Summary

• Exporting LinkedIn connections to Excel for sales outreach is a flawed strategy that creates a disconnected, manually-updated spreadsheet with instantly stale data.

• This process wastes hours on data entry, is prone to errors, and results in missed follow-ups and lost opportunities because your notes are separate from your conversations.

• Instead of exporting, use a tool like Kondo to transform your LinkedIn inbox into a powerful lead management system with labels, reminders, and CRM sync.

You've spent months, maybe years, building your LinkedIn network. Now you need to organize those valuable connections for your sales outreach. Your first instinct? Export them to Excel. It feels like the right move—a spreadsheet where you can sort, filter, and track your lead engagement.

But here's what most sales professionals discover: the moment you pull your connections out of LinkedIn, you create a static, disconnected spreadsheet that instantly becomes outdated. The manual data entry, the constant switching between tabs, and the high risk of human error turn your lead list into a time-consuming chore instead of a powerful sales tool. You spend more time managing your spreadsheet than actually connecting with prospects.

This guide will walk you through the standard LinkedIn export process, explain how most sales professionals try to manage leads in Excel, show you why this approach is fundamentally flawed, and introduce a modern solution that keeps your lead management where it belongs—inside LinkedIn.

The Standard Method: How to Export LinkedIn Connections to Excel

LinkedIn does provide an official way to export your connections to a CSV file that you can open in Excel. Here's how to do it:

1. Click the Me icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage

2. Select Settings & Privacy from the dropdown menu

3. On the left navigation pane, click Data privacy

4. Under the How LinkedIn uses your data section, click Get a copy of your data

5. Select the option Want something in particular? Select the data files you're most interested in and check the box for Connections

6. Click Request archive (you'll need to enter your password to confirm)

7. Within about 10 minutes, you'll receive an email with a download link

8. Download the CSV file and open it in Excel

This process gives you a spreadsheet containing your connections' names, email addresses (if they've made them visible to connections), current companies, positions, and the date you connected.

Important Limitations to Note:

• Missing Email Addresses: Many of your connections will have chosen not to share their email addresses, leaving crucial fields empty

• Character Issues: The CSV export may not properly display all international characters

• 1st-Degree Connections Only: You can only export people directly connected to you

• Limited Data Fields: The export only includes basic profile information, not interaction history or notes

• Interface Changes: LinkedIn occasionally moves this feature around, making the export option difficult to find.

How Sales Professionals Try to Use Excel for Lead Management

Once you have your connections in Excel, the typical sales workflow looks something like this:

1. Categorize and Segment

First, you'll create additional columns to organize your leads:

• Industry categories

• Lead status (Cold, Warm, Hot)

• Company size

• Decision maker level

• Geographic region

• Potential deal size

2. Create a Tracking System

Then you'll add columns to monitor your engagement:

• Last contacted date

• Follow-up reminder date

• Conversation notes

• Meeting scheduled

• Proposal status

3. Implement Lead Nurturing

Finally, you'll try to create a system for lead nurturing:

• Update the spreadsheet after every LinkedIn conversation

• Color-code rows based on priority

• Sort by "next follow-up date" to know who to contact

• Create separate tabs for different sales stages

This appears organized at first glance. But in practice, it quickly becomes what one sales professional described as an "extremely frustrating" and "cumbersome, manual process."

The Breaking Point: Why Your Excel Sheet Is Costing You Leads

Let's be honest about the limitations of managing LinkedIn leads in Excel:

1. It's Painfully Manual and Error-Prone

Every interaction requires you to:

• Have a conversation in LinkedIn

• Switch to your spreadsheet

• Find the right contact

• Update multiple cells with new information

• Set a follow-up date

• Switch back to LinkedIn for the next conversation

As one sales rep noted, this forces you to "duplicate information manually while switching between different tools to maintain organization." This constant task-switching is inefficient and prone to errors.

2. It's Disconnected from Your Actual Conversations

Your Excel notes exist completely separate from the LinkedIn conversations they reference. This disconnect means:

• You lack the full context when reviewing notes

• You must constantly jump between LinkedIn and Excel

• You can't quickly reference previous messages when following up

• Important conversation nuances get lost in translation

3. The Data Becomes Instantly Stale

The moment you export your connections, your spreadsheet begins aging:

• People frequently change jobs

• Connections update their profiles

• New connections aren't automatically added

• Profile information changes don't sync

4. It Pushes You Toward Risky Solutions

The frustrations of manual updates often lead sales professionals to seek automated solutions. However, using unsanctioned plugins or browser extensions for "scraping" data is against LinkedIn's terms of service and can get your account restricted.

