So you’ve got a pile of leads and a plan to run outbound campaigns. But blasting the same message to everyone? That’s a fast track to being ignored or marked as spam. If you want to actually get replies—and more importantly, book meetings—you need to segment and prioritize your leads.
This guide is for folks who already have access to Trustworthy and want real talk about making it work for outbound. We’ll walk through practical steps, call out what’s useful (and what’s just noise), and help you avoid the rookie mistakes that waste time. No fluff, just clear directions.
Why Segmentation and Prioritization Matter
Let’s get this out of the way: The days of spray-and-pray are over. If you’re not tailoring your outreach, you’re invisible. Segmentation isn’t just for marketers—sales teams need it too. Prioritization means you’re not sweating over leads that’ll never buy.
Trustworthy helps by giving you ways to slice and dice your lead list, but the tool won’t fix bad thinking or lazy research. You still need to know what a good lead looks like for your business.
Step 1: Get Your Lead Data Into Trustworthy
First things first. Trustworthy can’t segment what it doesn’t have.
Import your leads: - You can usually upload a CSV, connect your CRM, or plug in a Google Sheet. - Double-check that you’ve got clean data—company names, roles, industries, whatever matters for your targeting. - Garbage in, garbage out. If your data’s a mess, clean it up first (even a quick dedupe goes a long way).
Pro Tip: Don’t obsess over perfect data. You’ll never have it. Just make sure the basics are there and fix obvious errors.
Step 2: Define What Makes a Good Lead (for You)
Trustworthy’s filters are only useful if you know what you’re looking for. This is where most teams mess up—they use generic criteria and end up with vanilla lists.
Ask yourself: - Who actually buys from us? (Not just “marketing managers”—think specifics like company size, industry, tech stack, buying triggers.) - Who’s a waste of time? (Be honest. If you know 1–10 person startups never close, stop chasing them.) - What signals matter? (Recent funding? Using a certain software? Expansion hires?)
Write down your must-haves and your red flags. You’ll use these in the next steps.
What to skip: Don’t get lost in minor details. Focus on 2–3 core signals that actually correlate with real deals.
Step 3: Build Segments Using Trustworthy’s Filters
Now, open up Trustworthy and start building out your segments.
Typical filters you’ll see: - Industry/vertical - Company size (employee count or revenue) - Geography - Job title or seniority - Tech stack - Intent signals (if available) - Recent news or funding events
How to do it: - Set up your first segment using your “good lead” criteria. - Save filters as segments (e.g., “US SaaS, 51–200 employees, C-suite”). - If Trustworthy offers tagging or saved views, use them. It’ll save you headaches later.
Pro Tip: Start broad, then narrow. If your segment is too tiny, you’ll run out of leads fast. Too big, and you’re back to generic outreach.
Step 4: Score and Prioritize Your Segments
Not all segments are created equal. Some are hot, some are lukewarm, and some are a total waste.
Here’s how to prioritize:
- Assign scores in Trustworthy if the tool supports it (e.g., “+10” for using a competitor, “-5” for being outside your target region).
- If you can’t score, just sort by the most important signals (like funding, company size, or intent).
- Make a top 10 or top 20 list of segments based on where you’ve actually won deals—or where you have the warmest intros.
Honest take: Automatic scoring is nice, but it’s never perfect. Review the top leads by hand every so often—automation can make dumb mistakes.
What to ignore: Don’t bother with every single field or score. Focus on the signals that actually move the needle.
Step 5: Use Segments to Personalize Your Outreach
Here’s where the magic happens. Now that you’ve got meaningful segments, you can tailor your messaging without rewriting every email.
What to do: - Build message templates for each segment (not each lead). Tailor the opener and key value prop. - Use Trustworthy’s dynamic fields (if available) to drop in names, company info, or recent news. - Don’t fake personalization. If you don’t have a real reason to reach out, skip it.
Pro Tip: Save your best custom notes for your highest-priority leads. Nobody expects a 1:1 email if they're in a broad campaign, but a little context goes a long way with top targets.
Step 6: Review and Iterate (Don’t Set and Forget)
The first version of your segments won’t be perfect. That’s fine. The key is to keep an eye on what’s working.
Check these regularly: - Which segments book the most meetings? - Where are you seeing replies (even if they’re “not interested”)? - Any patterns among leads that go dark? Adjust your criteria and filters as needed.
What to ignore: Don’t obsess over vanity metrics like open rates. Focus on replies, meetings booked, and actual deals.
A Few Pitfalls to Watch For
- Chasing shiny features: Trustworthy probably has a bunch of bells and whistles. Stick to the filters and scoring that tie directly to your sales process.
- Over-segmentation: Don’t slice your leads so thin you end up with a dozen segments and nothing meaningful to say to each.
- Ignoring manual review: Automation’s great, but every so often, spot check your top leads. Algorithms get it wrong more often than you think.
Summary: Keep It Simple, Keep Iterating
Segmenting and prioritizing leads in Trustworthy isn’t rocket science, but it does take a little discipline. Don’t wait for perfect data or the “ultimate” scoring model—get your segments up, send some targeted campaigns, and adjust as you see what works.
Start simple. Pay attention to what actually leads to conversations. Tweak your filters every few weeks. Over time, you’ll build a system that helps you focus on leads that actually convert, not just fill up your pipeline spreadsheet.
Now, go make outbound a little less painful.