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Signals Guide

A practical, copy-pasteable playbook for writing A+ signals that your team can use today.

What is a “Signal” in BirdDog?

A signal is a yes/no question you ask BirdDog about a specific company. BirdDog then hunts across public sources (news, press releases, job postings, company websites, earnings calls/reports, etc.) and returns matches with summaries, sources, and next steps.

Golden rules 1. Include the account token in brackets → Does [account] … ? 2. Ask a yes/no question (start with Does or Is) 3. Keep it specific and observable in public sources 4. Use BirdDog Context to add nuance (e.g., regions, role levels, exclusions) 5. Prioritize the most valuable signals (set to High when it should drive action)

Anatomy of a Great Signal

Pattern:
Does [account] <observable behavior or announcement> <with qualifiers> ?

Examples of good qualifiers - What (product, team, program, policy)
- Where (US, EU, APAC, specific states/countries)
- Who (roles, leadership titles)
- When (recently, newly, announced/launch/hiring now)
- Why/Impact (expansion, consolidation, pilot, migration)

Use BirdDog Context to refine

“Only include results from US or Europe; prioritize junior to mid-level roles; exclude staffing agencies.”

Quick Start: 25 “Starter Pack” Signals (copy-paste)

Use these to cover the essentials. Mark priority = High for your top 5–8.

  1. Does [account] have any mergers or acquisitions (M&A) in progress or recently announced?
  2. Has [account] announced new venture capital or private equity funding?
  3. Is [account] expanding into a new market or geography?
  4. Has [account] appointed new leadership (CEO, CRO, CMO, CIO, CISO, VP Sales, VP Marketing)?
  5. Has [account] launched any new products or major features?
  6. Is [account] hiring multiple sales roles (AEs/SDRs) at once?
  7. Is [account] hiring roles related to digital transformation or modernization?
  8. Is [account] hiring data, AI/ML, or analytics roles?
  9. Is [account] hiring security or compliance roles?
  10. Has [account] opened a new office or facility?
  11. Has [account] announced layoffs, restructuring, or a reorg?
  12. Is [account] migrating to or standardizing on a specific cloud provider?
  13. Does [account] mention vendor consolidation or tool rationalization?
  14. Is [account] running pilots or proofs of concept (POCs)?
  15. Has [account] issued an RFP or tender in our category?
  16. Does [account] mention new partnerships or alliances?
  17. Has [account] won government or enterprise contracts recently?
  18. Is [account] pursuing certifications or audits (SOC 2, ISO 27001, FedRAMP, HIPAA)?
  19. Has [account] announced a strategic initiative or transformation program?
  20. Has [account] reported material changes in earnings calls related to our solution area?
  21. Is [account] adopting or sunsetting relevant technologies or platforms?
  22. Is [account] expanding headcount rapidly in our ICP functions?
  23. Does [account] mention intent data, account research, or programmatic outbound?
  24. Has [account] entered new vertical segments or customer tiers?
  25. Is [account] experiencing incidents or outages that may drive urgency?

Tip: If a starter signal is noisy, add a disqualifier (see section below) and/or refine with Context.

Essentials by Category (simple versions you can paste)

Funding & Corporate Actions

  • Has [account] announced new funding (seed, A, B, C, PE)?
  • Does [account] have any M&A activity (acquiring or being acquired)?
  • Has [account] divested a business unit or asset?

Leadership & Org Changes

  • Has [account] hired a new CRO/Head of Sales?
  • Has [account] hired a new CMO/VP Marketing?
  • Has [account] hired a new CIO/CTO/CISO?
  • Has [account] restructured or reorganized departments relevant to our solution?

Product, Program & Strategy

  • Has [account] launched a new product, platform, or feature relevant to our solution?
  • Is [account] running a pilot or POC in our category?
  • Does [account] mention a transformation initiative (e.g., digital, data, AI, security)?

Hiring & Team Signals

  • Is [account] hiring multiple sales roles (AEs/SDRs) concurrently?
  • Is [account] hiring data/AI/analytics roles?
  • Is [account] hiring security/compliance roles?
  • Is [account] hiring revops or sales operations roles?

