TAM Builder Skill

The TAM Builder Skill takes your ICP definition and returns a verified total addressable market estimate built from Lusha’s database — not a formula applied to an industry report. Real company counts by segment, real contact counts by seniority, real signal coverage showing where buying activity is concentrated right now. Every number in the output is grounded in what actually exists in the market, not what an analyst estimated three years ago.

This is the skill for the moment before you build a territory plan, before you present to a board, before you decide whether a new vertical is worth entering, or before you allocate headcount across segments. It answers the question every sales leader and RevOps team needs answered at the start of every planning cycle: how big is the market we’re actually going after, how is it distributed, and where should we focus first.

The output breaks the TAM into segments — by industry, by company size, by geography, by funding stage — so the number isn’t just a total. It’s a map of where the market lives and which parts of it have the signal density worth prioritizing.

What it does

  • Verified company count — Returns the number of companies in your TAM that exist in Lusha’s database, broken down by the segments you define. Not a market estimate — an actual count of identifiable, reachable companies.
  • Contact coverage by seniority — For each segment, returns how many verified VP+ contacts Lusha has on file. The difference between a segment with 400 companies and strong contact coverage versus a segment with 400 companies and thin coverage is the difference between a territory that’s ready to work and one that needs prospecting investment first.
  • Signal density mapping — Shows where buying signals are concentrated across the TAM right now — which segments have the most active funding events, hiring surges, and executive moves. Signal density is the fastest proxy for where near-term pipeline is most likely to come from.
  • Segment prioritization — Ranks segments by the combination of company count, contact coverage, and signal density — so the output tells you not just how big each segment is but which ones are worth entering first.
  • SAM and SOM breakdown — Separates total addressable market from serviceable addressable market based on your ICP criteria, and serviceable obtainable market based on current signal activity — the three-layer breakdown that boards and investors actually want to see.

Use cases

Annual planning and board prep

Before presenting a growth plan, run the TAM Builder to ground the market size in real data. A TAM built from Lusha’s verified database is more defensible than one extrapolated from an analyst report — every number traces back to an actual company or contact count, not a formula.

New vertical or segment entry

Before allocating headcount to a new segment, run the skill to understand the actual size and signal density of the opportunity. A segment that looks large in theory might have thin contact coverage in Lusha — which means the prospecting investment to penetrate it is higher than it appears. The skill surfaces that before the hiring decision is made.

Territory design and quota setting

When designing territories or setting quotas, TAM distribution across segments and geographies determines what’s fair and what’s achievable. Run the skill by geography to see where company density and contact coverage are strongest before assigning territory boundaries and revenue targets.

Skill definition

---
name: tam-builder-skill
description: >
  Build a verified total addressable market estimate from
  Lusha's database. Takes an ICP definition and returns
  company counts, contact coverage, and signal density
  by segment — broken into TAM, SAM, and SOM. Built from
  real data, not analyst report extrapolation.
connectors:
  required: lusha
campus_url: https://www.lusha.com/campus/plays/tam-builder-skill/
category: Skills
---

# TAM Builder Skill

Build a verified TAM from Lusha's database. Take an ICP,
return company counts, contact coverage, and signal density
by segment. Break into TAM, SAM, and SOM. Make every number
traceable to real data.

## Input

The user will provide via $ARGUMENTS:

- ICP definition: industry, company size range, geography,
  funding stage, company type
- Target buyer: function and seniority
  (e.g. "VP of Sales, Head of RevOps")
- Segments to break down by: [optional] — default is
  industry, size, geography, funding stage
- What you sell: [optional] — used to calculate SOM
  based on signal activity in the market
- Exclusions: [optional] — industries, geographies,
  or company types to exclude from the TAM

If ICP definition is missing, ask once for the minimum:
industry, company size range, and geography.
Never estimate or interpolate — only return what Lusha
can verify.

## Workflow

1. TAM DEFINITION
   Translate the ICP into Lusha search parameters:
   - Industry and sub-verticals
   - Employee count range
   - Geography: country, region, or global
   - Funding stage if specified
   - Company type: public, private, PE-backed, etc.
   - Apply exclusions if provided

2. COMPANY COUNT — TAM
   Run the full TAM query via Lusha:
   - Total companies matching all ICP criteria
   - Break down by each segment dimension:
     * By industry / sub-vertical
     * By company size band
     * By geography
     * By funding stage
   - Flag any segments where Lusha coverage may be
     thinner — e.g. specific geographies or niche
     sub-verticals

3. CONTACT COVERAGE
   For each segment, return verified contact counts:
   - Total VP+ contacts in Lusha's database
   - Breakdown by seniority:
     * C-suite
     * VP
     * Director
     * Manager
   - Coverage ratio: contacts per company
     (high coverage = easier to prospect,
     low coverage = higher prospecting investment)

