The Four Dimensions
Reach is the fourth dimension in Seam’s comprehensive account scoring:| Dimension | Question It Answers |
|---|---|
| Fit | Is this account a good target for us? (ICP match) |
| Intent | Are they interacting with us? (Inbound signals) |
| Signals | Are there external opportunities? (Buying triggers) |
| Reach | Are we reaching out to them? (Outbound coverage) |
The Power of Four Dimensions: “High fit, high intent accounts showing signals that no one’s reaching out to. That’s your list right there.”
Reach vs. Intent: A Critical Distinction
Many people confuse Reach with Intent. Here’s the difference:| Intent (Inbound) | Reach (Outbound) |
|---|---|
| Are they engaging with you? | Are you engaging with them? |
| Website visits, email opens, ad clicks | Emails sent, calls made, sequences added |
| Shows buyer interest | Shows seller coverage |
| Measures their activity | Measures your activity |
| Marketing & sales receive engagement | Marketing & sales create engagement |
How Reach Is Measured
Reach evaluates engagement across two dimensions:- Breadth
- Depth
How wide is your coverage?
- How many people at the account are you engaging?
- Are you reaching multiple contacts across the buying committee?
- Is it single-threaded or multi-threaded?
- Low Breadth: Only reaching 1 contact
- High Breadth: Engaging 5-7 buying committee members
Sales vs. Marketing Coverage
Reach also distinguishes between:- Sales engagement - SDR emails, calls, meetings, sequence touches
- Marketing engagement - Campaigns, ads, nurture sequences, content sends
Data Sources
Reach aggregates outbound activity from your GTM systems:| Category | Sources |
|---|---|
| Sales Engagement | SalesLoft, Outreach, HubSpot sequences |
| CRM | Salesforce, HubSpot (activities, tasks, emails) |
| Marketing Automation | Marketo, HubSpot (campaign touches) |
| Tracked emails sent to contacts | |
| Meetings | Calendar integrations, meeting records |
| Ads | LinkedIn Ads, Google Ads (audience membership) |
If your CRM or sales engagement tool records an email as sent, Seam counts it toward Reach. This ensures comprehensive tracking of all outbound efforts.
Identifying Coverage Gaps
Reach becomes powerful when combined with the other three dimensions to surface accounts being neglected:High-Value Accounts with No Outreach
High-Value Accounts with No Outreach
Scenario: High Fit + High Intent + Strong Signals + Low ReachExample: “Contentful is a high fit account for us. They’re engaging with our ads and promoting people in our buying personas. They’re in consideration phase and we’ve only reached out to one person—whose email bounced.”Action: Immediate priority. Start outreach immediately before competitor does.
Single-Threaded Accounts
Single-Threaded Accounts
Scenario: Only one contact being engaged at a large accountRisk: If that contact leaves, goes dark, or isn’t a champion, the entire account goes coldAction: Multi-threading play to expand coverage across buying committee
Bounced or Invalid Contacts
Bounced or Invalid Contacts
Scenario: The only contact you’re reaching has a bounced emailProblem: Account effectively has zero coverage despite appearing “worked”Action: Find and engage valid contacts at the account
Sales-Only or Marketing-Only Coverage
Sales-Only or Marketing-Only Coverage
Scenario: Account only receiving sales outreach OR only in marketing nurtureGap: Missing coordinated multi-channel engagementAction: Add complementary channel to increase pressure and awareness
Use Cases
1. Multi-Threading Campaigns
When Reach shows you’re only engaging one person at an account, automatically expand coverage: Workflow:Build Multi-Threading Plays
Learn how to automate buying committee expansion
2. Neglected High-Value Accounts
Surface accounts that deserve attention but aren’t getting it: Filter Example:- Fit Score: A or B
- Intent Score: High
- Signals: New hire or funding in past 30 days
- Reach: Low (0-2 contacts, low activity)
