Spray-and-pray prospecting is dying. In 2024, we're seeing the shift to signal-based outbound accelerate as teams realize volume alone no longer drives pipeline.

The replacement: outbound triggered by specific buyer signals, with automated workflows that execute the right play at the right time.

This is Signal-based GTM: outbound that targets buyers showing real intent, not random contacts from a list.

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Before: The reign of spray-and-pray outbound

For the past decade, B2B revenue ran on volume. Spray-and-pray prospecting—contact as many people as possible—was the default approach.

If reps contact 1000 people, they will eventually complete their goal of booking 10 meetings. If marketing generates thousands of MQLs, there will be at least a few leads that turn into sales qualified pipeline.

In 2023, this approach hit a wall. Here's what changed:

→ Inboxes are flooded with AI-powered outbound, giving prospects inbox fatigue.

→ Google and Yahoo cracked down on spamming practices, throwing the future of outbound practices into question.

→ It used to take 200-400 activities to create 1 opportunity, but now it takes 1300+ because it’s harder to cut through the noise.

The result: most companies and reps missed their targets in 2023, even with more data than ever before.

The shift: Signals show who's actually ready to buy

The answer to “I don't have enough pipeline” used to mean adding more steps and more emails and more calls to outbound motions.

Now we’re seeing this mentality hit a critical mass. GTM can't scale what we did before.

Previously outbound was hyper-focused on the “who” – who are you reaching out to? This led to teams over-indexing on lead quantity over lead quality.

Now outbound must shift to the “why” and the “when” – why are we reaching out to this particular person and this particular time?

A big question we must ask now is: What touchpoints actually lead to a higher rate of opportunity?

The answer: Signals you can act on at scale. Signals show which buyers are relevant, in-market, and worth reaching out to right now.

It all started with the Champion Tracking signal

In 2019, we introduced the Champion Tracking signal as a way for companies to identify their former customers. We predicted that this signal would help companies surface their warmest buyers and win more.

The reasoning was simple:

• Past customers are already familiar with the problem a vendor solves and understand how a solution works.

• Previous customers already have an established relationship and foundation of trust with your team and are 3x more likely to buy again.

• 72% of buyers refer to their prior experiences when evaluating a vendor, and most have a fear of messing up – they are looking for programs they can rely on.

So the Champion Tracking signal established a new approach for pipeline generation by enabling companies to get surgical with outbound. Customer job changes make it easy to identify and engage with prospects who are most likely to buy.

However, from speaking with hundreds of customers, we quickly realized that identifying relevant buying signals is a good foundation for better outbound, but it is not enough to guarantee success if those signals are not actioned.

The gap: signals alone don't create pipeline. You need workflows that turn signals into action.

Signals without action are just noise

Over the past four years, we've learned this: vague signals that don't translate to clear actions just add noise.

If you just tell me that someone Googled for information “ABM,” landed on a UserGems blog post, and read through several webpages, is this now correlated with this company buying an ABM solution? And can a rep reasonably act with this information?

So as much as possible, we focus on a contact level. The benefit here is also that you can make it measurable and easily actionable.

True Signal-based GTM requires:

1. a measurable outcome, and

2. a clear action attached to every signal.

Meeting both requirements ensures your GTM team receives actionable intelligence.

Meet the blueprint for signals-based workflows

We approach buying signals using a revenue-focused blueprint. We created a blueprint because executing on signals is harder than it looks. Teams need structure and automation to make it work.

The goal: every signal justifies its existence in a revenue stack.

1. Select high-value signals that can move the needle the most toward your goals

2. Use those signals to identify your most likely buyers

3. Engage those prospects with a pre-determined cadence or playbook

4. Notify all relevant teams

5. Measure results, report, and iterate

We focus on two things: which signals matter most and what action each signal should trigger. Then we automate those actions so teams can convert more pipeline.

Our philosophy for signals is relevant signal + action = smarter outbound.

The future of revenue: Signals-based GTM

Outbound is changing. The volume playbook is dead. The path forward: use signals to target the right buyers at the right time.

Signal-based GTM works when:

• Every signal can justify its existence with a return on pipeline and revenue

• Signal-based workflows are set up with end-to-end execution in mind

• Each new signal is viewed as a pipeline channel or program that can be stacked for sustainable growth

How are you adapting to this new era of GTM? Book a demo to learn more about our approach.