Deciding who sales
Five ways to decide which accounts reps work: intent-led, modeled on wins, revenue-led targeting, product usage and rep-defined rules.
We study what the best GTM teams do and build it into Unify, so you can set up the same motion and make your best rep’s approach repeatable.
By
October 2026
Five ways to decide
| Step | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flags the account | Researching products like GitLab’s | Compliance signals, like a SOC 2 badge | Looks like the accounts AEs closed | People already using Figma | Fits the reps’ own description |
| Makes it a priority | Fits, and reaches a buying stage | A model built from won customers | Rules on sub-vertical, persona and geography | Company fit plus product usage | Clear in the CRM, ranked by rep checks |
| What the rep does | Accepts or disputes it, same day | Calls owned accounts; an AI SDR emails the rest | Works assigned accounts, paid on revenue | Starts with the users already inside | Works a list reps said they would work |
GitLab turned an intent flag into a same-day task for its BDRs.
from 48 hours
same day
for a BDR to accept or dispute a flagged account
- How it works
- An intent flag puts accounts that are ready to buy on a BDR’s list, and the BDR has to accept or dispute each one the same day (it was 48 hours until August 2026). Every account gets a recycle date two months out, and reps can still add their own accounts with an AE.
- Takeaway
- A signal changes what reps do once it sets a field everyone reads and comes with a deadline and an end date.
- In Unify
- Signals fill an Audience, and a Play gives the owner a same-day task.
A version of GitLab’s approach in Unify. Example data.
GitLab turned an intent flag into a same-day task for its BDRs.
48 hours → same day for a BDR to accept or dispute a flagged account
GitLab Handbook, Sep 2024 and Aug 19, 2026
An intent flag puts accounts that are ready to buy on a BDR’s list, and the BDR has to accept or dispute each one the same day (it was 48 hours until August 2026). Every account gets a recycle date two months out, and reps can still add their own accounts with an AE.
TakeawayA signal changes what reps do once it sets a field everyone reads and comes with a deadline and an end date.
Read the full GitLab teardown: unifygtm.com/the-jump/gitlab-teardown
Vanta’s reps call the accounts they own, and an AI SDR emails the ones nobody owns.
70 to 75% of outbound meetings come from calls, per Vanta’s CRO in September 2025
Stevie Case, CRO, 30 Minutes to President’s Club, Sep 2025
Security buyers treat cold email as phishing, so on accounts a rep owns, a person writes and calls. A model built from closed-won accounts, plus signals like a SOC 2 badge, ranks those calls, and the prep that used to be a long research doc is now a few sentences. An AI SDR emails only accounts nobody owns.
TakeawaySave full automation for accounts nobody owns, and let AI shorten the prep on the rest.
Read the full Vanta teardown: unifygtm.com/the-jump/vanta-teardown
Brex picked its SDRs’ accounts from closed deals and paid them on revenue.
3x revenue contribution per SDR, Blond’s own figure from February 2023
Sam Blond, former CRO, on X, Feb 2023
Brex’s AEs were sourcing more revenue per rep than its SDRs. Brex then set the SDRs’ sub-verticals, personas and geographies by rules from what AEs had closed, and moved SDR pay to the revenue their opportunities closed. Kelly tied it to Brex’s two-to-three-week sales cycle.
TakeawayPoint the account rules and the pay at the same outcome. Pay on closed revenue only if deals close in under 30 days, as Blond advised, and expect fewer demos for AEs.
Read the full Brex teardown: unifygtm.com/the-jump/brex-teardown
Figma shows reps who already uses the product inside each account.
95% of pipeline came from users already active in Figma
Jesus Requena, former growth marketing lead, in Growth Unhinged, Feb 2023
Figma groups every user at a company into one account, ranks accounts on fit and usage, and shows the rep who already uses Figma there.
TakeawayGive reps the people along with the score.
Read the full Figma teardown: unifygtm.com/the-jump/figma-teardown
Fin let reps write the list rules and checked every account in the CRM.
19% → 72% accounts worked, before vs. first week of the rebuilt list
Alexander DeMoulin, Sculpt slides, Sep 17, 2025
Reps described the accounts they’d work, like companies with a login button on their website, a sign of a customer portal where support tickets come in. Ops turned that into rules, and every Salesforce record on the domain was checked before an account was assigned.
TakeawayReps only work a list they trust, so check every account against the CRM before you assign it.
Read the full Fin (Intercom) teardown: unifygtm.com/the-jump/fin-teardown
Three patterns
- How they select accounts
- A rule builds most lists before reps see them. Brex and Vanta used past wins, Figma usage, GitLab intent, and Fin the reps’ own checks.
- Where people spend their time
- Ops or software does the research and the CRM check, so reps spend their time talking to buyers.
- How they measure it
- Most first checked that reps worked the new list. Brex went further and tied its change to revenue per SDR.
Which one is you?
- Your reps leave the list unworkedRead the Fin (Intercom) teardown
- You pay for intent data nobody acts onRead the GitLab teardown
- Your buyers ignore cold emailRead the Vanta teardown
- Lots of meetings, too few closeRead the Brex teardown
- People already use your product where you sellRead the Figma teardown
What teams get with Unify
Frequently asked questions
How should we decide which accounts reps work?
Pick one source you trust and let it set the list: a buying signal (GitLab), a model built from won deals (Vanta), rules from closed deals (Brex), product usage (Figma) or rules your reps write (Fin). In all five, a rep makes the first touch on the accounts they own.
Why do reps ignore the account lists they’re given?
Usually they don’t trust them. At Fin, reps worked 19% of one list. Once they wrote the rules and every account was checked against the CRM, they worked 72% of the next list in its first week.
How do I set this up in Unify?
Build an Audience from the signal, model or rules you chose, then a Play that gives each account an owner. Manual email steps wait for the rep to approve them, and Insights shows pipeline by Play.