The Modern Solution: Managing Leads Natively in LinkedIn with Kondo

Instead of pulling your connections out of LinkedIn only to deal with the headaches of manual updates and disconnected workflows, what if you could transform LinkedIn itself into your lead management system?

That's exactly what Kondo does—it turns your chaotic LinkedIn inbox into a streamlined, powerful lead management hub that has been described as "Superhuman for LinkedIn."

How Kondo Replaces Your Excel Spreadsheet

1. Instead of Manual Tagging in Excel, Use Labels & Split Inboxes

Rather than creating columns in Excel to categorize leads, Kondo lets you:

• Apply custom labels like "Hot Lead," "Follow Up," or "Proposal Sent" directly to conversations

• Press "L" to quickly label any conversation without leaving LinkedIn

• View dedicated inboxes for each label, so you can focus on your hottest leads first

This keeps your organization system directly connected to the conversations themselves—no more switching between tools.

2. Instead of a "Follow-up Date" Column, Use Reminders (Snooze)

Forget maintaining a column for "Next Contact Date" that you have to manually check every day:

• Press "H" to "snooze" any conversation until a specific date and time

• The conversation disappears from your inbox and reappears exactly when you need to follow up

• Never miss a critical follow-up again, without maintaining external reminders

This is particularly powerful for sales professionals who know that timing is everything in lead nurturing.

3. Instead of Manual Data Entry, Use CRM & System Sync

For those who still need data in their CRM or other systems, Kondo eliminates the manual copy-paste process:

• Automatically sync LinkedIn conversations with HubSpot (native integration)

• Connect with Salesforce, Notion, Google Sheets, and more via Zapier or Make

• Log LinkedIn activities, notes, and conversation details in your core systems without manual entry

This solves a major pain point for sales teams by automatically importing LinkedIn data into their core systems, eliminating the need for manual copy-pasting.

Real Results from Sales Professionals

"I used to waste the first hour of every day updating my lead tracking spreadsheet. It was a nightmare of copy-pasting and manual logging. With Kondo, I label conversations as I go, and everything syncs automatically to our HubSpot. I've reclaimed 5+ hours a week and our lead data is finally accurate." - SDR at a SaaS company

"The snooze feature is a game-changer. My Excel sheet was a graveyard of missed follow-ups. Now, I just hit 'H' on a conversation and trust that Kondo will bring it back to my attention at the perfect moment. No lead ever falls through the cracks." - Independent sales consultant

Ready to Ditch the Spreadsheet? Manage Leads Directly in LinkedIn

Exporting your LinkedIn connections to Excel feels productive, but it's a trap. It creates a static, outdated spreadsheet that disconnects you from your live conversations, leading to manual data entry, missed follow-ups, and lost deals.

The smartest sales professionals manage their pipeline where the conversations happen: inside LinkedIn. With a tool like Kondo, you can transform your inbox into a powerful lead management system using labels, reminders, and automated CRM sync.

Stop wrestling with outdated spreadsheets. Start closing more deals with a workflow that's built for efficiency. Try Kondo today and see the difference it makes. If you're not completely satisfied, you're covered by a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Try Kondo today and transform your LinkedIn inbox—risk-free with our 14-day money-back guarantee.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I export my LinkedIn connections to Excel?

You can export your connections via LinkedIn's "Settings & Privacy" menu. Navigate to Data privacy > Get a copy of your data, and select Connections. LinkedIn will then email you a CSV file. However, this file has limitations like missing emails and only includes 1st-degree connections, making it unsuitable for active lead management.

Why is using Excel for LinkedIn lead management inefficient?

Using Excel for LinkedIn leads is inefficient because it creates a disconnected, manual workflow. Data becomes stale the moment you export it, and you must constantly switch between LinkedIn and your spreadsheet to log notes and track conversations. This process is error-prone and wastes valuable time that could be spent on outreach.

What is the best way to manage leads on LinkedIn?

The best way to manage leads is by using tools that work directly within LinkedIn's native interface. Instead of exporting data, solutions like Kondo allow you to label conversations, set follow-up reminders, and sync data to your CRM without leaving LinkedIn. This keeps your workflow contextual, efficient, and always up-to-date.

What data is included in a LinkedIn connections export?

A standard LinkedIn export includes your connections' names, current companies, positions, and the date you connected. It may also include email addresses if made visible. The export doesn't include conversation history, notes, or data for 2nd/3rd-degree connections, limiting its usefulness for comprehensive sales tracking.

Can I automatically sync LinkedIn conversations to my CRM?

Yes, you can automatically sync conversations using a third-party tool that integrates with LinkedIn. Tools like Kondo offer native integrations with CRMs like HubSpot and connections to others via Zapier or Make. This eliminates manual data entry, ensures your CRM is always up-to-date, and saves significant administrative time.