If you’re running sales or marketing for a B2B company, you know the drill: blasting the same message to everyone rarely works. The trick is getting smart about who you’re reaching out to, and why. That’s where segmentation comes in. This guide is for anyone who wants practical, no-fluff advice on using Derrickapp to slice up their contacts and accounts for better outreach—whether you’re a team of one or running a full sales org.
Let’s get into it.
Why bother segmenting in the first place?
Look, you probably already know you should segment. Here’s the blunt reality: generic outreach is easy, but it’s also easy to ignore. Segmentation lets you:
- Send messages that actually make sense to the person getting them.
- Avoid burning bridges by spamming the wrong folks.
- Get real data on what’s working (and what’s a waste of time).
- Stop guessing and start learning what your customers respond to.
Derrickapp (here’s the official page) gives you a decent toolbox for this, but it’s not magic. You still have to put in some thought about what matters to your business.
Step 1: Get your data into shape
Before you start building fancy segments, check your data. Garbage in, garbage out—no tool can save you if your contact and account lists are a mess.
What you need: - Up-to-date contact info (name, email, phone, etc.) - Company names and domains - Key fields: industry, company size, job title, location, stage in your pipeline, etc.
What to ignore:
Don’t sweat over every possible data field. Focus on what actually matters for your outreach. If you never filter by fax number, stop collecting it.
Pro tip:
Run a quick audit in Derrickapp. If you see lots of blank or weird data (e.g., “asdf” for job titles), clean it up. There’s no glory in segmenting nonsense.
Step 2: Figure out your segmentation strategy
Don’t just copy some “best practices” list. Think about how you sell.
Ask yourself: - Who are your best customers right now? - What do they have in common? (Industry, company size, geography, software stack, pain points, etc.) - Who do you not want to waste time on?
Common B2B segments: - Industry (e.g., SaaS, manufacturing, healthcare) - Company size (employees, revenue) - Geography (country, region, city) - Job title or department (C-level vs. operations vs. IT) - Existing customers vs. new prospects - Deal stage (cold, engaged, demoed, etc.)
What doesn’t work:
Getting too granular too soon. If you’ve only got 200 leads, don’t build 20 micro-segments. Start broad and see what happens.
Step 3: Use Derrickapp’s filters and tags
Once you know what you care about, it’s time to put Derrickapp to work.
Filtering contacts and accounts
Derrickapp lets you filter by just about any field you’ve got. Head to your Contacts or Accounts view and look for the filter option.
Typical filters to start with: - Industry is “SaaS” - Employee count > 100 - Country is “Canada” - Job title contains “VP” or “Director”
Stack filters to get more specific, e.g., “Industry is SaaS AND Employee count > 100 AND Country is Canada.”
Pro tip:
Save your favorite filter combos as “Saved Views.” This saves you from clicking the same boxes every time. Derrickapp isn’t the slickest UI on the planet, but Saved Views are a genuine time-saver.
Tagging for flexible segmentation
Tags are simple but powerful. They’re great for things you can’t capture in a standard field—like “2024 conference lead,” “Churn risk,” or “Upsell target.”
- Apply tags manually or via bulk actions.
- Use tags alongside filters for even sharper targeting.
What to avoid:
Don’t go nuts creating dozens of nearly identical tags. If you can’t remember what “Q1-2023-prospect-2” means, neither will anyone else.
Step 4: Build your segments for outreach
Now you’re ready to actually create segments you’ll use for campaigns or sequences.
How to set up a segment in Derrickapp
- Go to Contacts or Accounts.
- Apply your chosen filters (and tags, if needed).
- Review the results. Are these really the people you want to target? Spot check a few.
- Save this as a new view or export the list for your campaign.
Real-world segment examples: - All U.S. prospects in healthcare with >500 employees and “IT Director” in the title. - Customers who bought in the last 6 months but haven’t opened your last 3 emails. - All leads tagged “Webinar 2024” who haven’t booked a meeting yet.
What works:
Tight, actionable segments. If you can’t write a message that’s relevant to everyone in that segment, it’s probably too broad.
What doesn’t:
“Just in case” segments you never use. If a segment sits untouched for a quarter, archive or merge it.
Step 5: Use segments to send targeted outreach
Here’s where the rubber meets the road. Once you’ve got your segments, use them to power email campaigns, call lists, or whatever outreach channels you use.
Some tips: - Personalize as much as you can—use dynamic fields for name, company, etc. - Avoid sending six “just checking in” emails. No one likes that. - Watch your open and reply rates. If a segment’s not responding, rethink your approach.
What to ignore:
Don’t chase vanity metrics like “emails sent.” Focus on conversations started, meetings booked, or deals advanced.
Step 6: Rinse, repeat, and adjust
Segmentation isn’t a “set and forget” thing.
- Review which segments are working.
- Merge or kill segments that don’t drive results.
- Add new data as you learn more about your prospects.
Pro tip:
Don’t be afraid to simplify. It’s tempting to build a segment for every use case, but it’s more effective to double down on the few that move the needle.
Gotchas and honest takes
- Don’t trust the data blindly: Automated enrichment tools sometimes make mistakes. Always sanity-check high-value segments before hitting “send.”
- Don’t overcomplicate: More segments = more work. Start simple.
- Derrickapp limitations: The app is solid for basic filtering and tagging, but if you need super-advanced logic, you might hit some walls. For most B2B teams, though, it’s enough.
Keep it simple and keep learning
There’s no prize for the fanciest segmentation scheme. Start with what matters, keep your process simple, and don’t be afraid to tweak as you go. The best segments are the ones you actually use. Most importantly, if you’re not getting better replies or more meetings, your segments aren’t helping—so change them up.
Get your hands dirty, keep it honest, and you’ll get the hang of it.