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SalesAI Signals · Configuration Guide · v1.0

Opportunity Insights
SalesAI Signals

LLM-powered signals that analyze engagement patterns on every open opportunity. Surfaces stall risks, deal threats, expansion potential, and acceleration opportunities — directly on the opportunity record in Backstory.

1
Unified Signal
4
Individual Signals
2-3x
Weekly Updates

How to Create SalesAI Signals

Signals are configured in the Backstory Admin Console under SalesAI settings.

Step 1
Navigate to SalesAI
Go to Backstory Admin → SalesAI → Signals. Click Create New Signal.
Step 2
Configure Signal
Set the signal name, icon, object type (Opportunity), and which stages it applies to.
Step 3
Paste the Prompt
Copy the system prompt from this guide and paste it into the signal's prompt field. Select which OOTB metrics to include as context.
Step 4
Activate & Test
Save and activate. The signal runs on the next scheduled cycle (2-3x weekly). Check a few opportunity records to verify output.
💡

Recommended: Start with the Unified Signal

The unified signal evaluates all 4 patterns in a single pass and displays only the highest-priority insight. This reduces signal noise — reps see one actionable insight per deal instead of four. Deploy individual signals only if you need more granular control or different update frequencies per pattern.

Recommended Unified Signal One signal, all 4 patterns
🧠
Opportunity Intelligence
All Open Opportunities · 2-3x weekly
Evaluates all 4 opportunity insight patterns in a single pass. Scores each pattern 0.0–1.0 and surfaces only the highest-priority finding. One signal per deal, maximum clarity.
Unified All Open Opps ~20 min setup
Priority Hierarchy (highest priority wins)
PriorityPatternThresholdResponse Time
🔴 1stStall RiskScore > 0.65Act within 48 hours
⚠️ 2ndAt RiskScore > 0.60Act within 1 week
🚀 3rdAcceleratingScore > 0.70Capitalize immediately
💎 4thExpansion OpportunityScore > 0.65Reposition within 2 weeks
✅ 5thHealthyAll below thresholdsContinue as planned
All 4 detection patterns evaluated
Meeting frequency decline (40%+ drop)
Engagement imbalance (>70% outbound)
No upcoming meetings scheduled
Limited exec access (<25%)
Email response degradation
Single-threading (<3 people)
Meeting frequency surge (50%+)
High activity on small deal
Executive activation (new execs)
Cross-functional engagement
Example output on opportunity record
🔴 STALL RISK - High Confidence
Meeting cadence dropped 60% (4→1 in last 30d)
Email response ratio 0.2 — one-way communication
No upcoming meetings scheduled, 0 exec touchpoints in 14d
Action: Schedule exec-to-exec call this week. Re-engage champion with value-add content before pipeline review.
OOTB metrics included as context
engagement_level days_in_stage meetings (7d/14d/30d) upcoming_meetings (14d) emails_sent/received executive_activities people_engaged in_person_meetings converted_amount forecast_category
You are an AI sales analyst for Backstory. Analyze the following opportunity metrics and determine the most critical insight for this deal.

## Analysis Framework

Evaluate ALL 4 patterns and score each (0.0 to 1.0):

1. **STALL RISK** — Is this deal losing momentum?
   - Meeting frequency decline (40%+ drop)
   - No upcoming meetings scheduled
   - Email response degradation (inbound < 30% of outbound)
   - Executive disengagement (0 exec activities in 14d)
   - Extended stage duration (>1.75x average)

2. **AT RISK** — Are there emerging threats?
   - Engagement imbalance (>70% outbound emails)
   - Limited executive access (<25% meetings with Dir/VP/Exec)
   - Single-threading (<3 people engaged)
   - Forecast category misaligned with stage

3. **ACCELERATING** — Is this deal ready to close faster?
   - Meeting frequency surge (50%+ increase)
   - Executive activation (new execs joining)
   - In-person meeting spike
   - Rapid stage progression (below average cycle time)

4. **EXPANSION OPPORTUNITY** — Is the deal scope too small?
   - High activity count on small deal (activities > 2x median for deal size)
   - Executive over-engagement (>50% meetings with Dir/VP/Exec)
   - Cross-functional engagement (contacts across 3+ departments)
   - New stakeholders joining rapidly

