LinkedIn automation without Sales Navigator sounds like a shortcut, until you see 23 replies land from 84 messages. That is a 27% reply rate from a campaign that took about two minutes to build.
You probably know the problem. You want bigger B2B clients, but every tool in the stack wants a monthly fee. Sales Navigator, an automation tool and a phone-number finder add up before you book a single call. In this video, Dan Wardrope, founder of Flexxable, sits down with Johnny Matthews. Johnny co-founded B2B Gifts and built Topa. They show a cheaper way to find B2B leads, start conversations and move them to a phone call. By the end, you will know how to copy the exact campaign. Want the free leads first? Join B2B Leads Lab, our free Skool community, and grab 200 free B2B leads before you build anything.How Did 84 Existing Connections Produce A 27% Reply Rate?
Johnny messaged 84 people he already knew on LinkedIn, and 23 replied. That is 27%, from a three-message sequence that took about two minutes to build. The opening line was three words long.
That line was “Hi Dan, how’s business?” Dan calls this a handraiser. It asks for a reply, not a sale.
Keep the context in mind. These were warm connections, not strangers, and this is one campaign with a small sample. Johnny says 20% to 30% is common with existing connections. Your results will depend on your network and your offer.
Dan gives the same advice to anyone starting out. Go through your phone contacts first, because more of them own businesses than you think. This is the LinkedIn version of that advice.
How Do You Find B2B Leads Without Paying For Sales Navigator?
You search Topa’s lead database, which holds more than 350 million profiles. Browsing is free and unlimited once you unlock it. With our code, you can also download 200 emails or mobile numbers each month at no cost.
That database is what makes LinkedIn automation without Sales Navigator workable. The search runs on plain English. Type something like “roofing company owners in Texas” and the AI search builds the list. Swap in Manchester, Sydney or Toronto and it works the same way.Which filters matter most?
Three filters do the heavy lifting. You can search by job function, by words in the LinkedIn headline and by words in the About section. Johnny also filters for people with more than 500 connections. They tend to log in, so they see your message.How do you unlock the 200 free B2B leads?
Sign up for a free Topa account, open the lead database and enter the code. We post the code inside B2B Leads Lab, along with free B2B lead generation training. Grab your leads there first, then create your free Topa account. Planning to email those leads? Fix your inbox setup first with our cold email deliverability walkthrough.How Do You Build The "1-2-3 Handraiser" Campaign In Topa?
You build it in six short steps, and the first campaign takes about two minutes. Start with existing connections, because they are the low-hanging fruit. Then add a second campaign for new connections.
Step 1: Connect your LinkedIn account
Click connect account, enter your LinkedIn details and save. LinkedIn may ask for a two-factor code. Your account then appears in the dashboard.
Step 2: Start an existing connections campaign
Click new campaign and choose existing connections. This reaches people who already know your name, so replies come faster.
Step 3: Write three short messages
Open with the handraiser, then follow up twice. Johnny sends three messages in total. If someone ignores all three, he moves on.
Topa’s AI message writer can scan your website and draft the sequence for you. Its draft in the video waited 48 hours before the first follow-up. It also suggests a hook, such as a free audit, a case study or a free trial.
Step 4: Choose who receives it
Message everyone, or apply filters. You might only want CEOs, or only connections in one country.
Step 5: Set your sending times and launch
Pick the hours and days, such as 9 to 5, Monday to Friday. Click create campaign and Topa sends on that schedule.
Step 6: Add a new connections campaign
This campaign sends a connection request first, then messages people after they accept. Johnny leaves the connection note blank. In his words, people know you are about to sell to them.
Pull leads from the database or upload your own CSV file. The database filters for people who are active on LinkedIn, which helps your acceptance rate.
Should You Pitch In The First LinkedIn Message?
No, not unless your offer is very strong. Ask for a reply first, then move the conversation to your offer by hand. Automated pitching on LinkedIn is hard to make work.
Dan’s maths makes the case. Message 500 connections at a 25% reply rate and you have 125 conversations. If you cannot close around five of those, he says something is wrong with the offer.What does a strong offer look like?
A strong offer removes the risk for the buyer. Ours is what Dan calls the Offer of the Century. We turn a client’s old leads into sales with AI and SMS, and we only earn when they do. Johnny used that angle in a new connections campaign. His first message asked if they wanted more leads or sales, totally risk free, paying only on results. A couple of leads came back straight away. Compare that with “we have a great deal on business insurance”. Dan’s reaction to that message is a hard no. The full method is in The Instant AI Agency, and our AI database reactivation guide covers the model in depth.How Do You Turn A LinkedIn Reply Into A Phone Call?
You click Get Cell Phone inside the Topa inbox, and the number arrives in a few seconds. Then you ring them while the chat is still warm. Johnny says he has booked several meetings this way.
The inbox pulls every connected account into one place. Three or four team members can send, while one person handles the replies. Each number costs 1.5 credits in the video, which is 7.5 cents. Topa’s pricing page lists US numbers at one credit. Johnny says Topa finds a mobile number for roughly 70% of people. His opener is relaxed: “Hey Dan, we were just chatting on LinkedIn, but I thought it was easier to ring you.”What do you say when they ask how you got their number?
Dan has a line ready: “I’m a very resourceful person. Would you like me working on behalf of your business?” It usually gets a laugh, and the call carries on. Most people will not pick up the phone, which is exactly why it works. Check your local rules on unsolicited calls before you dial. In the UK, that means screening numbers against the TPS and CTPS registers. Once you are on the call, use our sales call demo walkthrough to structure it. Sales Wingman Lite lets you show the AI working live.How Does Topa Keep Your LinkedIn Account Safe?
