If you're in sales or revops and tired of chasing leads that go nowhere, you're not alone. The gold is in your product data—seeing who’s actually using your tool and how. But between tracking too much, missing signals, and wrestling clunky tools, it’s easy to get lost. This guide breaks down how to track product usage signals that actually matter for sales outreach, using Pocus—a tool built for product-led sales teams. You’ll get practical steps, honest takes on what to skip, and advice for dialing in on what really works.
Why Product Usage Signals Matter (And What to Ignore)
Before diving into setup, let’s clear something up: not every product “signal” is useful. It’s tempting to track everything, but most of that data goes nowhere. Some signals actually help you spot real buying intent; others are just noise.
Worth tracking: - Power users who invite teammates or hit usage limits - New companies adopting your high-value features - Users returning after a long break (resurrected users) - Spikes in activity right after a pricing page visit
Usually useless: - Every single login (most users just poke around) - Button clicks that don’t tie to value (e.g., changing themes) - “Idle” metrics like time on site with no real actions
Pro tip: Start with 3–5 signals tied directly to value or expansion. You can always add more, but starting simple keeps you focused.
Step 1: Define What Signals Actually Matter for Your Sales Team
Don’t let your data team or execs decide this in a vacuum. The best signals come from talking to your sales reps and CSMs. Ask: “What do our best customers usually do before they buy or expand?”
How to get this right: - Look at closed-won deals — what did those users do in your product before buying? - Talk to the folks on the front lines. Sales usually knows which actions mean “this account is hot.” - Pick signals that have clear next steps for sales (e.g., “User added 5 teammates” → reach out about team plans).
Common mistakes: - Overcomplicating with 20+ signals - Chasing vanity metrics that don’t tie to revenue - Ignoring negative signals (like high usage that suddenly drops off)
Write down your 3–5 core signals before you even log into Pocus.
Step 2: Sync Your Product Data into Pocus
You can’t track what you can’t see. To get usage signals in Pocus, you’ll need to bring your product data into the platform.
Options for syncing data: - Direct integrations: Pocus connects with tools like Segment, Snowflake, BigQuery, and Salesforce. - CSV upload: For smaller teams or early-stage products, you can upload usage data in bulk. - APIs: If you’ve got engineering resources, a direct API integration gives you the most control.
What matters here: - Make sure you’re syncing the right fields—user ID, company domain, event type, timestamps. - Clean data beats big data. If your usage data is a mess, you’ll get garbage signals.
Watch out for: - Syncing too much. Start with the minimum fields you need for your top signals. - Delays or errors in data sync. If your signals are lagging by days, your sales team won’t trust them.
Step 3: Set Up Signals in Pocus
Now the fun part: turning your data into actual signals sales can use.
In Pocus, here’s how you do it:
- Create Usage Signals: In Pocus, define the events you want to track (e.g., “Invited teammate,” “Upgraded workspace,” “Viewed pricing page”).
- Set thresholds: For example, “More than 3 invites in a week” or “Feature X used 5 times in 2 days.”
- Group by account: Roll up user activity to the company/account level, so you’re not chasing lone wolves.
- Name your signals clearly: “Expansion Likely – Team Invites” beats “Signal #42.”
Example signals: - Expansion Opportunity: “Account added 3+ users this week.” - Product Qualified Lead (PQL): “User hit usage limit twice in 14 days.” - Re-engagement Opportunity: “User came back after 30+ days inactive.”
Pitfalls to avoid: - Overlapping signals that spam your reps with alerts - Vague signals (“High activity”) that don’t map to real actions - Ignoring negative or warning signals (e.g., feature usage drops off)
Step 4: Build Views and Workflows for Your Sales Team
Signals are only as good as your team’s ability to act on them. In Pocus, you can build custom views and workflows so reps see what matters—no more digging through spreadsheets.
What works: - Account priority queues: Show reps a ranked list of accounts based on signal strength (e.g., top expansion targets at the top). - Filters and tags: Let reps filter by industry, territory, or segment. - Playbooks: Attach recommended next steps or email templates to each signal.
What doesn’t work: - Dumping every signal into one feed—reps will ignore it fast. - Hiding signals behind five clicks. Make it dead simple to see what’s hot.
Pro tip: Involve your sales reps when building these views. If they don’t like it, they won’t use it.
Step 5: Connect Signals to Outreach (Without Spamming)
The whole point is to reach out at the right time, with the right context. Pocus can connect to tools like Salesforce, Outreach, or even Slack to push signals where your team already works.
How to do this well: - Automate, but personalize: Use auto-notifications, but always add a personal touch to your messages. - Batch signals: Don’t ping reps for every tiny action. Group signals so outreach feels thoughtful, not robotic. - Measure results: Track which signals actually lead to meetings or conversions.
What to ignore: - Fully automated outreach on every signal. You’ll burn your prospects and get ignored. - “Spray and pray” messaging—your signals should give you a reason to be specific.
Pro tip: Test your outreach copy with a few real customers before rolling it out. If it feels generic, so will your results.
Step 6: Review, Tweak, and Cut Ruthlessly
The first set of signals will not be perfect. The best teams treat this as an ongoing experiment.
How to improve: - Check which signals lead to real sales conversations or expansions. - Ask your reps: “Which signals are helpful? Which are just noise?” - Drop signals that don’t move the needle, and try new ones based on real feedback.
Don’t fall into these traps: - Keeping dead signals because “we spent time setting them up.” - Overcomplicating with a new signal every week—change takes time to stick.
Pro tip: Once a quarter, do a “signal clean-up” and cut anything that isn’t driving results.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
There’s no magic signal that unlocks sales. The best teams keep it simple, focus on a handful of proven triggers, and listen to feedback from the folks actually doing the outreach. Pocus gives you the tools, but it’s on you to stay focused and keep tweaking.
Start with what you know, ignore the hype, and ruthlessly cut what doesn’t work. Over time, you’ll spot real buying signals faster—and spend less time chasing ghosts.