> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.guhan.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Pick the right signals

> Which trigger to use for which motion.

Signals tell Guhan when to reach out. Pick the wrong signal → good ICP, wrong timing. Pick the right one → dramatically better reply rate.

## The mental model

Ask yourself: **What is happening in the prospect's world right now that makes them more receptive to my pitch?**

Different signals for different products:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="I sell to sales leaders">
    Best signals:

    * **Hiring in specific areas** (department = Sales) — team is growing, tooling gaps appear
    * **New leadership** or **New executive** — new leader = new stack decisions in first 90 days
    * **Recently raised funding** (Series A / B) — they're scaling the go-to-market
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I sell to marketing leaders">
    Best signals:

    * **Posted about specific topics** — attribution, ABM, growth (your product's category)
    * **Engaged with competitors' content** — evaluation-window catch
    * **Recently raised funding** — new budget for marketing
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I sell to engineering leaders">
    Best signals:

    * **Hiring in specific areas** (department = Engineering) — pain of scaling
    * **Posted about specific topics** — DevOps, reliability, security (your product's category)
    * **Recently raised funding** — engineering scale-up phase
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I sell to founders / CEOs">
    Best signals:

    * **Recently raised funding** — right after a raise, they're focused on execution
    * **New leadership** — they just made a senior hire, team is scaling
    * **Hiring growth** — general growth signal
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I sell to HR / People leaders">
    Best signals:

    * **Hiring in specific areas** — pain of scaling
    * **New leadership** (Head of People just joined) — new leader = new systems
    * **Recently raised funding** — headcount ramp
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Signal-by-signal breakdown

For the full parameter reference on each signal, see the [Signal catalog](/agents/watchlist-agents/signal-catalog).

### Best for high-intent evaluation windows

* **Engaged with specific posts** — extremely high intent, narrow funnel. Great for amplifying your own content.
* **Engaged with competitors' content** — high intent. Catches prospects mid-evaluation of your category.

### Best for scaling / budget signals

* **Recently raised funding** — moderate-to-high intent. Time with the "we just closed" window (\< 60 days is peak).
* **Hiring growth** — moderate intent. Growth = budget.
* **Hiring in specific areas** — high intent when the function you sell to is the one hiring.

### Best for decision-maker turnover

* **New executive (in last 90 days)** — moderate-to-high intent. Broader than "New leadership."
* **New leadership (C-level / VP)** — high intent for enterprise / larger deals.

### Best for peer-to-peer positioning

* **Posted about specific topics** — moderate intent, best when your product has a natural "peer with opinions" positioning.

## Combining signals

You can pick multiple signals on one Watchlist Agent. Two modes:

* **Any (default)** — a prospect matches if ANY signal fires
* **All** — a prospect matches only if EVERY signal fires (much narrower)

Start with **Any**. Switch to **All** only if you want very tightly targeted prospects.

## Reply-rate expectations

Higher-intent signals convert better but produce fewer prospects. Rough shape (varies significantly by product + audience):

| Signal tier                       | Reply-rate order |
| --------------------------------- | ---------------- |
| Engaged with specific posts       | Highest          |
| Engaged with competitors' content | Very high        |
| New leadership / New executive    | High             |
| Recently raised funding           | High             |
| Hiring in specific areas          | Moderate         |
| Hiring growth                     | Moderate         |
| Posted about specific topics      | Moderate         |
| No signal (ICP only)              | Baseline         |

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Signal catalog" icon="list" href="/agents/watchlist-agents/signal-catalog">
    Every signal with full parameter reference.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Create a Watchlist Agent" icon="binoculars" href="/agents/watchlist-agents/create">
    Full walkthrough.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>