![🔎 [Case Study] USL Scores Growth by Building Deeper Relationships with Sales Navigator](https://uploads-eu-west-1.insided.com/linkedin-en/attachment/269d6a2c-08c6-45cd-be71-ad0c9f2ded33_thumb.jpg)
The Challenge: Standing Out in a Competitive Sports Landscape
The United Soccer League (USL) is the largest professional soccer organization in North America, operating multiple leagues and managing relationships with clubs, sponsors, and communities. To expand commercial partnerships and strengthen existing relationships, USL needed a way to identify the right decision makers, personalize outreach, and stay on top of organizational changes in a crowded sports market.
The Solution: A Playbook Powered by Sales Navigator
USL turned to Sales Navigator to transform how its team approached partnership development. With advanced search and alerts, the commercial team was able to map key stakeholders across sponsor accounts and uncover warm introductions through TeamLink. This visibility not only helped USL connect with the right executives but also ensured they could engage with sponsors in a timely and relevant way.
“Sales Navigator has allowed us to get in front of the right people, at the right companies, at the right time.”
-Josh Keller, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development at USL
The platform provided the insights to:
-
Identify new decision makers and track role changes.
-
Personalize outreach by tailoring conversations to sponsor priorities.
-
Expand opportunities by uncovering pathways for cross-sell and upsell within partner accounts.
According to Keller, this has helped USL’s commercial team strengthen partnerships in a competitive environment:
“It’s been a game changer for us. We’ve been able to shorten our sales cycle and build relationships that are far more meaningful.”
The Results: Stronger Engagement and Strategic Growth
Sales Navigator helped USL sharpen its partnership strategy, leading to faster connections with the right people and more meaningful conversations with sponsors. By equipping its team with account insights and relationship intelligence, USL was able to scale engagement efforts and unlock new commercial opportunities.
🔍 Why This Case Matters for the Sales Navigator Community
This story shows how Sales Navigator isn’t just for traditional tech or SaaS sales. Even in the competitive world of professional sports, insights on decision makers, warm introductions, and account changes can be the difference between missed opportunities and winning new partnerships. USL demonstrates how embedding Sales Navigator into a partnership strategy can help organizations of any industry grow smarter and faster.
👉 View and download the full case study here: USL Case Study
