SpicyOps: Automating Champion Tracking Signals with UserGems

People move jobs frequently, especially more senior leaders at software companies. The challenge for vendors is that your champion may have just left. 

However, this presents a golden opportunity for sellers to close a net new deal. And the data proves it. 

Previous customers that take new jobs convert 3X higher than normal leads. And new executives spend 70% of their budget in the first 100 days. 

That’s why one of our secret weapons is UserGems, which we use to track the job changes of our champions and other important signals that an account is hot. 

Then, we use Distro (our lead routing product) to automate the process and ensure our reps reach out with timely and relevant messaging to re-engage our champion and close more deals. 

Let’s dive in.

How to set up your Distro-UserGems Flow

First, you want to set up your Trigger. In this case, Distro will fire when the Salesforce Field “Chili Piper Reassign” on the Contact Object is updated. 

But you can create Trigger when a record is created or updated. And you can create it off any Standard or Custom Field — on any Standard or Custom Object in Salesforce.

Then, you set up an entry rule. In this case, we want anyone who UserGems flags as a past user to be funneled into this Flow. 

We have these fields updating on the Contact Ojbect in Salesforce, so we’ve set up an entry rule so that if:

• The Custom Field “UG - Is A Past User” is equal to True

AND

• The Custom Field “UG - User Gems” is not null

This router will trigger. 

We also have a field to filter out anyone who’s region is APAC and LATAM (since our team isn’t focusing on those regions at the moment). 

Here’s how to set that rule up in Distro:

And it fits into the Flow like this:

Then, we want to make sure that if there’s already an Account Owner, the owner is notified. In our case, this could mean the Account Manager, an Account Executive on an Open Opportunity, or an SDR who is actively prospecting an account. 

We’ve covered all our bases here:

Then, Distro Assigns and Updates Ownership on the Account Object:

And then we update the Chili Piper Reassign field on the Contact Ojbect to “false” (that way, a router could fire again if this field gets updated in the future).

But, again, you can update any Standard or Custom Field on any Standard or Custom Object.

For our Rules of Engagement (ROE) routers, we’ve also added a Service Level Agreement, which will notify the rep if they haven’t followed up within 72 hours: 

You can also Add Tasks, Add to Campaign, or Create an Opportunity.

Here’s that full flow in Distro, zoomed out:

How to send the right (read: action-oriented) notifications

One of the wonderful things about UserGems is that you can set up all your notifications in the UserGems app — we have notifications set up for both Slack and email.

If the company is not a customer or part of an active opportunity…

It will be routed to the SDR Owner or round-robined among the SDR team.
Then, the SDR will receive a Slack notification like this:

And an email notification like this:

It references a Salesloft sequence we have set up (the “Past Champion > Joined ICP Account” sequence). Then, the SDR will manually personalize those emails for their new Contact.

If the company is a named target account or an active opportunity…

The same thing as above will happen, except it will be routed and sent to the Account Executive (AE) owner.

If the company is a current customer…

A notification is sent to the Account Manager (AM) and the champion will be automatically enrolled in a Salesloft cadence. 

Similar to the SDR cadence, the AMs will manually personalize the email by introducing them as the main point of contact.

Here’s an example of what that Slack message looks like: 

And here’s an example of the email:

Lastly, when a champion leaves a current customer, notifications are also sent to the AM so that the AM can start to find the new champion in the customer account. 

Here’s what that Slack looks like:

And here’s what that email looks like:

$300K in pipeline in just 5 months

After implementing this UserGems + Distro flow, we’ve opened 19 Opportunities equaling nearly $300K in pipeline.

This is a relatively new partnership and flow that we’ve built into our GTM team, but we’re already seeing some great results. 

We’re capturing buying signals and automating next steps. 

And our new business reps are able to prioritize the right companies and buyers that are most likely to buy based on relevant signals. 

But that’s only the beginning of what you can do with Distro. Learn more about routing leads in Distro here.

And also check out UserGems while you’re at it — they’re pretty cool 💎

What’s next? 

We know that UserGems is more than champion tracking – they’re becoming a hub for some other really powerful signal-based selling plays. Here are some of the other plays that we’ll be setting up next to take our use of UserGems to the next level and close even more deals: 

New Hires & Promotions

When a target account hires or promotes someone in a key role, notify the team to prioritize that account for outbound. 

When an account with an open opportunity hires or promotes someone in a key role, run executive alignment and deal acceleration plans to de-risk the deal. 

When a customer hires or promotes someone in a key role, trigger a Hubspot marketing nurture to welcome them & trigger CS workflows for CSMs to proactively prevent churn risk. 

Champion Referrals

Check if your champions at customer accounts previously worked at any of your top target accounts and ask them for a warm introduction. 

When an open opportunity hits a certain stage, trigger Slack and email notifications to the AE letting them know which Customers can nudge and be a potential reference for that account.

There are many more powerful uses of UserGems and Distro, and we’ll update you on how things are going with future SpicyOps posts.