Using Data to Segment Sales Leads

If you are writing sales messaging that could apply to anybody in your TAM, you're writing sales copy that nobody gives AF about. OUCH! I know that might be hard to hear, but here's the hack to better segment your TAM in 2025. ➡️ The harsh truth is that Founders who take a "boil the ocean" approach to selling in will fail. Here's how you can get better results in 3 steps: Step 1 - Move your focus from everybody who *could* possibly buy from you to the group of folks who are most likely to buy now, buy at a high price point, and later renew or be a referral source. Step 2 - From that much smaller group of accounts, create segments. These are not the traditional segments that help your organize your territories. These are segments that help you speak the language of a deep sub-set of prospects. I suggest at least 5 layers of segmentation blending firmographic data, signals, and contact-level data. EXAMPLE: You sell production line automation software. You believe your ICP is: US-based supply chain executives in manufacturing organizations with at least 1k employees. Great start, but it's time to add 5+ layers of segmentation before you can create a message that matters. Segment 1: Midwest "Manufacturing Belt" only Segment 2: Chief Supply Chain Officers only Segment 3: Machinery manufacturing only Segment 4: 50,000 to 100,000 employees Segment 5: New CFO hired in the past year Now you are only speaking to the CSCO or a sub-industry working in the region where you have the strongest social proof. By tightening the employee range you know they have a big enough problem to solve (+ can pick the best name drops) and a new CFO signals an openness to (re)explore cost-saving software. Step 3 - Use this process to launch dozens of micro-campaigns that speak to specific sub-sets of your territory because you've created enough segmentation to be 99% sure your copy will be RELEVANT to them. This is THE only way I've found to personalize at scale. I love teaching orgs how to better segment their accounts and create segment-specific value props. I call it #ValueBasedSegmentation ➡️ The result is: - Highly relevant copy - Emails that can be fully automated - High CTRs/replies without tedious personalization 📌 How do you personalize at scale?

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.