A sales trigger is a change at an account that signals a problem, a budget, or a decision-maker in motion — and therefore a reason to reach out now. Funding, a new hire, a launch, a compliance deadline. While the BDR watches for triggers to time net-new outreach, the SDR watches for them to time re-engagement in the accounts it already works. Timing is the whole game: reach out inside the window and the message lands warm; miss it and it's noise.
The 18 triggers
Here is the asset — the reference list, grouped:
Money and growth
- Funding round (seed through Series D+)
- New headcount plan / announced expansion
- Budget shift or a new initiative with a line item
- IPO, acquisition, or spin-off
People in motion 5. New executive — VP, CMO, CFO, VP Sales 6. New decision-maker in your function (hired or promoted) 7. A key title left — the seat is open 8. Reorg or a new team structure announced
Product and tech 9. Product launch or feature announcement 10. A tool they're on going end-of-life 11. A job posting for the exact problem you solve 12. Migration away from a competitor (announced or inferred)
Compliance and risk 13. A compliance/regulatory deadline approaching 14. A security audit or certification they must pass 15. An outage or a well-publicized incident in their space
Signals from them 16. They downloaded your content or attended your event (inbound interest) 17. They searched or engaged with your category on social or a review site 18. A referral — someone inside named you as relevant
The timing rule
A trigger opens a window, and windows close. Funding is hot for roughly one quarter; a new executive is evaluating vendors for a couple of months; a compliance deadline is fixed on the calendar. Reach out within days of the trigger — that's the difference between "I see what you're dealing with" and "everyone else emailed you in May." Log triggers into your prospect list and CRM, and set the cadence to follow.
The test: signal or noise?
Ask one question of any event: does it point to a problem, a budget, or a decision-maker in motion? A logo change, a holiday post, a keynote — activity and polish, no need. Funding, a hire, a migration, a deadline — the machinery of a buying decision. Run the test before you spend a touch, and your outreach stops being random and starts being timed.
Start here
You know when to reach out. To turn the timing into a message that lands, you need to speak the prospect's stage of the funnel — next, lead vs prospect vs MQL vs SQL, and where your timing fits.