Topa copies human behaviour and caps your daily activity. It sends at random times, stays inside conservative limits and logs in from a residential IP address in your location.
LinkedIn automation without Sales Navigator still runs through your real account, so limits matter. New accounts start at 15 connection requests and 20 messages a day. After a few weeks, Johnny raises his to 25 connection requests and up to 50 messages. That is the ceiling Topa allows.
The IP address matters too. A UK account that suddenly logs in from another country is a red flag.
How Much Does Topa Cost Compared With Sales Navigator?
Topa’s launch offer is $79 a month for one LinkedIn account, or $99 for two. The lead database is free to browse. All prices are in US dollars.
Third-party pricing guides put Sales Navigator Core at $119.99 a month on monthly billing. Check LinkedIn’s own page for the price in your region. So LinkedIn automation without Sales Navigator can cost less than the Sales Navigator seat alone. Johnny says Topa is about half the price of other LinkedIn automation tools. He also puts its phone enrichment at about a third of the usual price. Those are his comparisons, so run your own numbers.Where Do Webhooks, n8n And HighLevel Fit In?
Webhooks let Topa talk to the rest of your stack in both directions. You can push new leads into a campaign, and send positive replies out to your CRM.
A webhook is a short message one app sends another when something happens. Johnny’s example is a new community member. They join, and Topa sends them a LinkedIn connection request automatically. Any tool that accepts webhooks can sit on the other end:- n8n is a workflow automation tool that links apps and AI models with very little code.
- HighLevel, also known as Go High Level, is a CRM and marketing platform that many agencies use for client campaigns.
- Zapier is a no-code tool that connects thousands of apps with simple triggers.
- AI models, such as ChatGPT or Claude, can draft or sort replies inside those workflows.
When Should You Send A Locked Gift Instead?
Send a gift when a conversation looks serious and the deal is worth it. Dan’s team books coffee-date calls with roughly three in ten business owners who receive a bottle. LinkedIn is the low-cost way to find out who deserves one.
The gift arrives with a combination lock and a personalised letter. The owner has to call you for the code. A bottle costs about $50, so 100 gifts is roughly $5,000. Inside B2B Gifts, you enter the name and address, write the letter and place the order. The fulfilment centre handles packing, postage and tracking. Topa reminds you to find a mobile number first, because follow-up calls do most of the work.What are the limits right now?
There are three. Fulfilment is UK only, with a waitlist for the USA. Wine is on hold until the alcohol licence arrives, so locked Yeti Rambler cups ship for now. You also still find the delivery address yourself. Data decides the outcome. Dan puts about 60% of direct mail success down to the list. Our lumpy mail marketing breakdown shows what happens after the gift lands. For more on LinkedIn itself, read how one student landed $20,000 deals with LinkedIn cold outreach.Frequently Asked Questions
Is LinkedIn automation without Sales Navigator really possible?
Yes. You need two things: a lead database to build lists, and a tool that sends from your LinkedIn account. In the video, Topa covers both, with 350 million profiles and free browsing.Is a 27% reply rate on LinkedIn realistic?
It is realistic for existing connections. Johnny got 23 replies from 84 people he already knew, and he sees 20% to 30% as common for that group. The video shares no reply rate for cold prospects, so test that yourself.What is database reactivation, and why pitch it on LinkedIn?
Database reactivation means turning a business’s old, unconverted leads into sales with AI and SMS. It suits LinkedIn because the pitch carries no risk: the client pays only on results. Our AI database reactivation guide explains the full model.Is pay per lead better than a retainer for this offer?
For cold outreach, yes, because performance pricing removes the buyer’s risk. A retainer asks a stranger to pay before they see a result. Pay per lead and pay on results both make the first yes far easier. We compare the two in retainer contracts vs pay per lead.How should you price an AI automation service after a yes?
Tie your fee to results wherever you can. That is how we sell database reactivation, and it is why the offer is easy to accept. For the full framework, see how to price your AI automation service.Do you need a micro niche and a customer avatar first?
Yes, pick both before you write a word. A micro niche is a narrow slice of a market, such as HVAC owners in one region. A customer avatar is a profile of the exact person you message. Start with what a micro niche is, then build your customer avatars.Can you send LinkedIn replies to n8n with a webhook?
Yes. Topa can fire a webhook when someone replies positively, and n8n can catch it. From there, you can update your CRM or alert your team. Our GoHighLevel to n8n webhook guide shows a similar build.Who are Dan Wardrope and Johnny Matthews?
Dan Wardrope is the founder of Flexxable and the author of The Instant AI Agency. He teaches agency owners to sell AI database reactivation on a performance basis. Johnny Matthews co-founded B2B Gifts and built Topa.Is B2B Gifts available outside the UK?
Not yet. Fulfilment runs from the UK only for now, and the USA has a waitlist. You can still follow the training and package gifts yourself, wherever you live.Conclusion
You do not need a Sales Navigator seat to start B2B conversations on LinkedIn. You need a list, a three-message handraiser and the nerve to pick up the phone.
Here is the short version:
- Watch the video at the top of this page.
- Unlock the lead database and download your 200 free leads.
- Message your existing connections with “how’s business?”
- Ring the people who reply.
- Send a locked gift to your hottest prospects.
Start with the connections you already have. They are the cheapest test you will ever run.