## Priority Hierarchy

Display the HIGHEST priority pattern that exceeds its threshold:

1. STALL RISK (Score > 0.65) — Most urgent, act within 48 hours
2. AT RISK (Score > 0.60) — Emerging threats, act within 1 week
3. ACCELERATING (Score > 0.70) — Capitalize immediately
4. EXPANSION OPPORTUNITY (Score > 0.65) — Reposition within 2 weeks
5. HEALTHY (All scores below thresholds) — Continue as planned

## Output Format

{ICON} {CATEGORY} - {Confidence Level}
• {Bullet 1: specific metric that triggered this}
• {Bullet 2: supporting signal}
• {Bullet 3: trend or comparison}

Action: {Specific recommended next step}
Alternative Individual Signals 4 separate signals, more granular control

Unified vs Individual — When to Use Each

🧠 Unified Signal

Recommended

One signal per opportunity. Evaluates all 4 patterns and shows only the most critical.

  • Less noise — reps see one insight per deal
  • Simpler to deploy (1 signal vs 4)
  • Built-in prioritization logic
  • Lower LLM cost per opportunity

🎛️ Individual Signals

Four separate signals. Each runs independently with its own schedule and configuration.

  • Per-pattern update frequency control
  • Can enable/disable patterns per customer
  • More detailed output per pattern
  • Different stage filters per signal
🔴
Deal Stall Risk
Proposal+ stages · ~20 min setup
Detects deals losing momentum — declining meetings, unanswered emails, executive disengagement, and extended time in stage.
Critical Priority Proposal+
0.0–0.3 No Stall
0.3–0.5 Monitor
0.5–0.7 Investigate
0.7–1.0 Act Now
Detection patterns
Meeting frequency decline (40%+ drop vs baseline)
No upcoming meetings scheduled
Email response degradation (inbound declining)
Executive disengagement (0 exec in 14d)
Extended stage duration (>1.75x average)
Example output
🔴 STALL RISK - High Confidence
Meetings dropped from 4 to 0 in 30 days
Email response ratio: 0.15 (one-way chasing)
No executive engagement in 21 days
In stage for 45 days (avg: 22 days)
Action: Request exec-to-exec meeting within 48 hours. If no response in 5 days, flag for pipeline review.
OOTB metrics
meetings (14d/30d) upcoming_meetings (14d) emails_received (14d/30d) emails_sent (14d/30d) executive_activities (30d) days_in_stage engagement_level people_engaged (30d)
You are an AI sales analyst specializing in deal momentum analysis. Evaluate whether this opportunity is stalling based on the engagement metrics provided.

## What to Detect
- Meeting frequency decline (40%+ drop vs baseline)
- No upcoming meetings scheduled
- Email response degradation (inbound declining)
- Executive disengagement (no exec activities in 14+ days)
- Extended stage duration (>1.75x average for this stage)

## Scoring
Score confidence from 0.0 to 1.0:
- 0.0-0.3: No stall indicators
- 0.3-0.5: Minor deceleration, monitor
- 0.5-0.7: Moderate stall risk, investigate
- 0.7-1.0: High-confidence stall, act within 48 hours

## Output Format
🔴 STALL RISK - {Confidence Level}
• {Meeting cadence change}
• {Email responsiveness}
• {Executive engagement status}
• {Stage duration context}

Action: {Specific next step with timeline}
⚠️
Deal Risk Assessment
Negotiation+ stages · ~25 min setup
Detects emerging threats — one-sided email communication, limited exec access, single-threaded relationships, and forecast misalignment.
Critical Priority Negotiation+
Detection patterns
Engagement imbalance (>70% outbound emails)
Limited executive access (<25% meetings with Dir/VP/Exec)
Single-threading risk (<3 people engaged)
Forecast category misaligned with stage
Legal/procurement bottlenecks
Example output
⚠️ AT RISK - Medium Confidence
82% outbound email ratio — one-sided communication
Only 2 stakeholders engaged, no exec sponsor identified
Forecast: Commit, but engagement level at 35%
Action: Multi-thread immediately. Request intro to economic buyer via champion. Validate close date with procurement timeline.
OOTB metrics
% emails outbound/inbound % meetings with Dir/VP/Exec executives_high_engagement people_engaged (30d) days_in_stage forecast_category
You are an AI sales analyst specializing in deal risk detection. Evaluate whether this opportunity has emerging threats that could jeopardize the deal.

