Spray and pray is dead. Precision is the new power play.

When budgets get slashed, and pressure goes up, most business development teams make the same mistake — they try to reach more prospects faster with less.

But volume isn’t a strategy. And noise doesn’t close deals.

The smartest teams are flipping the script. They’re not reaching out to everyone — just the right people, at the right time, with the right message. How? Through signal-based selling.

This approach focuses on real-time signals — signs that a prospect might be in-market or open to change. We break these down into two buckets:

Event Triggers
These are major changes involving the person, company, or industry:
• A client or champion changes jobs
• The company raises funding
• A merger or acquisition is announced

Engagement Activities
These are signs someone’s interacting with your brand:
• They follow your company on LinkedIn
• They download a guide or visit your case study page
• They subscribe to your newsletter

Of course, not all signals are equal. A cold email open is low priority. But someone who visits your website services page, reads a case study, and views your “Contact” page — that’s high.

The real magic happens with signal stacking — when multiple signals line up. Think: a company just raised funding, is posting open roles for marketers, and downloaded your white paper on scaling influencer campaigns.

If you’re an influencer marketing agency tracking these signals, that’s your moment.

Instead of chasing hundreds or thousands of cold leads, imagine converting 1 out of 1 because your targeting, timing, and message were spot on.

Doing more with less doesn’t mean doing everything. It means doing more of the right things — and signals show you the way.