How AI Agents Decide Which Accounts Are Worth Touching Today
AI sales agents decide what accounts to reach out to by scoring ICP fit, buying intent, and engagement, applying time-decay on signals.
The 3 Scoring Layers
ICP fit (firmographics, technographics, win patterns), buying intent (funding, hiring, category research), and engagement (email opens, content views, past replies). Fit and intent must both cross a threshold; engagement breaks ties.
Time-Decay on Signals
Exponential weighting pushes recent events to the top. 0 to 7 days gets full weight, 8 to 30 days partial, 31 to 90 days near zero. This is how a 65/100 account becomes 88/100 when a funding event and VP hire cluster in one week.
Tier 1 Discipline
Cap Tier 1 at 10% of total accounts. Teams that overload Tier 1 see 2.3x lower engagement. Signal-qualified leads convert 47% better and close at 43% larger deal sizes.
Build Order
Build ICP fit first, then intent, then engagement. Calibrate quarterly against closed-won data so the composite score keeps tracking outcomes as markets shift.