The short answer
Trigger-based prospecting means choosing the public events that predict a purchase of what you sell — a raise, a new executive, a new company, a hiring spike, a contract award — turning your ideal customer profile into filters, combining at least two signals per account, saving the search so new matches arrive automatically, and reaching out while the company is in its buying window with a message that references the real event.
At a glance
- Core idea
- Timing beats volume
- Best triggers
- Raise, new leader, new company, hiring spike, contract award
- Rule of thumb
- Two signals per account beat one
- Window
- Days to weeks after the event
- Avoid
- Treating risk events as buying intent
- Measure
- Reply and meeting rate per trigger type
The playbook, step by step
- 1
Pick the triggers that predict your sale
Map your best customers back to what happened just before they bought: a raise, a new CFO, a new site, a hiring push.
- 2
Turn your ICP into filters
Countries and regions, industry code prefixes, stage and size, and how recent the event must be.
- 3
Combine signals
Rank accounts with two or more fresh triggers above accounts with one.
- 4
Save and alert
Save each search so new matches arrive as alerts instead of a list you rebuild every week.
- 5
Reach out in the window
Contact the owner of the budget within days or weeks of the event, with a message that references it accurately.
- 6
Measure and refine
Track reply and meeting rates per trigger type and drop the ones that do not convert.
Which triggers fit which offers?
| Trigger | Fits offers like |
|---|---|
| New raise (Form D) | Hiring, tooling, infrastructure, professional services |
| New executive | Products the new leader’s function buys |
| New company | Banking, accounting, insurance, software, web |
| New establishment | Local services, facilities, equipment |
| Hiring spike | Recruiting, onboarding, tools for the growing team |
| Tech adoption | Integrations, services and complements for that tool |
| Federal award | Compliance, subcontracting, staffing |
Common mistakes
- Treating every event as intent — insolvency and dissolution are risks, not buying signals.
- Waiting too long: the window after a trigger closes as suppliers are chosen.
- Mentioning an event you have not checked. Read the source before you reference it.
- Ignoring data-protection rules for contacts in the EU, UK and similar jurisdictions.
How MarketPrior supports the playbook
The lead feed is built from public-record triggers, each linked to its source and carrying a strength that feeds an intent score; risk events are opt-in and never raise intent. ICP search filters by country, region, industry code prefix, stage, amount and recency; saved searches alert on new matches; and contacts are sourced field by field with GDPR safeguards for EU subjects.