Lead Segmentation Strategies

Teams who take a “boil the ocean” approach to outbound will fail. Here’s how to fix it and build sequences that actually drive results: Step 1: Focus your team on accounts most likely to buy now, invest at a premium, and become long-term customers or referral sources. This means moving beyond “anyone who fits the ICP” and zeroing in on high-priority targets. Step 2: Create deeper, more meaningful segments from that refined group. Traditional segments are great for organizing territories but fall short for crafting sequences that resonate. Instead, you need segmentation that helps your team speak the language of specific sub-groups. Use multiple layers of data—firmographics, intent signals, and contact-level insights—to break your TAM into smaller, actionable groups. Step 3: Launch micro-campaigns that target those precise segments with messaging designed to feel tailor-made. When you take this approach, personalization becomes scalable because it’s rooted in segmentation. Your reps don’t waste time on one-off customization, and your messaging feels 99% relevant to the prospect. I've been teaching this process as #ValueBasedSegmentation for the better part of a decade. It’s the key to building sequences that drive higher CTRs, replies, and engagement without tedious manual effort. ➡️ With this approach, you’ll: - Improve email performance - Write copy that prospects actually care about - Give your team a clear roadmap for focused outbound 📌 How are you helping your team build relevance into their outbound sequences?

I set up 37 AI Agents for our $6M ARR outbound agency. These are the 6 AI Agents we deploy across our >$10M ARR clients. I used to spend HOURS trying to figure out what makes a cold email work. Which pain points hit hardest. What signals show someone is ready to buy. When to reach out. How to segment my lists without losing my mind. Now? I run everything through a squad of AI agents (built in n8n) that do the heavy lifting for me. Here’s the team: → 1. COMPANY_ANALYST Analyzes your website, case studies, and G2 reviews. Finds what problems you solve, what ROI you deliver, and what makes you different. Outputs: • Top pain points (ranked 1-10) • Customer impact metrics • Differentiation hooks • Real customer language → 2. PAIN_EXPERT Takes those insights and builds a Pain Point Matrix. Scores each pain by: • Frequency • Financial impact • Time savings • Risk reduction • Emotional relief • Urgency Then ranks them-so you know what matters MOST. → 3. SIGNAL_HUNTER Searches for digital breadcrumbs showing a company feels that pain. Looks at: • Tech stack • Website copy • Job posts • Social posts • Event attendance • Review activity Even gives you ready-to-use Boolean search strings for LinkedIn. (Yes, you get a literal playbook for signals.) → 4. SEGMENT_STRATEGIST Breaks your market into micro-segments (100-200 companies each). Maps the most intense pain for each. Defines how to spot them, what triggers that pain, and what NOT to target. Helps you focus on the best-fit group first. → 5. TRIGGER_SPECIALIST Watches for buying signals in that top segment: • Researching solutions? • Budget approved? • Leadership change? • Tech stack updates? Sets up real-time alerts and tells you exactly when/how to reach out. → 6. CAMPAIGN_BUILDER Takes all this and builds 3 outbound campaigns you can launch. For each: • Campaign name • Target audience • Trigger event • Messaging • Data sources • Personalization fields • Target KPIs • A/B test plan • Launch checklist If you want to see how these AI agents actually work in a real outbound workflow (step-by-step) - I'll be putting together an entire SOP over the weekend, let me know if you want it!

