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Improving & Refining Signals

Walkthrough Video

Overview

If your signals are returning results that feel too broad or irrelevant, you can refine them using Signal Improvement. By adding specific qualifications and context, you teach the BirdDog engine exactly what "good" looks like for your ICP.

How to Refine Your Signals (0:21 – 1:30)

There are two primary ways to make your signals more accurate:

1. Editing the Core Question

Be as specific as possible in the primary signal question. * Generic: Does {account} have an Enterprise Sales Team? * Refined: Does {account} have an Enterprise Sales Team based in the U.S.? * Why it works: Adding a geographic or functional constraint directly into the question forces the AI to filter out global or irrelevant hits immediately.

2. Adding Additional Context

Use the Additional Context field to provide nuanced definitions that aren't captured in a simple question. * Define Terms: Tell the system how you define a specific role (e.g., "Enterprise Sales should include Strategic Accounts or Global Account Managers"). * Set Qualifications: List specific requirements that must be met for the signal to be considered "Found."

Common Use Cases for Improvement (1:31 – 2:00)

Detailed prompts lead to higher-quality signals. Here are two examples of how to tighten your criteria:

Topic Vague Signal Refined Signal + Context
Funding Did {account} get funding? Question: Did {account} receive VC funding?
Context: Only include Seed or Series A rounds. Exclude debt financing or grants.
Hiring Is {account} hiring for sales? Question: Is {account} hiring Enterprise AEs?
Context: Only include full-cycle roles targeting the Fortune 500.

How to Apply Updates (2:01 – 2:15)

  1. Navigate to your Signals configuration page.
  2. Click Edit on the signal you wish to improve.
  3. Update the Question or add details to the Additional Context box.
  4. Click Update.
  5. The Result: BirdDog will adjust how it evaluates all new incoming signals based on these updated rules.

Pro-Tip: The "Negative Constraint"

One of the fastest ways to improve a signal is to tell the system what you don't want. If you are looking for "Sales Leaders" but keep getting "Retail Store Managers," add context that says: "Exclude retail, hospitality, or branch-level management roles; focus only on B2B corporate sales leadership."

Support

Need help writing the perfect prompt for a complex signal?
📧 hello@getbirddog.ai

Would you like me to suggest some Additional Context for your three most frequent signals to help narrow down your results?