Signals and triggers
11x monitors real market events - job changes, funding, executive hires, tech shifts, earnings, competitor reviews, renewal windows - and converts them to outreach in seconds.
A signal is an observable event that indicates intent or a change in fit. A trigger is the rule that converts it into action. 11x monitors real events, not intent scores — things that actually happened to real companies — and goes from signal to outreach in seconds, with no dashboard alert or manual step in between.
The "real events, not intent scores" distinction matters. A composite intent score tells you an account is probably interested and gives you nothing to write about. "They just hired a VP of RevOps" gives you both a reason to reach out and a first line.
Signal types
| Signal | Why it indicates opportunity |
|---|---|
| Job changes | New person, new mandate, new tooling decisions |
| Funding rounds | Budget and a growth mandate |
| Executive hires | A new leader almost always re-evaluates the stack |
| Tech stack shifts | Adoption or displacement of something adjacent to you |
| Earnings reports | Stated priorities and pressures, on the record |
| Negative competitor reviews | Active dissatisfaction with an incumbent |
| Contract renewal windows | A decision point with a date attached |
Negative competitor reviews and renewal windows are the two most under-used signals in most GTM programs. Both identify accounts at a genuine decision point rather than accounts that merely fit a profile.
Custom signal definitions
You can define your own signal logic:
- Combine multiple events into one signal
- Set thresholds for activation
- Weight signals differently by market segment or campaign type
- Layer signals for more precise targeting
As 11x puts it: "What matters for enterprise deals is different from what matters for mid-market."
Start from why your best deals started
Look at your last twenty won deals and identify what had just changed at the account. That's your signal set.
Combine rather than relying on one event
A funding round alone is weak. A funding round plus a relevant executive hire is strong.
Weight by segment
Renewal windows may dominate for enterprise while hiring signals dominate for mid-market.
Set a threshold, not a hair trigger
Otherwise every minor event starts a play and your targeting becomes noise.
Map each signal to the right play
A renewal window and a negative competitor review deserve different messaging. See playbooks.
Signal to outreach, without a dashboard
When a signal activates, Alice or Julian executes immediately — no alert for someone to notice and act on.
Because there's no manual review step, the trigger rule is your safeguard. Always combine a signal with ICP match and your exclusion rules — a signal alone should never be sufficient to start outreach. See ICP and targeting.
Keeping signals and plays separate
One signal can feed several plays, and one play can be triggered by several signals. Keep them defined separately rather than hard-wiring a signal to a single motion — it's what makes the setup maintainable as you add plays.