How Old National Bank used Sales Navigator to drive smarter prospecting and stronger relationships
Following a transformative merger, Old National Bank’s business banking team faced a critical challenge: driving their pipeline in markets where the brand had little to no recognition.
Old National knew the solution was to help bankers boost their relationship-building activities, but the question was how? The team turned to LinkedIn Sales Navigator, which quickly became a key tool, enabling stronger relationships, smarter outreach, and steady lead generation in new territories.
CHALLENGE
Establishing the brand in new markets
In 2022, Old National Bank completed its merger with First Midwest Bank, which led to an approximate doubling in size of both assets and staff, as well as a significant increase in their geographic footprint.
“Because of that, we needed to be more efficient in our sales activities and prospective client outreach,” says Kevin Anderson, President of the Business Banking Team at Old National Bank.
The focus during the merger was on integration and client retention, which meant lead generation took a back seat.
“We really needed to focus again on lead generation and prospecting,” says Ryan Novak, Senior Marketing Manager at Old National Bank.
That need was particularly urgent in unfamiliar markets where the brand was still establishing its presence.
“We had gone through a tremendous amount of change in integrating new team members, as well as being a new brand in markets that had no history with our organization,” Kevin says.
“And because of that, and our desire to show the market what we are capable of, we needed a tool to assist in driving our relationship banking model,” he adds.
SOLUTION
A stand-out tool for prospecting
Pre-merger, First Midwest had already seen early success with Sales Navigator, and the business banking leadership team had also used LinkedIn for both professional and personal purposes.
“I did some basic due diligence about what was available in the market and LinkedIn Sales Navigator stood out to me,” Kevin says.
Post-merger, The Old National team adopted Sales Navigator as a tool to find key prospects, which for the business banking division means clients with revenues between $5 million and $75 million across industries like manufacturing, distribution, wholesale, commercial real estate, retail and fast-food franchises.
Sales Navigator helped bankers:
· Identify key decision-makers, such as C-suite executives and business owners
· Discover warm paths into their account through existing networks
· Track buyer intent signals to improve targeting
“Those insights are highly advantageous and jumping on them right away is incredibly important,” Ryan explains.
Rolling the platform out to more than 100 client-facing bankers – all with varying levels of tech confidence – required a thoughtful approach.
“Some bankers had never seen this platform before, so we had to show how effective the tool can be to drive buy-in,” Ryan says.
The team followed a three-part enablement strategy:
1. Leadership Buy-In: Senior leaders championed the rollout, creating top-down momentum.
2. Gamification: A leaderboard and regular success stories sparked healthy competition.
3. Peer Support: Bankers learned from one another by sharing how the platform was helping them connect with new prospects.
RESULTS
Stepping out from the crowd
Sales Navigator has been instrumental in helping Old National Bank deepen client relationships and build credibility in new markets.
Bankers who consistently use the platform outperform their peers — generating more leads, meeting more prospects, and closing more new revenue.
“Those who are leveraging the tool every week for outreach and connections generate more new leads, get in front of more prospective clients, and close more new revenue than their peers,” says Kevin.
Consistency has emerged as the clear differentiator.
“If we can consistently get our business bankers to leverage the tool weekly, the data shows revenue and sales increase. It's just that simple,” Kevin adds.
Beyond accelerating deals, Sales Navigator is uncovering unexpected opportunities that would otherwise go unnoticed.
“They're finding names they didn’t even know existed. It's one of the best, if not the best, tools out there for discovering new prospects,” says Kevin.
Sales Navigator has made a world of difference to Old National, helping them build a stand-out pipeline and giving them a competitive edge through stronger, faster relationship-building.
“Those who are leveraging the tool every week for outreach and connections generate more new leads, get in front of more prospective clients and close more new revenue than their peers. It really does come down to consistency. If we can consistently get our business bankers to leverage the tool on a weekly basis, the data shows revenue and sales increase. It's just that simple.”
at Old National Bank.
“This is a tool that helps you stand out from the competition and can give you a competitive edge. Because the most important thing that we are trying to accomplish is to build a relationship, a conversation with both our clients and our prospective clients. Sales Navigator is a tool that helps you do this.” - Kevin Anderson
Company Information
About
Headquartered in the Midwestern United States, Old National Bank is the region’s fifth-largest commercial bank, proudly serving clients primarily throughout the Midwest and Southeast. With approximately $71 billion of assets and $38 billion of assets under management, Old National ranks among the top 25 banking companies headquartered in the United States. Tracing their roots to 1834, Old National focuses on building long-term, highly valued partnerships with clients while also strengthening and supporting the communities they serve. In addition to providing extensive services in consumer and commercial banking, Old National offers comprehensive wealth management and capital markets services. In 2025, Points of Light again named Old National one of "The Civic 50" - an honor reserved for the 50 most community-minded companies in the United States.
INDUSTRY
Banking
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES:
5,000+
HQ Location
Chicago and Evansville, Indiana