jun

Checklist for Using LinkedIn for B2B Lead Generation

Most B2B companies in the €2m to €40m revenue range already generate sales leads using a mix of your website, sales outreach (via email and/or phone), customer referrals, tradeshows and business events.

But you can multiply the impact of your efforts, and open up a new source of leads, if your business uses LinkedIn effectively.

Why Focus on LinkedIn?

Because LinkedIn is where your buyers are – whether that’s the COO of a MedTech firm, the Head of Engineering at a software company, or the CEO of a fast-growing professional services business.

Other reasons to take LinkedIn seriously include:

10 million C-Level executives are active on LinkedIn, along with 63 million decision makers and 180 million senior level influencers.
In the US, 69% of users check it daily.
Globally, 134.5 million users are daily active users.
Sales people who use LinkedIn effectively outperform those who don’t.
Of B2B leads generated through social media, 80% come via LinkedIn vs other platforms like Facebook, X or Instagram.

So, LinkedIn is important.

But a lot of companies underuse the platform, and don’t use it like the prospecting engine it can be.

Here is our recommended Checklist to structure your use of LinkedIn.

Step 1: Company, Sales and Leadership Profiles

This may be obvious, but your company and staff LinkedIn profiles are sales assets.

For Company profile, ensure

the Headline clearly states how you help your target buyer (e.g. “Helping MedTech firms cut packaging costs by 20%”).
the About section is written for the buyer: problem, value, proof.

For Sales and Leadership Profiles – include a professional photo, banner, contact info, and key results.

Step 2: Build Target Lists

Ask your salespeople to use LinkedIn Sales Navigator (or free tools) to

Build a list of 100-150 decision makers (CEO, Head of Engineering etc.)
Refine by industry, location, company size and title

Use these lists for planning your connection and engagement efforts each week.

Step 3: Build A High Quality Network

Each salesperson should send 20–30 targeted connection requests per week to ideal buyers.
Use Sales Navigator if you have the budget.
Don’t try to connect randomly – use the list from Step 2 to pick people who match your target customer profile and make it clear you can add value. Reference shared industry, common challenges, mutual contacts.

Step 4: Don’t Pitch

When someone accepts a connection, don’t try to sell to them straight off the bat. Start a conversation and build a relationship first.

Use a multi-step approach:

Connection request – personalised, referencing any mutual contacts, shared challenges, industry experience.
Thank-you message, including useful insight.
Value driven follow-up (after an interval), possibly including content.
Soft pitch – asking for time on their schedule, or inviting to webinar.

You should do this in parallel with email outreach, using tools like Motar.me. Using both together increases conversion rates.

Step 5: Post content, but make it the right type

LinkedIn rewards relevance, not volume. These are the formats that work best:

Mini-case studies (Problem > Solution > Result)
Step-by-step guides (e.g. “4 ways to increase manufacturing efficiency”)
Short personal stories with business lessons.
Short native videos (under 90s) – thought leadership, team intros, product walkthroughs
Slideshows/carousels for frameworks or checklists.
Event recaps with takeaways + photos.
Images with text overlays – graphs, charts, quotes

Turn sales calls, work conversations and common prospect questions into LinkedIn posts.

High performers post 2 to 3 times per week, but they don’t have to be long form posts

And text only posts with a clear opening line still outperform most other formats.

Step 6: Engage with others

People you engage with are more likely to engage with your future posts.

Encourage your team to read and comment thoughtfully on selected buyer’s posts and engage with industry conversations.
Don’t do this randomly – apply logic to who you engage with.
And try to add value with your engagement, don’t simply ‘like’.
Aim for 2 to 3 comments per day and measure the impact.
And monitor who engages with you – who views your profile, who engages with your posts, who likes your company updates. These are potential leads.

Step 7: Test LinkedIn Ads

€200 to €500 per month can generate results if you use it carefully. Use Lead Generation form ads (for guides or webinars) and Sponsored posts (e.g. for case studies).
Ads work best when used in combination with ongoing posting and engagement activity from your team.
Make sure your ads are clearly branded – your logo should be big and obvious.
Mix ‘direct response’ and ‘brand’ ads and test what works best.

Step 8: Develop a LinkedIn Rhythm

Consistency is better than peaks and troughs of activity. Here’s an example ‘LinkedIn calendar’.

Frequency	Activity
Daily	– Comment on 2 to 3 posts – Review notifications – Accept/track new connections
Weekly	– Send 20–30 targeted connection requests – Post 1–2 short updates – Message key prospects (follow-up or value-share)
Monthly	– Publish 1 in-depth post or carousel – Refresh target lists – Run small paid campaign or promote top content
Quarterly	– Audit Your Profiles – Content performance review – Campaign recalibration

Step 9: Make sure you don’t do this

Don’t pitch immediately after connecting. You need to earn the right to make a sales pitch. Build a relationship before trying to pitch.
Don’t use generic messages – we’ve all seen spam messages on LinkedIn and they don’t work. Instead take the time to tailor your message to the recipient.
Don’t leave your profile untended – check it regularly, make sure it sells your value proposition.
Don’t spam connection requests – pick your targets carefully, give them a reason to accept your connection.
Don’t post irrelevant content – LinkedIn is a business network. Try to add value for potential customers with your posts.
Don’t ignore engagement – respond quickly to people who comment or like your posts or view your profile.
Don’t be inactive or inconsistent – don’t drop off for weeks or months and then start churning out posts. Keep it steady.
Don’t over automate your outreach – some tools flood messages too fast or act like robots, which will trigger a spam response from LinkedIn, impacting your ability to continue to use the platform.

Final Thoughts

LinkedIn is underutilised by a lot of B2B companies. It supports and amplifies your sales outreach (sales lead generation) and it builds awareness and trust (branding).

And with a regular rhythm it can become a consistent source of sales leads.

Next step: Start by having your team audit their profiles. Then pick three activities from this blog and schedule them for this week.