Trigger event
Definition
A trigger event is something that happens at a company, such as a new executive, a funding round, a move, or a regulatory deadline, that creates a reason to buy. It's another name for a buying signal.
A trigger event is something that happens at a company, such as a new executive, a funding round, a move, or a regulatory deadline, that creates a reason to buy. It's another name for a buying signal.
The two terms mean the same thing, and which one people use mostly depends on where they learned it. "Trigger event" is older and comes from sales training. "Buying signal" is what the intent data industry settled on. We use buying signal on this site and treat trigger event as the same idea.
What both terms are getting at is that companies buy in response to change, not in response to a good pitch. Find the change, and the pitch mostly writes itself.
An example
A benefits broker's trigger events are a company crossing 50 employees, a new CFO, a second state, an acquisition, and OSHA activity. Each one changes what the company has to insure. The email about any of them is about the event, not the brokerage.
Where to read more
The full definition, with where signals come from and how they differ from firmographics, is under buying signal. The list by industry is on our industries page.
Related terms
Buying signal · Intent data · Ideal customer profile (ICP) · Outbound prospecting
If you want this run for you, see our lead generation agency, or buying signals by industry.
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