If you’re running Account-Based Marketing (ABM) campaigns, you already know that lumping all your prospects into one big list is a recipe for wasted time and generic messaging. Segmentation is what makes ABM actually work—but figuring out how to slice and dice your target accounts without getting lost in the weeds? That’s the real trick.
This guide is for marketers, SDRs, and anyone who needs to build smarter ABM lists. We’ll walk through how to use Sales Ape filters for segmentation, what actually matters, and what you can skip—so you don’t spend hours fiddling with settings that don’t move the needle.
Why Segmentation Makes or Breaks ABM
Let’s be real: most ABM failure stories start with a bad list. If you’re targeting everyone, you’re reaching no one. Segmentation means you’re choosing who to talk to, why you’re talking to them, and how to tailor your pitch.
But don’t overthink it. You’re not looking for 50 micro-segments and a 30-step process. The goal is a handful of clear, useful groups you can actually build campaigns around.
What Sales Ape Filters Do (and Don’t Do)
Sales Ape is a prospecting and sales intelligence tool. Its filters let you sort through companies and contacts using criteria like industry, company size, tech stack, recent funding, hiring activity, and more.
What filters are good for: - Narrowing down huge lists to only the accounts that fit your ideal customer profile. - Finding signals that might mean a prospect is ready to buy (like recent funding or new tech adoption). - Cutting out dead weight—accounts that are too small, too big, or totally irrelevant.
What filters won’t do: - Magically surface only “ready to buy” accounts. - Replace talking to customers or using your own judgment. - Fix a broken ABM strategy. If you’re not clear on who you want to reach, no tool is going to save you.
Step 1: Get Crystal Clear on Your ICP
Before you start clicking filters, you need to know your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)—and not just in vague terms like “mid-market SaaS companies.” Write down specifics: - Industry: Which verticals actually buy from you? - Company size: Headcount, revenue, or both? - Location: Are you geo-limited? - Tech stack: Do they need to use Salesforce, Stripe, etc.? - Other signals: Recent funding, hiring patterns, expansion, etc.
Pro tip: Pull actual data from your current best customers, not just gut feel. Your ICP should be based on reality, not wishful thinking.
Step 2: Build Your First Filter Set
Fire up Sales Ape and head to the account search. Start with the basics before you get fancy:
- Industry or vertical: Use the industry filter to limit to your top 2-3 verticals.
- Company size: Filter by employee count or revenue. Be honest about who actually closes.
- Location: Narrow by country, state, or region as needed.
- Tech stack: If your product requires or works best with certain technologies, filter for those. Otherwise, skip it—don’t overcomplicate.
Watch out for: - Getting too narrow, too fast. Start broad, then layer on more filters. - Relying on “buzzword” filters like “innovative” or “disruptive.” They don’t mean much.
Example: If you sell a SaaS tool for finance teams in the U.S. mid-market, your starting filters might be: - Industry: Financial Services, Fintech - Employees: 100–1,000 - Location: United States
That’s it to start.
Step 3: Layer on Buying Signals (If You Have Them)
Here’s where Sales Ape shines compared to a basic list tool: you can filter by intent signals or triggers—clues that an account might be in-market.
Try layering on: - Recent funding: Companies who just raised money are more likely to buy. - Hiring signals: Teams hiring for relevant roles (like DevOps, Marketing, etc.). - Tech adoption: Accounts that just added a tool you integrate with.
But don’t kid yourself: Just because a company raised money doesn’t mean they’re shopping for your product. Use these as tiebreakers, not magic bullets.
Pro tip: Pick one or two intent filters, not five. You want a list you can actually work, not a unicorn hunt.
Step 4: Exclude the Obvious No-Gos
Don’t waste time on companies that can’t or won’t buy. In Sales Ape, use exclusion filters for: - Tiny companies: If you need $10K+ ACV, skip 10-person shops. - Existing customers: If you can, upload a list to suppress them. - Competitors: No need to show your hand.
Bonus: Exclude industries or geos where you’ve never closed a deal or have legal blockers.
Step 5: Test, Save, and Sanity-Check Your Segments
Once you’ve got your filters set: - Run the search. Don’t just look at numbers—scan the actual account names. Do they look like your best-fit customers? - Save the segment in Sales Ape so you can tweak it later. - Gut check: Are you seeing both familiar names and some new ones? If it’s all randoms, rework your filters.
What to ignore: Don’t obsess over the “perfect” segment. Your first list will never be your best list. The goal is to get close and improve from there.
Step 6: Break Down by Campaign Themes
Now that you’ve got a solid segment, think about how you’ll personalize your outreach. Usually, you’ll want a few sub-segments based on campaign themes:
- By tech stack: If you have integrations or competitive advantages, split by what tools they use.
- By trigger: “Recently funded” companies vs. “rapidly hiring” will need different messaging.
- By region or language: If you have local teams or offers.
Don’t go nuts. Two to four sub-segments is plenty for most ABM teams.
Step 7: Export and Sync (But Don’t Skip the Human Check)
Export your segments from Sales Ape to your CRM or outreach tool. Before you blast any campaigns: - Spot check 10-20 accounts. Make sure they actually fit. - Flag weird outliers—you’ll always get a few. - Tweak your filters if you see patterns (like lots of irrelevant companies sneaking in).
Pro tip: Document what filters you used and why. You’ll thank yourself later when you need to explain your logic or iterate.
What Actually Works (and What Doesn’t)
Works: - Keeping your filters simple and based on real closed-won data. - Updating segments regularly—your ICP shifts, and so should your lists. - Combining “hard” filters (industry, size) with one or two “soft” signals (funding, hiring).
Doesn’t work: - Over-filtering until your list is too tiny to matter. - Chasing every new intent signal under the sun. - Building segments based on what sounds good to your boss, instead of what actually works.
Quick FAQ: Common Mistakes to Dodge
Q: Should I build hyper-personalized one-account segments?
A: For true “whale” accounts, maybe. But for most ABM, focus on segments you can actually scale.
Q: Are intent signals like funding or hiring always worth it?
A: Sometimes. Use them as a way to prioritize—not as your only criteria.
Q: How often should I revisit my segments?
A: Quarterly is a good rule of thumb, or whenever your ICP changes.
Q: Is more data always better?
A: Nope. More data just means more noise if you’re not clear on your ICP.
Wrap-Up: Keep It Simple, Keep It Moving
Segmentation isn’t about perfection—it’s about making your outreach smarter and more focused, one step at a time. Start with clear, reality-based filters in Sales Ape, avoid the urge to overcomplicate, and actually look at the accounts you pull. Adjust as you go. That’s how you build ABM lists that convert—no magic, no fluff, just doing the work.
Now go build your list—and tweak it next week. That’s how the pros do it.