Market Expansion & Partnerships

  • Is [account] entering a new market or region?
  • Has [account] announced a partnership or alliance relevant to our solution?
  • Has [account] opened a new office or facility?

Tooling & Technology

  • Is [account] migrating to a specific cloud (AWS/Azure/GCP)?
  • Is [account] consolidating vendors or rationalizing tools?
  • Has [account] adopted/replaced a core platform in our ecosystem?

Risk, Compliance & Events

  • Has [account] faced a notable incident/outage with customer impact?
  • Is [account] pursuing SOC 2/ISO 27001/HIPAA/FedRAMP certification?
  • Has [account] announced regulatory exposure or deadlines that relate to our solution?

Disqualifier Signals (reduce noise)

Create explicit “no-go” signals to keep your feed clean. These are still yes/no, but you’ll mute or treat them as negative filters.

  • Is [account] primarily a recruiting or staffing firm (disqualify)?
  • Is [account] a consumer-only (B2C) brand with no B2B motion (disqualify)?
  • Is [account] outside of our supported geographies (disqualify)?
  • Does [account] exclusively serve SMB/micro-SMB if we target enterprise (disqualify)?
  • Does [account] lack a sales/marketing function (disqualify)?

Use Context: “Exclude staffing firms, agencies, and holding companies; focus on B2B.”

Frameworks for Writing Signals

A. Simple Grammar Builders

  • Does [account] mention <topic/tech/initiative>?
  • Is [account] hiring <roles/functions>?
  • Has [account] announced <event/change>?
  • Is [account] expanding into <market/region>?
  • Is [account] consolidating or replacing <tool/category>?

B. Persona → Pain → Trigger

  • Persona (Sales, Marketing, IT, Security)
  • Pain (pipeline growth, enablement, compliance, modernization)
  • Trigger (new leader, hiring burst, regulation, outage)
    Signal:
    Does [account] have a new CISO and mention security modernization or compliance gaps?

C. Buying Stage Ladder

  • Awareness → mentions problem/opportunity
  • Consideration → hiring/programs/budgets
  • Decision → RFPs, pilots, platform choices
    Signals:
  • Does [account] mention challenges in <problem area>?
  • Is [account] hiring a leader to own <category>?
  • Has [account] issued an RFP related to <category>?

D. Change-Event → Outcome

Has [account] <change_event> to achieve <desired_outcome>?
- Has [account] centralized GTM operations to grow the company?

E. Time & Place Qualifiers (use Context)

  • Region: “US, Canada, UK, EU only”
  • Time: “Prioritize the last 90 days”
  • Level: “Leadership announcements and manager+ roles only”

BirdDog Context: Make It Smarter

Use the Context box on a signal to coach BirdDog: - “Only include US & EU, exclude agencies and resellers.”
- “Prioritize job postings that indicate ‘build from scratch’, ‘migration’, or ‘greenfield’.”
- “Consider variants of the company name and product brands.”

This keeps the signal wording simple, while your Context adds nuance.

Priority & Workflow Recommendations

  • Mark the top revenue drivers as High priority (e.g., new CRO, hiring multiple AEs, RFP).
  • Connect email templates to your most actionable signals for instant outreach.
  • In Signals view, work newest/highest priority first → Enter to advance → copy message → push to CRM → D to dismiss.

ICP Packs (industry-flavored ideas)

SaaS / Software

  • Does [account] mention product-led growth or self-serve motion?
  • Is [account] hiring developer relations or solutions engineering?
  • Has [account] adopted a new data stack component (dbt/Snowflake/etc.)?

Manufacturing / Industrial

  • Is [account] opening or expanding a plant, warehouse, or line?
  • Is [account] hiring automation/controls engineers?
  • Has [account] announced supply chain modernization or traceability programs?

Healthcare / Life Sciences

  • Is [account] hiring clinical informatics or compliance roles?
  • Is [account] pursuing HITRUST or HIPAA initiatives?
  • Has [account] partnered with payers/providers or expanded care sites?

Financial Services / Insurance

  • Has [account] announced risk/compliance initiatives (AML, KYC, SOX)?
  • Is [account] hiring fraud, risk, or data science roles?
  • Has [account] launched a new digital banking/claims product?

