Has LinkedIn Changed the Game for Salespeople?

Bernard Lunn COO of ReadWriteWeb wrote recently about the Evolution of Tools for Sales. He references LinkedIn as the, "first fundamentally new [sales] tool to emerge in decades."

Peopletoucher.com's Department of the Obvious would like you to know I agree with this statement.

The article talks about the evolution of CRM systems from the salesperson's perspective, other game-changers like Blackberry, and even postulates on the future of LinkedIn becoming a professional-networking-slash-enterpise-email-platform.

Below are my top 3 uses for professional networking sites:

• Searching for the names of executive decison-makers and influencers at my target accounts (using our handy search engine makes it even easier)
• Learning more about a person before a sales call. (Where they worked before, etc.)
• Keeping track of clients' career moves (connecting with them directly makes this even easier)

Do you agree that these sites have changed the game for salespeople?

Besides searching for names, what other uses have you found?