4 Sales Navigator Filters That Will Double Your Response Rates in 2025

Sales Navigator is an incredibly valuable tool that everyone should invest in if they’re serious about prospecting on LinkedIn. The trouble is that most people don’t know how to get the most out of their $99.99/month investment.

There are over 50 filters available on Sales Navigator, yet most salespeople fish in crowded waters by using the same few basic filters. In the meantime, their highest-converting prospects are hiding behind "advanced" search options they've never explored.

Want to improve your LinkedIn response rates? Here are 4 Sales Navigator filters and the exact layering strategies that will transform your prospecting results in 2025.

#1: Changed jobs in the last 90 days

People who recently changed jobs have three things most prospects don't:

• Fresh budgets for new solutions
• A drive to improve their predecessor’s processes
• Political capital to make changes in their first 90 days

When someone joins a new company, they're actively evaluating what works, what doesn't, and what needs to be fixed. This is your sweet spot.

How to find them:

1. Go to Sales Navigator → Lead search
2. Switch on "Changed jobs"
3. Layer with your standard ICP filters (title, industry, company size)
4. Set up a Botdog campaign to send them a blank connection request

Once they’ve accepted, engage with them strategically. 

For their first 30 days, let them settle in and wait for their inbox to die down from the influx of “congratulations!” messages they’ll inevitably get. 

Focus on engaging with their content and leave valuable comments on their posts if you can add something to the conversation. If they’re not actively posting on LinkedIn, check out the “activity” tab on their profile and engage with some of the comments they’ve left on other people’s posts. 

Your goal in their first 30 days is to:

1. Understand what kind of content they’re posting/engaging with - these might relate to their pain points.
2. Become a familiar face in their notifications so that your cold DM feels a lot warmer.
3. Gather some insights you can reference in your outreach message.

Once they’ve hit the 60-day mark, it’s time to send them a DM. 

By this point, they’ve had enough time to notice any problems their predecessor has left behind, but not enough time to find the solutions. 

Try to make your first message as personalized as possible - reference any insights you’ve gathered from engaging in their content and LinkedIn activity, and use this as a conversation starter. 

#2: Viewed your profile recently

Profile viewers have already demonstrated interest in you or your company. They're not cold prospects anymore - they're warm leads who've done a bit of preliminary research.

People typically look at your profile if:

• They saw your content and wanted to learn more
• Someone mentioned you or your company
• They're researching solutions in your space
• A mutual connection talked about you

How to find them:

1. Go to Sales Navigator → Lead search
2. Switch on "Viewed your profile recently" 
3. Layer with your standard ICP filters (title, industry, company size)
4. Set up a Botdog campaign to send them a blank connection request

Run a quality check before sending connection requests.

If you’re actively posting on LinkedIn or engaging with other people’s content, there’s a chance you’ll accumulate a lot of profile views as the weeks go by. 

It’s easy to want to send a connection request to everyone, but remember that LinkedIn only gives you a limited number of requests per week (150-200 for Premium/Sales Nav, 50 for free accounts). 

Not every profile viewer is automatically a qualified prospect. So, before you send them a connection request, ask yourself these questions:

1. Do they fit your ICP criteria?
2. Can you identify why they might have viewed your profile?
3. Are they in a role that suggests buying authority?

If you’re doing things manually, this could take a while. That’s why we created a Botdog feature that cleans your lists automatically. When building your campaign, add in the AI Lead Review step, tell Botdog what you’d like to filter for - what does your ICP look like, and what buying signals would you like to prioritize?

Botdog will automatically filter your Sales Navigator list and only add prospects to your campaign (and send them a request) if they meet your criteria.

#3: 2nd-degree connections

Second-degree connections generally deliver 40% higher acceptance rates than cold prospects. This is because: 

• Mutual connections feel more trustworthy
• Social proof is built into the connection
• DMs naturally feel warmer
• They're more likely to engage with your content

Once you’ve filtered by 2nd-degree connections, layer in your ICP filters, or ask AI Lead Review to quality-check your list before doing any outreach. 

Aside from this, here are two advanced (but very high-converting) strategies that will maximize your 2nd-degree connections…

Strategy 1: borrow your existing customers’ connections

Your happy customers' connections are pre-qualified prospects. They probably face similar challenges, and you could use your existing customers as a referral. 

