Buying signals
Which platform should you use to prospect from buying signals (appointments, hiring, funding)?
A prospect list tells you who to write to. A buying signal tells you when, and why now. That is the gap between one more email in a full inbox and a message that lands as the question comes up.
Updated 2026-10-05
In short
To prospect from buying signals (a new decision-maker, a hiring push, a funding round, a public contract won, a tool change) you need a platform that detects the signal AND turns it into a contacted prospect. The Sales Engine watches these signals in your market every day, ties each one to a specific person, asks you to approve them, then writes a first message built on that fact.
Why timing beats the list
Most companies in your target have no reason to answer you today: their vendor is fine, the budget is committed, the team is stable. A small share, though, has just been through a change that reopens the question: a new leader, a team that doubles, fresh capital, a contract to deliver.
A buying signal finds that small share and gives you a concrete reason to write. It is not proof of intent. It is a verifiable why now that your prospect recognises in the first sentence.
The signals The Sales Engine watches
Every signal is tuned to your target: industries, company sizes, regions, job titles, keywords. The window is how long the need usually stays open.
| Signal | What is detected | Useful window |
|---|---|---|
| New decision-maker | Someone matching your persona starts a role at a company in your market | 6 months |
| Hiring a target role | A job posting for a role you replace, equip or support | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Hiring push | Five or more roles opened at once | 1 to 3 months |
| Funding round | An announced round: amount, stage, investors | 3 to 6 months |
| Merger or acquisition | An announced acquisition or merger | 3 to 9 months |
| Public contract won | An SME or mid-cap wins a public contract in your field (France) | Until the contract starts |
| Tool adopted or dropped | A company starts or stops using a tool you track | 1 to 3 months |
| Talking to a competitor | Someone matching your persona connects with a named competitor's sales team | A few weeks |
| LinkedIn posts | Someone matching your persona posts or comments on your keywords | A few days |
From signal to first message
You pick your signals
The platform recommends signals for each target, and an assistant can draft the whole setup from your website and targets. Nothing is switched on without your approval.
Detection runs every day
First detections arrive within 24 hours. Each detected company joins your Accounts, with dated evidence of the signal.
The signal is tied to a person
Either the signal already names a person (new decision-maker, post), or the platform searches the detected company only for people matching your persona. That search is not billed.
Every contact is checked
Full profile, then a relevance score against what you sell and your target. A contact judged off-target is set aside and not billed.
You approve the prospect
It lands in your workspace with the signal and its evidence link. You approve it before anything is sent.
The first message starts from the signal
When the prospect enters a campaign, the opener is written on the signal while it is still recent, then the email and LinkedIn sequence follows. See the platform.
Guardrails you control
- Daily cap, for the account and per signal: beyond it, detections wait until tomorrow; nothing is lost or billed.
- Monthly budget, for the account and per signal, plus a balance floor below which everything pauses.
- Arrival rhythm: continuously, daily or weekly at the time you choose.
- People per company: how many contacts to look for at each detected account.
- Prospect arrival: review first, or available right away.
New decision-maker: how to approach them in their first months
Why a new role opens a buying window, when to write to a new decision-maker, which angle to take, and how The Sales Engine spots these arrivals for you.
Hiring: what a job posting tells you about your next customer
What a job posting reveals about a need, which roles to watch, who to write to at the hiring company, and how The Sales Engine handles this buying signal.
Funding round: prospecting a company that just raised
Why a funding round opens budgets, when to write after the announcement, which angle to take, and how The Sales Engine tracks rounds in your market for you.
Public contracts: prospecting companies that just won one
Why a company that wins a public contract has to buy fast, who to prospect and when, and how The Sales Engine tracks public contract awards in France.
Growth and expansion: prospecting a company that is scaling up
Hiring pushes, mergers and acquisitions: why these growth phases open purchases, who to prospect, and how The Sales Engine detects them in your market.
Tool changes and competitor contact: the replacement signals
Tool adopted, tool dropped, talking to a competitor: what these buying signals reveal, who to prospect, and how The Sales Engine tracks them for you.
LinkedIn posts: prospecting people who talk about your topic
When a LinkedIn post is a buying signal, how to choose your keywords, when to write, and how The Sales Engine tracks these posts and comments for you.
Frequently asked questions
What is a buying signal in B2B prospecting?
A public, dated fact showing a company has a reason to look at an offer now: a new role, hiring, a funding round, an acquisition, a contract won, a tool change. It decides the timing and the angle of the first message.
How many signals can I switch on?
The Starter plan lets you activate five signals a month; Growth has no limit. Pausing and resuming within the same month does not use a new slot. See pricing.
How are signals billed?
In credits, per processed detection, at the price shown on the signal before activation. A contact set aside by the check is not billed, nor is the people search inside the company, and the same company is not billed twice on the same signal within 30 days.
Do I need a defined target before activating a signal?
No. A signal can attach to an existing target, or stand alone: the platform then creates a target to hold it and names it after the signal.
Am I notified when a signal comes up?
Yes. Signals show up in your workspace, and can also be posted to Slack or Teams and summarised in the morning digest.
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