Public Sector / Education

  • Has [account] posted RFPs or tenders relevant to our category?
  • Is [account] hiring modernization or cybersecurity roles?
  • Is [account] expanding grants-funded programs (CARES/ARPA/etc.)?

Role-Specific Packs

SDR / BDR

  • Is [account] hiring multiple AEs/SDRs? (signals budget & growth)
  • Has [account] opened a new region?
  • Does [account] mention vendor consolidation?

AE / New Business

  • Has [account] hired a new CRO/VP Sales with mandate for change?
  • Has [account] announced a transformation initiative overlapping our value?
  • Is [account] running an RFP/POC in our category?

CSM / AM (Upsell/Cross-sell)

  • Has [account] launched a new product line?
  • Is [account] expanding headcount in certain teams?
  • Has [account] created a center of excellence or standardization initiative?

Advanced Patterns (when you’re ready)

  • Competitor displacement
    Does [account] mention replacing <competitor/product category>?
  • Migration
    Is [account] migrating from legacy <platform> to <new platform>?
  • Consolidation
    Does [account] plan to consolidate <tool category> to reduce cost?
  • Compliance deadline
    Has [account] referenced upcoming compliance deadlines?
  • Incident response
    Has [account] reported incidents/outages?
  • Earnings signal
    Has [account] cited investments or constraints in <theme> during earnings calls?

Templates Library (fill-in-the-blanks)

General - Does [account] mention <initiative/topic> in recent announcements?
- Is [account] hiring <role/function> to drive <goal>?
- Has [account] launched <program/product> for <market/segment>?

Go-to-Market - Does [account] require reps to conduct account research or use intent data?
- Is [account] expanding outbound teams or territories?

Technology - Is [account] standardizing on <cloud/data/security> platforms?
- Has [account] deprecated or sunset <tool> in favor of <tool>?

Operations / Finance - Does [account] mention cost optimization or vendor consolidation?
- Has [account] established a center of excellence for <function>?

Risk / Compliance - Is [account] pursuing <SOC 2/ISO/FedRAMP/HIPAA> compliance?
- Has [account] cited regulatory pressure in <region/industry>?

Pro move: Pair each template with Context (region/role/recency) and set High priority if it should change rep behavior today.

Troubleshooting Your Signals

Too few results? - Use broader terms; remove niche jargon.
- Split one complex signal into two simpler ones.
- Add variants to Context (synonyms, brand names, acronyms).

Too noisy? - Add a disqualifier signal (e.g., exclude agencies).
- Add qualifiers (leadership level, geography, role seniority).
- Use Context to specify “must include ”.

Unclear actionability? - Tie each signal to a template and next step (e.g., SDR email, AE call, CRM task).
- Mark non-actionable “FYI” signals to Normal priority, actionable to High.

Quality Checklist (before you hit “Add”)

  • ✅ Starts with Does/Is and includes [account]
  • ✅ Observable in public sources BirdDog covers
  • ✅ Priority matches the revenue impact
  • ✅ Linked to an email template (for top signals)

Worked Examples (from rough idea → final signal)

Idea: “I care when they’re hiring lots of salespeople.”
- Draft: Is [account] hiring salespeople?
- Better: Is [account] hiring **multiple** sales roles (AEs/SDRs) at once?
- Context: “US & EU, exclude staffing agencies; prioritize postings that mention ‘new logo acquisition’ or ‘prospecting’.”
- Priority: High

Idea: “I want to know about vendor consolidation.”
- Draft: Does [account] mention vendor consolidation?
- Better: Does [account] mention consolidating or rationalizing tools in <our category>?
- Context: “Look for terms: ‘consolidate vendors’, ‘tool rationalization’, ‘platform standardization’.”
- Priority: High

Keep Iterating

  • Start with the Starter Pack + 3–5 ICP-specific signals.
  • Review results after a week → refine wording and Context.
  • Promote your best performers to High priority and connect templates.
  • Retire or mute weak signals; add disqualifiers to reduce noise.
  • Pair with Farsight (Auto-Add) to keep your lists full of strong-fit accounts.

Need help? Drop us a note and we’ll review your first 10–15 signals and suggest improvements tailored to your ICP, motion, and territories.