Glossary

The outbound glossary

Plain-language definitions of the terms behind signal-based outbound, so your team and ours mean the same thing.

Last updated June 23, 2026

In short

This glossary defines the core concepts of signal-based outbound - buying signals, trigger events, ICP, intent data, buyer path, and more - each with a one-sentence definition and a deeper explanation.

Account research: Account research is the work of gathering and verifying the facts about a target company that make outreach relevant, timely, and credible.
Buyer path: A buyer path is the role or sequence of roles at a target account most likely to care about your offer and move it forward internally.
Buying signal: A buying signal is an observable, time-bound event that suggests a company may be ready to buy a specific product or service.
First line: A first line is the first sentence of an outbound message, written from a specific, cited signal so it reads as relevant rather than generic.
ICP (Ideal Customer Profile): An ICP, or Ideal Customer Profile, is a definition of the companies most likely to buy and succeed with your product, described by firmographics, segment, and need.
Intent data: Intent data is information about online behavior - such as content consumption or topic surges - used to infer that an account is researching a purchase.
Outbound intelligence: Outbound intelligence is the layer of research that turns a target market into timely, source-backed reasons to contact specific accounts.
Signal-based outbound: Signal-based outbound is a prospecting approach that prioritizes accounts showing recent buying signals over static lists, so outreach lands when timing is real.
Trigger event: A trigger event is a specific change at a company - such as a hire, funding round, or product launch - that creates a timely reason to reach out.
Verified contact: A verified contact is a specific, reachable person at a target account whose role and contact details have been checked before delivery.

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