Stack buying signals

Most accounts are not in the market on any given day, so working a static list spends your best reps’ time on companies that are not ready. Buying signals are how you find the few accounts that are in the market now, and stacking two or three of them on your ICP is how operators build a list that is both well matched and clearly in-market. This lesson covers the four families of signals and how to combine them in Landbase.

B2B SaaS in the US that raised in the last 6 months and are hiring SDRs, excluding our current customers

What a buying signal is

A buying signal is a recent, public event that suggests an account may be ready to buy now, such as a fresh funding round, a hiring surge, a new VP, or a competitor’s tool appearing in their stack.

Each signal is drawn from public activity and refreshed as new events land, so it reflects what is true about an account today rather than months ago.

Funding and financial signals

Money events are the clearest indication that a company is ready to buy. A business that has recently raised, grown fast, or changed hands holds both the budget and the mandate to spend, along with a short window where new vendors get a hearing.

• Funding Raised marks a new round, leaving fresh capital that is usually earmarked for growth.
• New Lead Investor shows who is now backing the company and the playbook that investor tends to push.
• High-Growth Revenue points to revenue climbing fast, often ahead of headcount and tooling.
• Went Public brings new scrutiny, a larger budget, and fresh compliance needs.
• Acquired, Made an Acquisition, and New Parent Company each mark a change in ownership, after which vendors get re-evaluated.

Time the outreach to the weeks right after a raise, before the budget is fully committed, and pair a funding signal with a new leader in your buying function for a stronger reason to reach out.

Hiring and growth signals

When a company hires, it is investing in a plan, and the roles it posts often reveal that plan before any announcement.

• Hiring Surge shows a sharp rise in open roles, which usually means something is scaling.
• Hiring for ICP Roles is the sharpest of these, since a company recruiting the exact function you serve is building it right now.
• Headcount Growth and Location Expansion show steady momentum and entry into new markets.
• Web Traffic Surge, Social Audience Growth, Rising Product Reviews, and Product Launch add demand-side momentum that often runs ahead of a buying cycle.

Pair a hiring signal with recent funding to confirm the money is behind the plan.

Leadership and people moves

A newly appointed leader arrives with a mandate, a budget, and roughly ninety days to make a visible difference, which makes people moves some of the most actionable signals.

• New Executive Hired brings a fresh agenda, an openness to new tools, and faster decisions.
• Leadership Departure leaves a gap where initiatives stall or get rethought.
• Champion Moved Jobs is the highest-intent move of all, since someone who already knows your product has landed somewhere new.
• Strong Employee Sentiment and Rising Attrition act as health signals that shape how you approach the account.

Reach a new executive in the first quarter, while direction is still being set, and open with their priorities rather than your features.

Tech adoption and churn

What a company runs, and what it just stopped running, is one of the most direct signals of intent.

• New Tech Adopted shows a budget decision was just made and integration work is under way.
• Uses Competitor Tech identifies the accounts a rival already serves, which is a displacement opportunity.
• Dropped a Tool leaves a gap, and often an active search for a replacement.

Technology signals pair especially well with people moves, since a new executive combined with a competitor’s tool is a classic displacement setup.

Stacking several into one

Any single signal casts a wide net, so the power move is to layer two or three signals on top of your ICP, which produces a list that is well matched and clearly in-market at the same time. This is the query a filter cannot write, and it sits at the heart of how operators use Landbase.

Start with your ICP as the base, add a signal for who the company is now such as funding or growth, then add a signal for what just changed such as a new executive or a new tool. Read the count as each condition lands, and stop when the list is small enough to act on.

Try it in Landbase

1. Describe your ideal customer in one sentence to start the list.
2. Add a money or growth signal, such as recent funding or a hiring surge, and read the new count.
3. Layer a change signal on top, such as a new executive or a competitor’s tool, to focus on accounts in motion.
4. Stop when the list is focused, then save it so you can refresh it as new signals land.

Prefer the CLI? The same stacked search runs from your terminal:

landbase-cli search "B2B SaaS in the US that raised in the last 6 months and are hiring SDRs"