If you’re drowning in B2B leads and don’t know where to start, you’re not alone. Maybe you’ve tried blasting out generic emails and crossed your fingers. Or you’ve spent hours fiddling with spreadsheets, only to realize you’re just guessing. This guide is for sales and marketing folks who want to actually use their data—without getting buried in it. We’ll walk through how to segment B2B leads in Propensity so you can target the right folks, the right way.
Why Segmentation Matters (and Why Most People Get It Wrong)
You already know you need to segment your leads. The problem? Most teams either overcomplicate things or don’t segment at all.
- Overcomplicating: They create 20 micro-segments, then never actually use them.
- Under-segmenting: They treat all leads the same, and wonder why conversion rates stink.
Good segmentation is about finding the middle ground. You want to group leads in ways that actually change how you’ll talk to them or decide who to reach out to first. It’s not about making a pretty chart for your boss.
What Propensity Does (and Doesn’t) Do
Propensity is a tool that scores and segments leads based on how likely they are to buy. It uses data you feed it—from your CRM, website, emails, and more—to build a picture of which leads are worth your time.
What it does well: - Ranks leads so you’re not wasting time on tire-kickers. - Lets you slice and dice leads by actual buying signals, not just job titles. - Makes it easy to build segments for real-world outreach, not just reporting.
What it doesn’t do: - Read your mind. You’ll need to decide what signals matter for your business. - Fix bad data. Garbage in, garbage out. - Send the emails for you. You still have to do the work.
Step 1: Get Your Data in Order
Before you touch segmentation, get your data house in order. Propensity can only work with what you give it. Here’s what you need:
- Accurate contact info: No more “bob@company.com” with no phone number or job title.
- Up-to-date activity data: Website visits, email opens, form fills—anything that shows intent.
- Account-level info: Industry, company size, tech stack, location.
Pro tip: If your CRM is a mess, segmenting is just going to multiply your problems. Clean it up first, even if it’s tedious.
Step 2: Connect Propensity to Your Data Sources
Propensity isn’t magic—it needs access to your data. Connect your CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.), marketing automation, and any other tools you use. Most integrations are plug-and-play, but if yours isn’t, don’t be afraid to bug your ops folks.
- Check for duplicates: Propensity will inherit duplicates from your CRM. Deduping now saves headaches later.
- Map custom fields: If you have weirdly named fields (“AE Owner 2024?”), make sure Propensity knows what they mean.
Step 3: Define Segmentation Goals
Don’t start by clicking buttons and hoping for the best. Decide what you actually want out of segmentation.
Ask yourself: - Who are my best-fit customers? - What behaviors tell me someone’s ready to talk? - Are there obvious “no-go” segments I should ignore?
Common ways to segment B2B leads: - Firmographics: Company size, industry, revenue, geography. - Engagement: Website activity, email responses, demo requests. - Propensity score: How likely the lead is to convert (Propensity’s bread and butter). - Lifecycle stage: New lead vs. nurtured vs. sales-ready.
Ignore: Vanity segments (“People who clicked the blog once in 2021”). If you can’t act on it, skip it.
Step 4: Build Segments in Propensity
Now the fun part. Here’s how to actually create segments in Propensity:
- Go to the Segments section: Usually a main menu item—don’t overthink it.
- Create a new segment: Give it a clear, boring name. (“US SaaS Leads, High Score” beats “Super Ninja Prospects” every time.)
- Add your filters:
- Pick from fields like company size, industry, location, engagement score, and—importantly—Propensity’s own lead score.
- Combine filters to get more specific. Example: “Companies >100 employees AND Propensity Score >75 AND Downloaded Whitepaper.”
- Preview the results: See who’s in the segment. If you’re getting weird results, check your logic or data cleanliness.
- Save the segment: Make sure it’s easy to find later.
Pro tip: Start with broad segments, then get more granular as you see what works.
Step 5: Prioritize Segments for Outreach
Not all segments are worth the same effort. Rank them based on:
- Likelihood to buy: Propensity’s score should be a big factor.
- Strategic value: Is this a dream account, or just another tire-kicker?
- Engagement: Are they actually opening your emails or just collecting dust?
Create a simple priority list: 1. Hot leads, high fit (your A-list) 2. Warm leads, high fit (needs nurturing) 3. Hot leads, low fit (maybe a quick win, maybe a waste of time) 4. Everyone else (don’t bother unless you’re bored)
Don’t chase every segment. It’s better to do focused outreach to a tight group than spread yourself thin.
Step 6: Sync Segments to Outreach Tools
Propensity is great for building segments. But unless you move those leads into your outreach tool—Salesloft, Outreach.io, whatever—you’ll never actually use them.
- Set up automatic syncs if your tools allow it. Manual exports are fine for small lists, but get old fast.
- Label leads clearly so your sales team knows who’s who.
- Keep segments updated: Leads will move in and out as they engage (or go cold), so don’t treat your segments as static.
Watch out: If you’re syncing to too many places, you’ll end up with version-control hell. Pick a single source of truth.
Step 7: Test and Refine
Your first pass probably won’t be perfect. That’s normal.
- Track how each segment performs—open rates, replies, meetings booked.
- Ask your sales team what’s working (and what’s a waste of time).
- Kill off segments that aren’t delivering. Add new ones as you learn.
Ignore the urge to “set it and forget it.” Segmentation is an ongoing process.
What Actually Works (and What Doesn’t)
Works: - Keeping segments simple and actionable. - Prioritizing leads who actually show buying intent, not just big logos. - Regularly cleaning up your data.
Doesn’t work: - Overthinking it with 15 segmentation layers. - Building segments you never use. - Letting your CRM turn into a junk drawer.
Wrapping Up
Segmenting B2B leads in Propensity isn’t rocket science, but it does take some upfront work. Start simple. Focus on segments you’ll actually act on. And don’t get sucked into the hype—most of your results will come from a few well-chosen segments, not endless slicing and dicing. Iterate, keep it tight, and you’ll see better results (and fewer headaches).