How can I use LinkedIn to find international B2B buyers?

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Use LinkedIn to identify companies in your target export markets, find relevant purchasing decision-makers, and build professional relationships through personalized outreach. Search by industry, location, company size, and job title, then qualify each prospect before contacting them. LinkedIn Sales Navigator adds more specialized lead and account filters for targeted prospecting. Define Your Ideal International Buyer Before searching LinkedIn, determine which types of businesses are most likely to buy your products. Depending on your industry, target importers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, manufacturers, procurement companies, or industrial end users. Define the countries you serve, relevant industries, typical order sizes, and the job roles that influence purchasing decisions. This helps prevent time being wasted on companies that cannot use or distribute your products. Search for Companies and Decision-Makers Search for target companies by industry and location, then identify relevant employees. Useful job titles may include Purchasing Manager, Procurement Manager, Sourcing Manager, Import Manager, Category Manager, Supply Chain Manager, or Managing Director, depending on the size and structure of the business. Review each company's website, product range, geographic coverage, and business activity to assess whether it is a realistic prospect. Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator Filters Sales Navigator offers lead and account filters that can help refine searches by geography, industry, current company, job function, seniority, and company headcount. Depending on your subscription, additional functions may support saved searches, lead updates, or buying-intent insights. Use a combination of company-level and person-level criteria to identify both suitable organizations and the people involved in purchasing decisions. Features and availability depend on the plan. Personalize Your First Contact Send a concise connection request or professional message that explains who you are, what your company supplies, and why the recipient's business may be relevant. Refer to a genuine detail such as the company's product category, market, or manufacturing activity. Avoid sending identical sales pitches to large numbers of unrelated contacts. A useful first message should open a conversation rather than demand an immediate order. Build Credibility and Follow Up Make your company profile clear and credible, with an accurate description of your products, manufacturing or sourcing capabilities, markets served, and relevant certifications. Share useful product information or industry insights where appropriate, and follow up respectfully if the prospect shows interest. Record responses and next steps in a lead tracker, and respect opt-outs and applicable privacy and marketing rules. LinkedIn's official search guidance is available at https://www.linkedin.com/help/sales-navigator/answer/a735730/search-for-leads-and-accounts-in-sales-navigator.