The Surge Quadrant is a visual tool that helps you understand where accounts are in their buying journey based on intent activity. It segments your data into four clear stages — from early research through to high-intent, purchase-ready accounts — so you can prioritise outreach and tailor engagement strategies.
How it works:
Accounts are plotted on the Surge Quadrant using two factors:
- Intensity of activity → how much research and signal volume is happening.
- Number of spikes → how many distinct intent signals the account has triggered.
Together, these reveal how close a prospect is to making a buying decision.
The four quadrants explained:
1) Initial — Low activity, few spikes
What it means: Accounts are just beginning their research, exploring general information and broad topics. Activity is minimal.
What to do: Not ready for sales yet. Keep them warm with educational content and light nurturing.
2) Interested — Moderate activity, increasing spikes
What it means: Accounts are moving into more specific research, exploring potential solutions, and generating multiple signals.
What to do: Nurture with product comparisons, case studies, and relevant content. Monitor closely as they progress.
3) Active — High activity, focused spikes
What it means: Accounts are strongly engaged and actively evaluating vendors, though the number of signals may be fewer.
What to do: Reach out directly. Offer tailored demos, in-depth content, and address buying questions head-on.
4) In-Depth — High activity, multiple spikes
What it means: These are your hottest leads. They’re highly engaged, researching in detail, and actively comparing solutions.
What to do: Prioritise immediately. Use personalised, sales-driven outreach and move quickly to close while interest is peaking.
How to use the Surge Quadrant:
- Prioritise high-value accounts
Focus first on the In-Depth and Active quadrants. These are closest to conversion. - Tailor outreach by stage
- In-Depth → Direct, personalised sales engagement.
- Active → Demos, detailed resources, tailored conversations.
- Interested → Light nurturing with relevant, problem-solving content.
- Initial → Passive monitoring and educational material.
- Track progress over time
Accounts shift between quadrants as their research activity changes. Use this to monitor pipeline movement and engage at the right moment.
Best practices:
- Review quadrant movement weekly to spot new opportunities.
- Align sales and marketing by mapping campaigns to each stage.
- Don’t waste credits pushing hard on “Initial” — nurture instead.
- Prioritise “In-Depth” for immediate sales engagement.
FAQs:
How often is the Surge Quadrant updated?
The quadrant updates automatically as new intent signals are detected. Accounts can move between quadrants in near real time.
Can an account appear in more than one quadrant?
No. Each account will appear in the quadrant that reflects its current intensity and spike activity.
Why do some accounts stay in “Initial” for a long time?
Some accounts may only be lightly researching. This is normal — keep them monitored and nurture lightly until activity increases.
Do I need to set up anything to use the Surge Quadrant?
No setup is required. The quadrant uses our default intent scoring mechanism to place accounts automatically. However, this scoring model is fully customisable — you can adjust the thresholds and weightings in your Intent Settings if you want to fine-tune how accounts are scored and placed in each quadrant.
How does this relate to spikes?
- Spikes measure bursts of activity around intent topics.
- Surge Quadrant combines spikes with overall research intensity to show where in the buying journey an account is.
Can I export accounts by quadrant?
Yes. You can filter by quadrant and action those accounts — for example, adding “In-Depth” accounts to a CRM list for immediate sales follow-up.