We run 5,000 Account-Based Advertising campaigns and deliver 1 billion ad impressions every month for our B2B customers. Here’s how we use Account-Based Advertising internally at Demandbase: BACKGROUND: As you can imagine, we are heavy users of Account-Based Advertising. We don't only sell it, we live it. Our goal is to focus on accounts with the greatest LTV. The primary levers we pull are segmentation, ad creative, and integration into our overall account-based GTM strategy: 1. Segmentation Segmentation is the foundation of our account-based advertising strategy. It enables the appropriate level of resources, the right message, and the right workflows to be focused on every account in our ICP. We segment accounts by starting more general and then get more granular, so each general segment has subsegments with greater levels of specificity. Here is our classification of segments: * Geo–country level * Revenue range - we have five revenue segments * Tiers - we have three tiers based on industry, technographics, and engagement scoring that define how much resources we put to each account * Journey Stage - we use custom stages that define where an account is in the customer journey * Product Interest - a combination of intent data and campaign responses 2. Ad creative Our goal is to the deliver the most relevant asset for the segment to drive the greatest engagement. We do that in three ways. First, we use an asset engagement heatmap. This shows what content assets are getting the highest level of engagement across channels and use those messages to target each segment. Second, we use dynamic creative that personalizes by industry and company name in real-time. Third, we use detailed and technical creative for re-targeting, after accounts have engaged with our website. 3. Integrating Advertising into our account-based GTM Account-Based Advertising by itself is only one component of an account-based GTM. Results will be limited if not thoughtfully integrated into a broader strategy. There are three key ways we do this at Demandbase. First, we orchestrate the same segmentation and creative strategy across Marketing and Sales Channels (i.e. LinkedIn, Meta, Google, Marketing Automation, Content Syndication, SEM, and Sales Automation). Second, we use the Tier segmentation to define the level of resourcing entitlements we give to each account. Tier 1 receives the most entitlements across Sales and Marketing (i.e. direct mail, 1:1 campaigns and experiences, and executive strategy sessions). Third, we create advertising response and engagement reports using UTM parameters for our SDR as a way to prioritize and personalize outreach. TAKEAWAY: Account-based advertising is a popular and effective use case for engaging accounts and providing air coverage. You can use segmentation and good creative to optimize its effectiveness. But its full potential is only realized when you integrate it into your account-based GTM strategy.

If you’re segmenting based on engagement, you’re already behind. Everyone does 30/60/90 day engagement windows. It’s not advanced. It’s basic hygiene. Here’s the real segmentation play most marketers miss: Segment by intent signals, not just opens/clicks. Examples: • Viewed shipping/returns policy? ➝ Hit with reassurance focused CTA • Time on product page > 30 seconds? ➝ Trigger a cart based reminder • Opened 5+ product emails but never clicked? ➝ Try plain text emails with a customer story • AOV based segments - low priced vs high priced ➝ show them the right products • FAQ viewers ➝ Give them more trust • Recent abandon carts/checkouts ➝ Leverage their interests • Time since they opted in for a coupon ➝ Remind them about it • Time since last purchase ➝ Show them complimentary products The list goes on and on... THEN add your engagement for best deliverability Engagement ≠ intent. Intent = actual buying behavior. Stop treating every click the same. Treat the reason behind the click differently.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗼𝗳? Customer segmentation by size, industry, and geography. Why? Because when you stop treating all customers the same, you start growing 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿, more 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆, and with fewer 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀. This analysis is the unlock for: 📈 Smarter growth strategies 💰 Healthier margins 🤝 Happier customers 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗲, 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘆? ✅ 1. Sales & service effectiveness • A $250M CPG distributor in the Midwest doesn’t need or want the same approach as a $7bn manufacturer in Germany. • Segmentation helps you sell and support the right way - for the right customer. ✅ 2. Better strategic & operational decisions • Want to know which customers are high-effort but low-margin? Which industries are expanding the fastest? Which region has the stickiest customers? • Segmentation brings that clarity. ✅ 3. Improved customer experience • Customers don’t expect to be treated equally - they expect to be treated relevantly. • When all your teams understand the nuances of the customer they're serving, retention and satisfaction go up. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹: 1️⃣ Group customers by: • Size (revenue or headcount) - a useful proxy for complexity • Industry (manufacturing & industrials, tech, services, life sciences & healthcare, CPG, etc.) • Geography (region, market, country) 2️⃣ For each segment, analyze: • Profitability • Support/service effort • Sales cycle and retention • Volumes, expansion or upsell potential 3️⃣ Find your high-leverage segments 4️⃣ Align GTM, finance, ops, and support around them 5️⃣ Refresh regularly - your base will evolve 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗲 • Customer segmentation isn’t just a data exercise. It’s a strategic advantage hiding in plain sight. • When you know who your best customers really are - you build better, sell smarter, and scale faster. #CustomerStrategy #Operations #Finance #Growth #Segmentation #BusinessStrategy #fpanda

