SBI Research Finds Signal-Driven Teams Close Deals 7.4x Larger and 128 Days Faster Than Traditional Account Management
Study of 58,825 signals across 46 enterprise accounts finds expansion pipeline already exists inside most accounts. GTM teams just lack the system to see it.
CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES, May 26, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- SBI, the growth advisory firm, released Pipeline in Plain Sight: Predictable Account Expansion in Unpredictable Times, a study conducted in partnership with Polaris I/O that tracked more than 58,000 business evolution signals across 46 enterprise accounts over 12 months. The research quantifies for the first time what separates GTM teams that consistently win expansion revenue from those that wait to be found.The results were not close. Teams monitoring business evolution signals generated four times more qualified pipeline opportunities, converted at 71% versus 20% for traditional account management, and closed deals averaging $2.6M compared to $350K through conventional approaches. They also closed 128 days faster.
The study draws on data from Polaris I/O, whose platform monitors public business activity across enterprise accounts to surface demand before any vendor search begins. SBI is not aware of another platform that detects and routes pre-intent signals at this scale or with this degree of commercial precision.
Key Findings:
• 4x more qualified opportunities identified through signal-driven approaches (4,270 signal-driven vs. 1,007 traditional) across the same accounts over the same period
• 71% conversion rate for signal-driven opportunities vs. 20% for traditional account management
• 7.4x deal size lift: $2.6M average for signal-driven deals vs. $350K through traditional discovery
• 128 days faster to close: 144 days average signal-driven vs. 272 days conventional
• 82% of all closed expansion deals traced back to three signal categories: Strategic Transformation (31%), Growth and Restructuring (28%), and Environmental Disruption (23%)
Why Pre-Intent Signals Change the Game
Intent data tells sales teams who is already shopping. By the time a buyer is searching for solutions, requirements are often defined, evaluation criteria are set, and at least one vendor is already engaged. Pre-intent signals identify what created that demand: a new executive with a technology mandate, a regulatory change forcing vendor re-evaluation, an acquisition creating infrastructure requirements that did not exist six months earlier.
The research shows this window matters enormously. Teams that engage within 30 days of a business evolution event are positioned as strategic partners, shaping requirements and budgets before any competition exists. Teams engaging between days 30 and 90 enter as contenders. Those arriving after day 90 face a full RFP, competing on price.
Polaris I/O is the only platform SBI has identified that systematically monitors these business evolution events and routes them to the right sellers with enough context to act. The pipeline is there. Most teams simply do not have a system to see it.
What Leaders Are Saying
“Most portfolio companies are sitting on growth signals they cannot see, interpret, or operationalize. This research validates why Signal-Led GTM™ is becoming a competitive requirement, not a sales tactic. A 7.4x difference in deal size and a 128-day faster sales cycle are not incremental gains. They represent a fundamentally different way of identifying, prioritizing, and activating expansion opportunities before competitors even recognize them. For PE-backed firms where NRR, expansion velocity, and valuation are critical, this is one of the clearest commercial intelligence advantages we’ve seen."
— Brian Shea, Founder & CEO, Lucrum Partners
“The shift from intent data to pre-intent signal monitoring is not an incremental improvement in sales technology. It is a different operating model. Companies that detect demand before buyers begin searching do not just win more deals. They get assigned a different role in the process entirely.”
— Peter Sondergaard, Chairman, The Sondergaard Group; Former Executive Vice President and Global Head of Research, Gartner
"In federal and defense environments, Polaris I/O applies its signal engine across three mission-critical functions: collection targeting that tells agencies where to point before the window closes, threat analytics that surfaces emerging vectors before traditional analysis would catch them, and intelligence production that compresses raw signals into decision-ready assessments structured for the specific consumer. Because collection isn't the bottleneck. Analysis is."
— Ankur Laroia, Strategic Advisor, Polaris I/O
Availability
Pipeline in Plain Sight is available here. The report includes the full data analysis, a 90-day implementation playbook, and guidance for GTM leaders building signal-driven expansion programs.
About SBI
SBI is a growth advisory firm that helps CEOs and go-to-market leaders grow revenue, margin, and enterprise value. Driven by proprietary research and delivered from experience, SBI partners with clients as an extension of their team to develop practical strategies that work today and tomorrow. Learn more at www.sbigrowth.com.
About Polaris I/O
Polaris I/O is an enterprise account platform that modernizes account research, planning, and execution. Polaris I/O applies external data and AI-driven intelligence to continuously monitor the relevant needs of enterprise accounts for growth and expansion. With a focus on pre-intent signals, the Polaris I/O platform proactively alerts account sellers to relevant customer problems and challenges, which solutions align to address those challenges, who is involved in the decision-making process, and which value propositions match each stakeholder. Polaris I/O monitors commercial signals across accounts, markets, industries, and suppliers to proactively inform commercial teams of immediate areas of risk and opportunity. Learn more at www.polarisio.com.
Jenny Mittelstaedt
Polaris I/O
+1 630-730-0136
email us here
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