Signals
GTM signals: which ones are worth building on
A signal is an event that says an account is worth acting on now. The ones worth building are specific to your ICP and rooted in data you own: a champion changing jobs, your pricing page, your stalled deals. Generic intent data is useful context, but a weak reason to reach out on its own.
CustomA champion changes jobs
Someone who used or bought your product at one company starts at another company that fits your ICP.
Why it works: They already know the product and the problem, and new leaders often review their stack early in a role.
Data source: Your CRM's contacts and closed-won deals, checked against current employment from an enrichment provider or public profiles.
Freshness: High. A job change is most useful in the weeks after it happens; check the current employer before sending, not from last quarter's export.
False positives: Low when matched on your own customer records; higher when the old title was not really a user.
Example. A former admin of your product at a customer starts as Head of RevOps at a 120-person company in your ICP. Action: Draft a note from the account owner who worked with them, referencing what they used before. Hold it for review.
Usually the best first signal to build: specific, explainable and rooted in your own data.
CustomA company makes its first GTM hire
An ICP company posts or fills its first sales, RevOps or marketing role.
Why it works: A new function means new tools and processes are about to be chosen, often by the person just hired.
Data source: Job postings and new-hire announcements, filtered by your ICP and the role titles that buy from you.
Freshness: Medium to high. Postings close and roles get filled; re-check that the role is open or recently filled.
False positives: Medium: reposted listings and agency postings look like new roles.
Example. A seed-stage company in your ICP posts its first Account Executive role. Action: Research the founder who currently sells, and draft an opener about setting up the motion before the hire starts.
Strong for tools a new team adopts; pair it with ICP filters or it gets noisy.
CustomAn ICP account visits your pricing page
Someone from a company that fits your ICP reads your pricing page, often more than once.
Why it works: It is first-party, it is about your product, and pricing is read late in an evaluation.
Data source: Your own website analytics with company-level identification, joined to your CRM to see whether the account is new, open or a customer.
Freshness: Very high. Hours matter; a visit last month is history.
False positives: Medium: students, competitors and existing customers read pricing too. Check the account's CRM status before acting.
Example. Two people from an ICP account with no open deal view pricing and an integration page in the same week. Action: Alert the owner with the pages viewed and the likely buying committee; draft a short, non-creepy note offering a pricing walkthrough.
One of the highest-intent signals you can get, if you suppress customers and open deals first.
CustomA deal stalls
An open opportunity has had no meetings, replies or stage changes for longer than your normal sales cycle allows.
Why it works: It is pipeline you already paid to create. A timely, specific nudge recovers deals that would otherwise quietly die.
Data source: Your CRM's activity and stage history, plus call notes from a call recorder if you use one.
Freshness: High: read the current deal state at the moment of acting, since a rep may have just logged a call.
False positives: Low if the threshold is set per stage and per segment.
Example. A mid-market deal sits in Proposal for 21 days with no activity, longer than that stage usually takes for you. Action: Summarise the last call and open questions, then draft a recovery note for the rep to edit and send.
Underrated: smaller volume than outbound signals, but closest to revenue.
CustomProduct usage crosses a threshold
A free or self-serve account hits the usage, seats or feature that historically predicts an upgrade.
Why it works: It is behaviour in your own product, the most direct evidence of value you can get.
Data source: Product analytics or your warehouse, joined to the CRM account.
Freshness: High: usage changes daily.
False positives: Depends on how well the threshold was chosen; validate it against past upgrades.
Example. A workspace on the free plan adds its fifth teammate and connects a second integration. Action: Route to the account owner with the usage summary and draft an offer to help with rollout.
The strongest signal for product-led companies; nothing outside your product can replace it.
GenericThird-party intent topic surge
A data provider reports that a company's research on topics you chose rose above its usual level.
Why it works: It can surface accounts that have never touched your site.
Data source: A third-party intent data provider, usually on an annual contract.
Freshness: Low to medium: aggregated over days or weeks and delivered on the provider's schedule.
False positives: High for narrow ICPs: topics are broad, and the signal says little about who is researching or why.
Example. A 2,000-person company shows a surge on a broad topic related to your category. Action: Add it to an account-based ad audience and check for a custom signal before any personal outreach.
Context for prioritising, not a reason to email someone. Every competitor buying the same data sees the same surge.
GenericA funding announcement
A company in your market announces a funding round.
Why it works: New budget and hiring plans often follow.
Data source: Public announcements and funding databases.
Freshness: Medium: everyone sees it on the same day.
False positives: High on its own: funding says there is money, not that your problem is a priority.
Example. A Series A in your category is announced. Action: Watch for the hires that follow (a first RevOps role, a sales leader) and act on those instead.
Crowded and weak alone; useful as a filter on stronger, custom signals.