Most of us think we have a clear ICP. But when you look at the pipeline? It’s a wild mix of company sizes, industries, and personas — all getting the same campaigns & pitch. 3. Some deals move fast. Others stall for months. 2. Some channels print money. Others burn cash. 1. Some personas love the product. Others ghost after a demo. This isn’t a sales problem. It’s a segmentation problem. If we don’t know who our best-fit customers are, we’re running blind. Here’s how I segment 👇 Side note: Get the spreadsheet template along with step-by-step guide from my newsletter. Click the link in my profile to get a copy. 📌 Step 1: Pull Closed-Won Deals Your best customers leave clues — follow them. - Pull closed-won deals from the last 6-12 months. - Grab key data: Job titles, company size, industry, ACV, deal cycle. - Clean up your CRM (because it’s always messy). Why? Real data > gut feelings. Sell to who’s already buying. 🔍 Step 2: Enrich Your Data CRM data alone won’t cut it. Use Clay to enrich contacts (seniority, decision-making power). Pro Tip: Integrate Keyplay to your CRM have accurate industry tags added to your account. Add growth signals (hiring, funding, ad spend). Think of it as turning an old map into GPS with live traffic. 📊 Step 3: Find Your Winning Segments Look for patterns in your best deals: - Which industries & company sizes close the fastest? - What roles drive decisions? - Which channels bring in high-ACV deals? Example: Demos from Marketing VPs at Mid-market Dental SaaS = High ACV & 2x faster close rate. When they come from Paid Channel, the sales cycles are longer compared to when they come organically. Once you see the patterns, targeting becomes easy. ❌ Step 4: Learn from Closed-Lost Deals Your losses reveal what’s broken. - Pull & enrich closed-lost deals. - Identify why deals fell through — wrong fit? Wrong persona? Budget? - Which channels did these closed lost deals come from? - Compare all of these with your closed won patterns. Red flags to watch: - High demo volume, low conversion → Fix qualification/messaging. - Some industries never close → Stop targeting them. - Prospects ghost post-demo → Value prop isn’t landing. 📈 Step 5: Prioritize, Cut, Scale Put your segments into a 2x2 matrix: - High demo volume, high conversion → Scale this segment fast. - High demo volume, low conversion → Fix qualification/messaging. - Low demo volume, high conversion → See if it makes sense to prioritize based on if you have enough time, money, and people. - Low demo volume, low conversion → Stop wasting effort. Why? More focus = more predictable pipeline 🚀 👆Link to the template along with the full guide in my latest newsletter. Grab it by clicking on the link in my profile.

You don’t need more leads. You need better segmentation. I’ve lost count of how many marketing and business leaders tell me they have a pipeline problem only to find out they actually have a positioning or segmentation problem. More leads ≠ more revenue if your ICP is off, your messaging is generic, or your sales team doesn’t believe in the leads you’re generating. Better segmentation = • Higher win rates • Lower CAC • Better customer success handoffs • Less marketing/sales drama You also get great customer satisfaction abd and an opportunity to build a stronger business too. What to do now? Identify your ICP, their attributes, behaviour, needs and values first - this is so important to your strategy. The answers we need are usually all hiding in your data, your teams heads and your customer interviews yet so many overlook this step. Before you pour more budget into paid, ask: Who exactly are we trying to reach and why with what, how and when? … and are they still the right fit for our growth stage? Then align your internal teams and goals to focus on the best fit customer and segment for your stage. Happy hunting and stay focused! #b2bmarketing #icp #revenuemarketing

If I was running ABM at a fast-growing security company (like Wiz, Snyk, or Netskope), here's how I'd avoid wasting money on bad-fit accounts. 👇 AI Segmentation. Most companies segment by industry. They say something like: "We target Tech, Retail, and Hospitality companies with 1,000+ employees." Motel 6 and Airbnb show why this breaks. Same firmographic profiles. But very different business situations, needs, and priorities when it comes to information security (or any tech purchase). You wouldn't sell to them the same way. AI Segmentation helps you uncover and target the highest value segments for your business, beyond basic industries. Here's how I would do this for a security company: 1.) Segment on business situation (not industry). -- Analyze your best customers (high NRR, high ACV). -- Group by specific situations that align to your value prop. e.g. Security Maturity Level, Security Use Cases, Compliance Sensitivity, etc.  -- Find the *natural* clusters based on value, not generic industry labels. 2.) Identify segments with AI. -- Use Keyplay AI to categorize every account in your market. -- Backtest segments against historical data to find which segments have the highest NDR, ACV, and Win Rates. -- Find new ICPs, outside generic vertical groups. 3.) Action the data -- Create ABM plays at intersections with highest win rates. -- Develop content specific to each segment combination (e.g., "Cloud Security for Advanced DevSecOps Teams in Retail") -- Refine your segmentation models as you grow. This process can reduce non-ICP Spend (waste) by 20-30% and help you find thousands of net new target accounts. Don't just throw your budget at industries. Find the segments where your solution resonates most, where you win often, win fast, and win big. That's strategic segmentation. p.s. If you want me and my team to kick-start this process for you, we're offering a free strategic segmentation analysis to CMOs at SaaS security companies with >$20M ARR. Get your report here --> https://lnkd.in/gMezS4Zk #ABM #ICP