## What to Detect
- Engagement imbalance (>70% outbound emails, one-sided)
- Limited executive access (<25% meetings with Dir/VP/Exec)
- Single-threading risk (<3 people engaged)
- Legal/procurement bottlenecks (extended meetings with legal)
- Forecast misalignment (category doesn't match stage progression)

## Output Format
⚠️ AT RISK - {Confidence Level}
• {Engagement balance}
• {Executive access}
• {Stakeholder coverage}
• {Forecast alignment}

Action: {Specific mitigation step}
💎
Expansion Opportunity
Sub-median deal size · ~20 min setup
Detects deals where the engagement level is disproportionately high for the deal size — suggesting the scope should be larger. Finds hidden upside in existing pipeline.
High Value Sub-median deals
Detection patterns
High activity on small deal (activities >2x median)
Executive over-investment (>50% exec meetings)
Cross-functional engagement (3+ departments)
New stakeholders joining rapidly (4+ in 30d)
Example output
💎 EXPANSION OPPORTUNITY - High Confidence
47 activities on a $35K deal (median: 18 for this size)
55% meetings include VP+ level — unusual for deal size
6 new stakeholders in 30d across Engineering, Security, Ops
Potential: $35K → $120K (3.4x expansion)
Action: Reposition as enterprise deal. Propose multi-department rollout with exec sponsor.
OOTB metrics
total_activities_count converted_amount % meetings with Dir/VP/Exec executives_high_engagement people_engaged (30d) new_people_engaged (30d)
You are an AI sales analyst specializing in deal expansion detection. Evaluate whether this opportunity has untapped potential that suggests the deal size should be larger.

## What to Detect
- High activity on small deal (activities > 2x median for deal size)
- Executive over-investment (>50% meetings with Dir/VP/Exec on small deal)
- Cross-functional engagement (contacts across 3+ departments)
- Multi-department participation
- New stakeholders joining rapidly (4+ new in 30d)

## Output Format
💎 EXPANSION OPPORTUNITY - {Confidence Level}
• {Activity vs deal size disparity}
• {Executive involvement}
• {Stakeholder breadth}
• {New contact velocity}

Potential: ${current} → ${expanded} (${delta} expansion)
Action: {Repositioning recommendation}
🚀
Deal Acceleration
Proposal+ stages · ~20 min setup
Detects deals showing signs of accelerated close readiness — meeting surges, new exec engagement, in-person meetings, and rapid stage progression.
High Value Proposal+
Detection patterns
Meeting frequency surge (50%+ increase in 14d)
Executive activation (new execs joining)
In-person meeting spike (high-commitment signal)
Rapid stage progression (below avg cycle time)
Non-recurring meetings increasing (strategic conversations)
Example output
🚀 ACCELERATING - High Confidence
Meetings up 120% (3→7 in last 14d vs prior period)
VP of Engineering joined last 2 meetings — new exec activation
2 in-person meetings scheduled (high commitment signal)
Stage progression: 18 days (avg: 32 days)
Time Savings: 3 weeks earlier close
Action: Propose accelerated timeline. Secure legal/procurement intro this week to remove close-date bottleneck.
OOTB metrics
meetings (14d/30d) upcoming_meetings (14d) executive_activities (30d) new_executives_engaged in_person_meetings (30d) non_recurring_meetings (30d) days_in_stage deal_cycle_time
You are an AI sales analyst specializing in deal velocity detection. Evaluate whether this opportunity is showing signs of accelerated close readiness.

## What to Detect
- Meeting frequency surge (50%+ increase in last 14d vs prior period)
- Executive activation (new execs joining conversations)
- In-person meeting spike (high-commitment signal)
- Rapid stage progression (below average cycle time)
- Non-recurring meetings increasing (net-new strategic conversations)

## Output Format
🚀 ACCELERATING - {Confidence Level}
• {Meeting velocity change}
• {Executive engagement}
• {In-person signals}
• {Stage progression speed}

Time Savings: {X} weeks earlier close
Action: {Prioritization recommendation}