How to find them:

1. Make a list of your top customers
2. Go to Sales Navigator → Lead search
3. Go to “connections of”
4. Type in one of your customers
5. Layer with your standard ICP filters (title, industry, company size)
6. Set up a Botdog campaign to send them a blank connection request

Bonus tip? Get your existing customers involved to boost your conversion rates even further.

• Message your customer first: "Would you mind if I reached out to [Prospect Name] at [Company]?"
• Reference the customer connection in your outreach
• Offer to include the customer in initial conversations

Strategy 2: borrow your competitors’ connections

People connected to your competitors are probably in the market for solutions like yours.

How to find them:

1. Make a list of your top competitors
2. Go to Sales Navigator → Lead search
3. Under “company”, select your competitor
4. Select Connections -> 1st degree connections

Then, from this list…

1. Go to Sales Navigator → Lead search
2. Go to “connections of”
3. Type in one of the people from your list
4. Layer with your standard ICP filters (title, industry, company size)
5. Set up a Botdog campaign to send them a blank connection request

#4: Posted on LinkedIn

People who have posted on LinkedIn in the last 30 days are:

• More likely to see your messages - active users check LinkedIn more often
• More open to networking - posting suggests they’re willing to engage
• Easier to personalize messages - you can reference their posts 
• Less likely to be an inactive profile created years ago

How to find them:

1. Go to Sales Navigator → Lead search
2. Switch on "Posted on LinkedIn"
3. Layer with your standard ICP filters (title, industry, company size)
4. Set up a Botdog campaign to send them a blank connection request
5. Once they accept, like, and comment on their recent post
6. Use their post to start a natural conversation

How to layer these filters for maximum impact

1/ Recent job change + 2nd-degree connection

• Ultra-high conversion potential
• Built-in social proof from mutual connections
• Perfect timing with fresh budgets and drive to improve

2/ Profile viewer + posted on LinkedIn

• Demonstrated interest in you + active on LinkedIn
• Easy personalization opportunities from their content
• High likelihood of seeing and responding to messages

3/ Posted on LinkedIn + 2nd-degree connection

• Very likely to see and respond to your message
• Built-in trust from mutual connections
• High chance of conversion

Common Sales Navigator mistakes to avoid

• Over-filtering: Don't combine too many filters too quickly. Start with 1-2 combinations and test performance before adding complexity.
• Ignoring timing: Each filter type has optimal timing strategies. Job changers need different timing than profile viewers.
• Generic messaging: The whole point of advanced filtering is better personalization. Don't waste superior targeting with generic messages.
• Insufficient volume: Advanced filters often return smaller prospect lists. Plan for higher-quality, lower-volume campaigns.
• Poor follow-up: These filters identify higher-intent prospects who deserve better follow-up sequences than standard campaigns.

FAQ: Advanced Sales Navigator filtering

How often should I refresh these filtered searches? 

Job changers and profile viewers should be checked weekly. Posted on LinkedIn, and 2nd-degree connections can be refreshed bi-weekly since they change more slowly.

What if my ICP is too narrow for these filters? 

Start with broader criteria and gradually narrow down. It's better to have 50 high-quality prospects than 500 mediocre ones.

Can I use these filters with free LinkedIn? 

These specific filters require Sales Navigator ($99.99/month). However, the strategic thinking applies to any prospecting approach.

How do I avoid seeming stalky when referencing profile views? 

Keep it light and business-focused. Reference general interest rather than specific profile details.

What's the ROI on Sales Navigator if I use these filters effectively? 

If these filters double your response rates (15% to 30%), and you close one additional deal per month, Sales Navigator typically pays for itself 10x over.

The bottom line…

The difference between good and great LinkedIn prospecting often comes down to finding prospects with better timing, higher intent, and warmer connection opportunities. These four Sales Navigator filters help you identify those exact prospects.

• Job changers (last 90 days) offer the highest conversion potential
• Profile viewers have demonstrated interest and deserve immediate attention
• 2nd-degree connections provide built-in trust and social proof
• Active posters are more engaged and easier to personalize to

Next steps:

1. Set up these filters in Sales Navigator
2. Test the layering strategies with small prospect samples
3. Develop personalized messaging for each filter type
4. Scale successful combinations into full Botdog campaigns

Want to automate these strategies while keeping things personalized? Botdog can help you scale your campaigns with built-in safety features and performance tracking. Try our 7-day free trial and set up your first sequence in under 3 minutes.