5 steps framework I use to personalise my cold emails (when I’ve 0 info on my prospects)👇 By segmenting your audience, You have data to personalise. We call these soft variables: - Company size - Company’s growth stage - Recipient’s career stage - What the company does - Who the company sells to - How the company goes to market - What technology they use - The types of customers they have - Where they live Even without deep personalization, Your segmentation can help you to run effective outreach. - - -> Step 1: Work with what you have Work with soft variables. e.g. 1 “When I’m talking to sales leaders working toward their Series A ….” e.g. 2 “When I talk to sales leaders at growing software companies,” It shows your readers you: - understand their position - can relate to their challenges - are used to their environment This builds familiarity and rapport. It can be applied to any industry, company, or prospect role etc… - - -> Step 2: Show them you know them Bring up problems/challenges you tend to see within your prospect’s industry (based on a similar stage of growth). e.g.1 “They tend to be dealing with…” e.g.2 “They tend to be struggling with” - Use tentative tones - Put yourself in your readers’ shoes about their problem - Leaving room to be wrong Use unsure tones and words like: - “I could be wrong,” - “looks like,” - “I suspect,” - “are starting to.” - - -> Step 3: Focus on two problem statements Present 1 or 2 problem statements using broader issues to resonate better with your prospects e.g. 1 "They're struggling to see what's driving email performance," e.g. 2 "Reply rates have gone down, and results seem stagnant." - - -> Step 4: Build credibility Connect the problems you’ve just presented with how you’ve helped other customers in similar situations. e.g.1: “We helped [similar company] go from A to B in [time]” Share how you helped solve those problems for your existing customers. Keep it concise and simplify the details. The next and final step brings it all together: - - -> Step 5: Ask if those problems are a challenge Ask your prospects if the problems you shared are ones they struggle with. (Remember to be unsure!) e.g.1: “Is this a challenge for you right now?” e.g.2: “Realize I may be off, but is this a priority?” - - It’s an excellent way to end your email. It invites the reader to respond and engage with you. It’s an effective CTC (Call-to-Conversation) Even with 0 information to deeply personalised your cold emails You can still show your prospects you have done your homework about them And build rapport.

CLIENT: How can we do some housekeeping so we're not wasting money on unengaged subscribers? ME: Well, it all comes down to building these 3 unengaged list segments: 👉 General Unengaged Subscribers The parameters for this varies by brand, but this segment consists of people who: → Received 10-20 emails over all time, AND → (Optional) Haven't engaged with your website in 180-365 days, AND → Haven't opened or clicked an email in 180-365 days, AND → Have never purchased Purpose of segment: ✅ Run this segment through a Sunset Flow. ✅ Exclude this list from campaigns except for sales, promos, or important announcements 👉 Never Opened/Clicked Email No one ever talks about this segment. If you build a big enough list, you're bound to have people who will NEVER open your emails. This segment consists of people who: → Received 15-30 emails over all time, AND → Have never opened or clicked an email over all time Purpose of segment: ✅ Exclude this list from all campaigns. ✅ Suppress anyone who enters the segment. 👉 Churned/At-Risk Customers All customers will expire or churn out at some point. But some can be recovered and brought back to rebuy. This segment consists of people who: → Placed an order at least once, AND → Haven't engaged with the website/emails in 60-180 days, AND → Haven't placed an order in 90-365 days Purpose of segment: ✅ Occasionally email segment (1-2x/month) to recover potentially lost customers ✅ Exclude this list from campaigns except for sales, promos, or important announcements Housekeeping and list cleaning start with segmentation. Getting rid of subscribers is like pruning a tree; Cutting away dead/stuck-out branches helps the list grow stronger and healthier. Build out these 3 segments and you'll grow your list effectively.