4. SIGNAL DENSITY
   For each segment, check current signal activity:
   - Funding events in last 90 days
   - Executive moves in last 30 days
   - Hiring surges — 10%+ headcount growth
   - Intent signals above score 60
   - Rank segments by signal density:
     High / Medium / Low

5. SAM CALCULATION
   Narrow TAM to serviceable addressable market:
   - Apply must-have ICP criteria only
   - Remove segments flagged as thin coverage
   - Remove segments with consistently low signal
     density unless user specifies otherwise
   - Return SAM company and contact counts

6. SOM CALCULATION
   Narrow SAM to serviceable obtainable market:
   - Filter to companies with active signals only
     (signal score 60+ in last 90 days)
   - These are the accounts most likely to convert
     in the near term
   - Return SOM company and contact counts
   - Note: SOM will change quarterly as signals
     shift — recommend re-running each quarter

7. SEGMENT PRIORITIZATION
   Rank all segments by combined score:
   - Company count (size of opportunity)
   - Contact coverage ratio (ease of penetration)
   - Signal density (near-term pipeline potential)
   - Return top 3 segments to prioritize first

## Output Format

### TAM summary

| Layer | Companies | VP+ contacts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| TAM — full market | | | All ICP-fit companies |
| SAM — serviceable | | | Must-have criteria applied |
| SOM — obtainable | | | Active signals only |

---

### TAM breakdown by segment

#### By industry

| Industry | Companies | VP+ contacts | Signal density |
|---|---|---|---|

#### By company size

| Size band | Companies | VP+ contacts | Signal density |
|---|---|---|---|

#### By geography

| Geography | Companies | VP+ contacts | Signal density |
|---|---|---|---|

#### By funding stage

| Stage | Companies | VP+ contacts | Signal density |
|---|---|---|---|

---

### Segment prioritization

Ranked by combined score of size, coverage, and signals:

1. [Segment] — [reason: largest signal density /
   strongest coverage / highest company count]
2. [Segment]
3. [Segment]

---

### Data coverage notes

Flag any segments where Lusha's coverage is thinner
than the rest of the TAM — specific geographies,
niche sub-verticals, or company types where the
count may underrepresent the true market size.

---

### Recommended next step

Based on the TAM output, suggest:
- Which segment to build the first territory from
- Which play or skill to run next
  (e.g. Build territory plan, Find lookalike accounts,
  Get 10 best accounts this week)
Built by: Lusha
Tools: Claude, Lusha
Type: Skill

FAQ

  • How accurate are the company and contact counts?

    The counts reflect what exists in Lusha’s verified database at the time the skill runs — 300M+ contacts and 30M+ company profiles, refreshed daily. For most B2B segments in North America and Western Europe, coverage is strong enough to use as a primary planning input. For niche sub-verticals, emerging markets, or very small company size bands, the skill flags where coverage may be thinner so you know which numbers are highly reliable and which should be treated as directional. The output is always a floor, not a ceiling — the real market may be larger in segments where Lusha’s coverage is still growing.

  • How is SOM calculated and how often does it change?

    SOM is calculated from the SAM filtered to companies with active buying signals above a score of 60 in the last 90 days. It represents the portion of your addressable market that is demonstrably in motion right now — showing intent, hiring in your target function, raising capital, or bringing in new leadership. Because signals change weekly, SOM is the most dynamic layer of the three. Re-running the skill quarterly keeps the SOM current and gives you a rolling view of where near-term pipeline is most likely to come from as market conditions shift.

  • Can I use this for a specific geography only?

    Yes — pass the geography in the ICP definition and the skill scopes the entire analysis to that region. You can go as broad as “North America” or as specific as “UK and DACH.” Running it by geography is particularly useful for territory design — it shows you the actual company and contact density in each region before you set territory boundaries and quota targets, so the distribution reflects what’s actually reachable rather than what looks balanced on a map.

  • How is this different from the Build a List by Geography play?

    The Build a List by Geography play returns a prospecting list — specific companies and contacts in a geography, ready to work. This skill returns a market sizing analysis — company counts, contact coverage, and signal density broken into TAM, SAM, and SOM by segment. Different jobs. Use this skill for planning, board prep, and territory design. Use the Build a List play when you’re ready to start prospecting into a specific segment.

  • Can I present the output directly to a board or investor?

    The output is structured for exactly that use case — TAM, SAM, and SOM in a clean table with segment breakdowns and sourcing notes. Add a line attributing the data to Lusha’s verified B2B database and note the run date so the numbers are clearly time-stamped. For a board presentation, the segment prioritization section is particularly useful — it shows not just the size of the market but where the company is best positioned to win first, grounded in signal density rather than strategic opinion.

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