Scan your book of business for expansion signals
This play scans your accounts for signals that tend to show up before a customer is ready to expand — headcount growth, new hires in untapped functions, funding, an exec arrival that typically widens vendor scope. Lusha runs the scan. The output is a ranked shortlist with the specific signal and a suggested opening line for each account worth pursuing this week.
Images on this page are for illustrative purposes only. Example outputs are based on Lusha data, with personal details masked or abbreviated for privacy.
The prompt
<context>
I want to find expansion opportunities in my current book of business before I go looking for new logos. I'm looking for accounts that have a signal worth acting on this week — not accounts I've already qualified for expansion.
My book of business:
- Account list: [PASTE COMPANY NAMES, ONE PER LINE]
- What I sell: [PRODUCT / USE CASE]
- How we typically expand: [SEATS / NEW TEAMS / NEW USE CASES / GEOGRAPHY]
- Any accounts already in an active expansion conversation: [LIST OR "NONE" — skip these]
</context>
<task>
For each account, use Lusha to scan for signals that typically precede an expansion conversation:
1. Headcount growth signals
- Growth of 15%+ in the team or function currently using the product
- New hires in a function or geography we don't currently sell into
- A spike in open roles in a relevant function
2. Funding and investment signals
- New funding round in the last 90 days (Series B+ typically unlocks new vendor spend)
- Acquisition of another company as the buyer
3. Executive arrival signals
- New VP or C-level hire in a function we sell into but don't currently have coverage in
- New CRO, VP of Sales, or Head of GTM (typically audits the sales stack within 90 days)
- New CTO or VP of Engineering (typically expands the technical tooling stack)
4. For each signal found, rate the expansion opportunity:
- STRONG — signal directly suggests a near-term expansion conversation
- POSSIBLE — signal is worth a proactive mention on the next call
- MONITOR — signal is early or indirect — flag for next quarter
5. For each STRONG or POSSIBLE account, return:
- The specific signal Lusha surfaced
- The expansion angle it suggests (more seats, new team, new use case)
- A one-line conversation opener specific to the signal
Return:
1. A ranked list: STRONG first, then POSSIBLE, then MONITOR
2. A summary line: how many accounts have a STRONG or POSSIBLE signal out of the total scanned
3. One flag if any account shows both an expansion signal and a churn signal
</task>
<constraints>
- Only surface signals Lusha actually returns. Don't infer expansion readiness from revenue or industry alone.
- The conversation opener must reference the specific signal — not a generic check-in.
- If an account shows a strong expansion signal but also a structural churn risk, flag it — don't include it in the expansion shortlist without the caveat.
- If fewer than 3 accounts have a STRONG signal, say so. Don't inflate ratings to fill a list.
</constraints>What you'll get back
The situation: An AM at a revenue intelligence platform runs the play across 9 accounts on a Tuesday morning. Mix of $35K–$160K ARR contracts. No active expansion conversations in the book. She sells primarily to Sales and RevOps teams and expands through seat count and new team adoption.
Output: 2 STRONG signals, 3 POSSIBLE, 4 MONITOR. Enough to fill her week without manufacturing pipeline.
Summary
9 accounts scanned. 2 STRONG · 3 POSSIBLE · 4 MONITOR.
Run: May 21, 2025. Signals via Lusha.
STRONG — act this week
Halcyon Ventures · $72K ARR · Current use: Sales team, 18 seats
- Signal: Hired a VP of Revenue Operations 3 weeks ago (new to company, external hire). Also added 6 SDR roles in the last 30 days.
- Expansion angle: RevOps hire typically audits the sales stack within 60–90 days. 6 new SDRs = 6 seats not yet on the contract.
- Opener: “Saw you brought on a new VP of RevOps and are scaling the SDR team — wanted to connect before she’s fully settled in and starts locking in her stack.”
Bright Arc Systems · $110K ARR · Current use: Sales team, 31 seats
- Signal: Closed a $40M Series B 6 weeks ago. Headcount in Sales up 28% in the last quarter. 11 open roles in Sales and Customer Success currently posted.
- Expansion angle: Series B + active hiring = budget unlocked and team growing past current seat count.
- Opener: “Congrats on the Series B — looks like the team is scaling quickly. Wanted to make sure your contract is keeping up with the headcount before someone hits a seat limit mid-quarter.”
POSSIBLE — raise on the next call
| Account | ARR | Signal | Expansion angle | Opener |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waverly Digital | $55K | New Head of Customer Success hired (CS team not currently using the product) | New team = new use case | “I saw you recently built out a CS function — curious whether there’s a fit there we haven’t explored.” |
| Dune Analytics | $44K | Headcount in the data team up 18% in 90 days | More users in existing function | “Your data team has grown a bit — worth checking if current seat count still covers everyone.” |
| Kestrel Labs | $38K | Acquired a smaller company last month as the buyer | New entity may need separate coverage | “With the acquisition, curious if the new team will need their own setup or fold into your existing contract.” |
MONITOR — flag for next quarter
Corelink SaaS · $95K · No signals this week Finova Group · $180K · No signals this week Aster Platforms · $61K · No signals this week Novela Group · $48K · No signals this week
One combined signal flag
None this week. No accounts in the scanned list show both an expansion signal and a structural churn risk simultaneously.
Signals pulled via Lusha connector, May 21. Account names are illustrative; details masked for privacy.
Why use Lusha in Claude
Expansion conversations usually start too late — on the renewal call, when the customer already has a number in their head. Lusha in Claude moves the signal earlier: a funding round, a new VP, 6 new SDR hires show up weeks before anyone has a budget conversation. Running the scan takes two minutes. The output tells you which accounts to call today and what to say when you do — pulled from the actual signal, not a generic check-in script.
Data drawn from 300M+ verified contacts under GDPR, CCPA, SOC 2, ISO 27701, ISO 31700, and TRUSTe.
FAQ
How often should I run this?
Weekly works well — Monday or Tuesday morning before you plan your outreach for the week. Signals like new hires and funding rounds are time-sensitive: a new VP of RevOps is most open to vendor conversations in the first 60 days. Waiting a month to surface that signal costs you the window.
What if most accounts come back as MONITOR?
That’s an honest read — it means your book doesn’t have strong signals this week. MONITOR accounts aren’t opportunities to manufacture; they’re accounts to revisit next week. Don’t force expansion conversations where the signal isn’t there.
I already know which accounts are growing. Why run this?
What you know is what your contacts told you. Lusha surfaces what’s happening that nobody mentioned — the VP hire that landed three weeks ago, the 11 open roles that signal a growth phase, the acquisition the customer hasn’t brought up yet. The signal you don’t know about is the one worth finding.
What's the difference between this play and the churn risk play?
The churn risk play looks for signals that threaten a contract. This one looks for signals that open one. They use the same Lusha scan and similar account list input — run them together before a QBR or planning cycle and you get both sides of the book in one session.
Can I use this for new logo prospecting too?
This play is built for existing accounts — the expansion angle depends on knowing what you already sell them. For new logo prospecting from a signal, Play 09 (build a prospect list from a trigger event) is the right play for that motion.
What if an account shows both an expansion signal and a churn signal?
The prompt flags this explicitly and excludes that account from the expansion shortlist until the churn risk is resolved. Pitching expansion to an account where the CFO just left is the kind of call that damages a relationship. Resolve the churn signal first — run the champion left play or the churn risk play on that account before going back to expansion.
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