LinkedIn launched Sales Navigator as a standalone product in July 2014 to help sales professionals manage relationships. Over the following years, LinkedIn made frequent enhancements to Sales Navigator, adding new features, expanding language support, and integrating with additional CRM systems. Examples include the launch of mobile apps in 2014, new lead recommendation capabilities through integrations with Salesforce in 2014, and the introduction of Sales Navigator Lite for Gmail in 2017. The timeline shows LinkedIn's continued efforts to improve Sales Navigator and make it a key resource for sales teams.

1. JULY ‘14
LinkedIn introduces Sales
Navigator, which was
originally an extension of
LinkedIn, as a standalone,
Software-as-a-Service product
designed to empower sales
professionals to establish and
grow relationships with
customers and prospects.
SEPT ‘14
LinkedIn launches the
Sales Navigator app for iOS to
give sales professionals access
to customers and prospects
even when they’re in the field.
Sales Navigator upgrades
its integration with Salesforce
with lead recommendations
and the capability to send
InMail directly from Salesforce.
JAN ‘15
LinkedIn announces that
Newsle will be the engine for
Sales Updates delivering
timely company and member
news within Sales Navigator.
MAR ‘15
LinkedIn announces the
availability of Sales
Navigator in French,
Spanish, German, Dutch,
Italian, and Portuguese.
JUNE ‘15
LinkedIn announces the
expanded integration of
Sales Navigatorwith
Microsoft Dynamics CRM,
a move designed to boost
sales productivity. LinkedIn
announces the availability
of Sales Navigator Mobile
forAndroid.
AUG ‘15
LinkedIn acquires
Fliptop, a provider of
predictive sales and
marketing software,
which will be integrated
into Sales Navigator.
NOV ‘16
LinkedIn introduces an
upgraded InMail for Sales
Navigator, which enables
sales professionals to create
more personalized
messages and easily send
documents.
SEPT ‘16
LinkedIn announces the
CRM Partner Program,
an initiative that enables
leading CRM systems from
HubSpot, Oracle, and others
to integrate Sales Navigator
functionality directly into
their applications.
AUG ‘16
LinkedIn introduces Notes &
Tags in Sales Navigatorto
help sales professionals keep
a detailed chronological
account oftheir interactions
with potential customers or
target companies.
JULY ‘16
LinkedIn announces its
acquisition of PointDrive,
which enhances the way
salespeople can share PDFs,
videos, and other rich content
with customers and prospects.
LinkedIn unveils upgrades to
Sales Navigator that include
CRM Sync, Gmail extension,
and new discovery features in
the mobile app.
OCT ‘15
LinkedIn makes two major
updates to Sales Navigator
by integrating the Social
Selling Index into the
product and launching a
redesigned homepage,
intended to simplify the
selling process.
MAR ‘17
LinkedIn rolls out the
Enterprise Edition of Sales
Navigator and TeamLink
Extend, which helps
salespeople to discover if
anyone in their organization
has a connection with a
potential prospect.
MAY ‘17
LinkedIn acquires
Heighten, a startup
with products aimed
at improving sales
process tracking and
pipeline reporting.
NOV ‘17
LinkedIn offers Sales
Navigator Lite for Gmail.
Sales professionals can now
use some of their favorite
Sales Navigator features right
from their inbox, including
viewing shared contacts, ice
breakers, and saving leads.
FEB ‘18
LinkedIn introduces the
Sales Navigator Application
Platform, which enables
sales professionals to gain
Sales Navigator insights
directly in software such as
Salesforce, Microsoft
Dynamics, and Marketo.
MAY ‘19
LinkedIn announces a new
Sales Navigatorhomepage
design that focuses on alerts
to more easilysurface relevant
and actionable insights for
sales professionals.
Microsoft Dynamics for
Sales users can now view
Sales Navigator insights
for people added to their
account org charts.
FEB ‘19
LinkedIn introduces Sales
Navigator Coach, a series
of short videos that help
sales professionals get the
most out of Sales Navigator.
LinkedIn enables the sharing
of Sales Navigator Custom
Lists with colleagues,
enabling, for instance,
Sales Development Reps
to collaborate with
Account Executives.
NOV ‘18
LinkedIn introduces
Advanced Alerts, which now
inform sales professionals
when an account has raised
funding or when a saved lead
has engaged with LinkedIn
posts from their company.
With Custom Lists, salespeople
can jot down notes on a Saved
Lead or Account and then filter
the list based on groups like
people who have changed
jobs in the last 90 days.
AUG ‘18
LinkedIn introduces
Deals and Buyer’s Circle
to improve pipeline
review sessions between
Sales Managers and
Account Executives.
MAY ‘18
LinkedIn launches a new
Sales Navigator lead page
which enables sales
professionals to quickly
check if a lead is relevant.
A Brief
History of
LinkedIn
Sales
Navigator
LinkedIn launched the stand-alone
version of Sales Navigator in July of
2014. In its first five years, the
company has tirelessly improved
the product to make sales
professionals more effective at their
jobs. This timeline highlights key
product enhancements that have
enabled Sales Navigator to become
the resource that sales teams rely on
to expand existing customer
relationships, acquire new business,
and maximize productivity.