Use Claude to build your signal list
The fastest way to build a great signal list is to use the WhiteWhale Signal Creator — a Claude skill trained specifically on how WhiteWhale signals work, what makes them fire reliably, and how to write the non-obvious signals that actually move deals. Tell it what you sell, who you sell to, and what triggers a purchase. It will generate a prioritized signal set with explanations for each one.Download the WhiteWhale Signal Creator Skill
A Claude skill that builds a custom signal list for your ICP. Works in Claude.ai and Claude Desktop.
- Download the
.skillfile above - Open Claude.ai and upload the file, or install it in Claude Desktop
- Tell Claude what you sell, who buys it, and what your best customers looked like before they bought
- Claude will generate a prioritized, ready-to-paste signal set tailored to your business
Think in layers, not lists
Most people start with the obvious signals — funding rounds, leadership changes, hiring spikes. Those are fine, but every competitor is watching the same things. The accounts that convert fastest come from signals that surface pain before the prospect has started evaluating solutions. Build your signal set across these layers:Layer 1: Leadership changes (High priority)
Layer 1: Leadership changes (High priority)
New leaders re-evaluate their entire tool stack within the first 90 days. This is almost always the highest-converting signal for any product.The key is specificity — identify the exact titles that buy, champion, and budget for your product, then create a signal for each.
- Buyer (approves the purchase) → usually C-suite: CRO, CMO, CFO, CTO
- Champion (uses it daily and pushes for it) → usually VP or Director level
- Budget holder (controls the budget line) → sometimes the same as the buyer, sometimes not
Layer 2: Growth & expansion signals (Normal priority)
Layer 2: Growth & expansion signals (Normal priority)
Growth creates operational strain. Companies expanding faster than their systems can handle are the most receptive buyers — they feel the pain acutely and have budget to solve it.
- Did raise a funding round recently?
- Is expanding into a new geographic market?
- Did open a new office or facility recently?
- Did acquire another company recently?
- Is hiring rapidly across multiple functions?
Layer 3: Pain point signals (Normal priority — highest value)
Layer 3: Pain point signals (Normal priority — highest value)
These are the signals most people never think to write. Instead of asking “does this company need my product,” ask: what would a company be doing or saying publicly if they had the problem my product solves?Then write a signal that detects that behavior.Real examples of this thinking:
Job postings are the best source for these signals. Companies reveal their pain in plain text when writing job descriptions — they mention broken processes, tools they wish they had, and responsibilities that only exist because no system handles them yet.
| What you sell | Observable proxy signal |
|---|---|
| Corporate cards | Do they post jobs with heavy travel requirements? (high travel = high expense volume) |
| LMS / training software | Do their store manager job postings mention training as a responsibility? (means no training system exists) |
| Competitive intelligence | Do their job postings mention building competitive battlecards? (means they’re losing deals to competitors) |
| Legal AI | Do they post for roles involving document review or due diligence? (high-volume manual work = automation pain) |
Layer 4: Industry-specific event signals (Normal priority)
Layer 4: Industry-specific event signals (Normal priority)
Every industry has 2-3 moments that create outsized urgency. These are the signals you can only write if you know your vertical deeply.
Ask yourself: what happened at my best customers 60–90 days before they bought? That’s your industry-specific signal.
| Industry | High-urgency events |
|---|---|
| SaaS | Competitor launches, platform migrations, new product categories |
| Healthcare | New compliance requirements, facility expansions, system consolidations |
| Legal | Firm mergers, new litigation, regulatory changes |
| Restaurants / Retail | Seasonal hiring spikes, location expansion, health code violations |
| Multi-location / Franchise | Acquisition of new locations, new regional leadership, franchise agreements |
Layer 5: Competitor & technology signals (Low priority)
Layer 5: Competitor & technology signals (Low priority)
These tell you the prospect is already aware of the product category. Useful for personalizing outreach, but shouldn’t drive account scoring since they don’t indicate timing.
- Does mention using [competitor]?
- Does mention using [legacy tool]?
- Do their job postings mention [manual process]?
Layer 6: Firmographic / characteristic signals (Low priority, usually muted)
Layer 6: Firmographic / characteristic signals (Low priority, usually muted)
These tell you who fits your ICP but not when to reach out. Add them for account context, but mute them so they don’t generate daily alerts.
- Does have more than 2 office locations?
- Does offer [type of service or product]?
- Does operate in [industry or vertical]?
Mine your own sales history
Your best signal ideas aren’t in a template — they’re in your own closed-won deals. Before writing new signals, ask:- What was happening at your best customers 60–90 days before they bought?
- What did they say in the first call that made it clear the timing was right?
- Was there a specific event — a hire, a product launch, a reorg — that created the urgency?
- What do your customers have in common that your prospects don’t?
Write signals that will actually fire
A signal that never fires is worse than no signal at all — it dilutes your scoring and trains you to ignore the queue. Before adding any signal, ask: would this information ever appear in a news article, press release, job posting, earnings call, or company website?Signals that fire reliably ✓
Signals that fire reliably ✓
- Leadership hires and departures (press releases, LinkedIn)
- Funding announcements (press releases, news)
- Job postings and hiring patterns (company ATS, job boards)
- Product launches and new features (press releases, company website)
- Expansion into new markets or geographies (press releases, news)
- Earnings call language and executive quotes (earnings reports)
- Company social posts about initiatives or wins
Signals that rarely fire ✗
Signals that rarely fire ✗
These feel logical but depend on information companies almost never share publicly. Rewrite them as observable proxies instead.
| Won’t fire | Rewrite as |
|---|---|
| Did increase their L&D budget? | Is hiring for instructional designers or L&D roles? |
| Does need better data hygiene? | Do job postings mention data cleanup or CRM management? |
| Did decide to evaluate new vendors? | as posted an RFP or hired a procurement lead? |
| Is unhappy with their current provider? | Does mention replacing or migrating from [category]? |
| Won’t fire | Rewrite as |
|---|---|
Related
Signal Library
Copy-paste signal templates organized by category and use case.
Creating Signals
Add signals to WhiteWhale using the description box or in-platform library.
Improving Signals
Fix signals that are noisy, too broad, or firing from the wrong geography.
How Signals Work
Understand what sources WhiteWhale monitors and how signals become alerts.