If you’re reading this, you’re probably either stuck with a bloated prospecting list or worried you’re missing out on great accounts. Segmenting target accounts is supposed to make enterprise sales easier, not just add more busywork. This guide is for anyone using Ocean who wants practical, real-world advice on how to actually get value from account segmentation—without overthinking it.
Why bother segmenting in the first place?
Let’s get this out of the way: Segmenting isn’t about impressing your boss with fancy charts. It’s about making your outreach less painful and more likely to land real deals. If you’re treating every account the same, you’re either wasting time or missing out on the big fish. That’s true whether you’re using Ocean, Excel, or sticky notes.
But the reality is, most companies either: - Overcomplicate segmentation with too many categories, or - Don’t segment at all and just blast the same message out to everyone.
Neither works. The sweet spot is somewhere in between—simple enough to actually use, smart enough to give you an edge.
Step 1: Get clear on what matters to you
Before you even open Ocean, figure out what makes a “good” account for your business. Most people skip this, and it’s why segmentation turns into a mess.
Questions to ask: - What’s your ideal customer profile (ICP) really? Not what’s on the website—what’s true in practice? - Are there dealbreakers? (e.g. industry, company size, location) - What triggers have consistently led to closed deals? (Recent funding, tech stack, hiring sprees)
Pro tip: If your team can’t agree on what a “good” account looks like, don’t expect Ocean to magically fix it. Get alignment first, even if it’s just a quick huddle.
Step 2: Keep your segmentation dead simple
Ocean lets you slice and dice accounts any way you want, but don’t mistake options for strategy. Resist the urge to create a dozen segments—three to five is usually plenty.
Core ways to segment target accounts:
- Firmographics: Industry, company size (employees or revenue), location.
- Technographics: Tools or platforms in use (helpful if you sell software).
- Intent signals: Recent funding, job postings, press releases, website changes.
- Engagement/tier: Hot (actively engaged), Warm (previous conversations), Cold (no engagement yet).
- Ownership: Who owns this account internally? (Optional, but useful for larger teams.)
What to ignore:
- Overly granular segments like “SaaS companies in Northern Indiana with exactly 142 employees.” You’ll end up with segments too small to matter.
- Vanity segments (“Top 1% Innovators” or “AI Disruptors”) unless you can actually define them.
Pro tip: Start with broad buckets and only get more specific if you’re drowning in too many accounts per segment.
Step 3: Use Ocean’s filters and tags the smart way
Now that you know what you care about, jump into Ocean and build segments that match. Here’s what actually works:
Building segments in Ocean:
- Use filters for the big stuff. Filter by industry, size, or region to get a manageable list.
- Tags are your friend. Tag accounts with custom notes like “2024 priority,” “Needs CISO buy-in,” or “Expansion potential.”
- Save your segments. Don’t rebuild every week—save them so you can track progress or hand off to teammates.
- Combine filters for focus. E.g., “US-based SaaS, >500 employees, raised Series B in last 12 months.”
What doesn’t work: - Tagging every account with five different labels. You’ll never keep up. - Using vague tags like “interesting” or “maybe.” Future-you won’t remember what that means.
Pro tip: Spend 30 minutes upfront to get your segments right in Ocean. It’ll save you hours of cleanup later.
Step 4: Clean your data before you trust it
Ocean is only as good as the data you feed it. If your CRM or spreadsheets are a mess, your segments will be too.
What to watch out for: - Duplicates—especially if you import from multiple sources. - Outdated company info (especially size, industry, or funding). - Missing fields (blank industries, no contacts, etc.).
Quick cleanup steps: - Run Ocean’s deduplication tools if available. - Spot-check a few accounts in each segment for accuracy. - Fill in obvious gaps, or at least flag them for later.
Pro tip: Don’t wait for data to be perfect—that day will never come. “Good enough” beats “still waiting” every time.
Step 5: Actually use your segments for outreach
Here’s where most teams drop the ball: they build neat segments, then send a nearly-identical email to all of them. Don’t do that.
How to make segmentation matter: - Personalize your messaging for each segment. You don’t need a novel—just tweak the opener or value prop so it sounds like you know who you’re talking to. - Prioritize your time. Focus first on the segment most likely to convert (e.g., fastest sales cycle, highest deal size, or lowest competition). - Track results by segment. If no one in a segment bites, change your approach or kill that segment.
What to skip:
- Over-customizing every message. You’ll burn out. A few templates per segment is enough.
Pro tip: If you can’t find a way to make your message more relevant to a segment, your segmentation is probably too broad.
Step 6: Review, prune, and adjust (often)
Your first pass at segmentation won’t be perfect—and that’s fine. The goal is to make things easier, not to win an award for taxonomy.
Real-world best practices: - Revisit your segments every few weeks. Are you seeing replies? Are some segments a total dead-end? - Merge or split segments as needed. If “mid-market SaaS” is too big, break it up by funding or region. - Kill off segments that go nowhere. No shame in admitting something didn’t work.
What to ignore:
- Sticking with your original segments just because you spent time on them. Sunk cost is real, but it’s not your friend.
Pro tip: Ask your team what’s working and what’s not. Fresh eyes spot bad segments faster than you will.
Summary: Don’t overthink it
Segmenting accounts in Ocean is about making your life easier, not harder. Start simple, use broad buckets, and only get fancy when you have a real problem to solve. Keep your segments actionable, your data “good enough,” and your process flexible. The best segmentation is the one you’ll actually use—so keep it simple and tweak as you learn.