3. Balancing Sales and Marketing
Ensure coordinated coverage rather than siloed outreach:| Coverage Type | What It Means | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Sales Only | SDR working account, no marketing support | Add to nurture campaigns and ad audiences |
| Marketing Only | In campaigns but no direct outreach | Assign to SDR for personalized outreach |
| Both | Coordinated multi-channel engagement | Ideal state - monitor and maintain |
| Neither | No coverage at all | Immediate priority if high Fit/Intent |
4. Coverage Quality Assessment
Not all Reach is created equal:- Strong Reach
- Weak Reach
✅ 5+ buying committee members engaged✅ Mix of sales and marketing touches✅ Recent activity (within 14 days)✅ Multiple channels (email, phone, LinkedIn)✅ Valid contact data (no bounces)
Reach-Based Prioritization
Use Reach to guide where you focus outbound efforts:| Scenario | Interpretation | Action |
|---|---|---|
| High Fit + High Intent + Low Reach | Hot account, no coverage | Top Priority - Start outreach now |
| High Fit + Low Intent + Low Reach | Good target, cold | Run awareness plays first |
| High Fit + High Intent + High Reach | Already being worked | Monitor progress, don’t over-engage |
| Low Fit + Any Intent + Any Reach | Poor target | Deprioritize regardless of coverage |
| High Fit + High Intent + Medium Reach (Single-thread) | At risk | Expand to buying committee |
The best opportunities are accounts with high Fit and Intent but low Reach. They’re showing interest, but nobody’s engaging them yet.
Building Reach-Based Audiences
Create dynamic audiences to identify coverage gaps: Example Audiences:Neglected High-Intent Accounts
Neglected High-Intent Accounts
- Fit Score: A or B
- Intent Score: High
- Reach: Low (fewer than 3 contacts)
- Last touch: Over 30 days ago
Single-Threaded Risk Accounts
Single-Threaded Risk Accounts
- Fit Score: A
- Opportunity Stage: Discovery or later
- Contacts engaged: 1
- Contact status: Active
Marketing-Only Accounts
Marketing-Only Accounts
- Fit Score: A or B
- Marketing touches: 5+
- Sales touches: 0
- Intent Score: Medium or High
Bounced Contact Accounts
Bounced Contact Accounts
- Contacts engaged: 1
- Email status: Bounced
- Account status: Active target
Create Audiences
Learn how to build dynamic audience segments
Automated Reach Expansion
Use low Reach as a trigger for automated plays: Example Play: Auto-Expand CoverageViewing Reach Data
In Seam
- Account records - See breadth and depth of coverage
- Coverage dashboard - Identify gaps across your TAM
- Audience filters - Segment by Reach level
- Play triggers - Automate based on low Reach
In Your CRM
Reach metrics sync to Salesforce/HubSpot:- Number of contacts engaged
- Last touch date
- Sales vs. marketing coverage split
- Coverage quality indicators
Best Practices
Don't confuse activity with effectiveness
Don't confuse activity with effectiveness
10 emails to the wrong person is worse than 2 emails to the right person. Quality of coverage matters more than quantity.
Multi-thread early
Multi-thread early
Don’t wait until late-stage to expand coverage. Engage multiple stakeholders from the start to build consensus.
Combine sales and marketing
Combine sales and marketing
Coordinated multi-channel engagement is more effective than either channel alone. Use both.
Monitor for coverage decay
Monitor for coverage decay
Accounts can go from high Reach to low Reach if engagement stops. Set alerts for accounts with declining coverage.
Validate contact quality
Validate contact quality
Bounced emails, wrong titles, or departed employees make your Reach score meaningless. Keep contact data fresh.
Use Reach to prevent churn
Use Reach to prevent churn
For existing customers, low Reach indicates at-risk accounts. Expand coverage to protect renewals.
Common Questions
If I'm running marketing campaigns, why is Reach still low?
If I'm running marketing campaigns, why is Reach still low?
Reach measures active, targeted outbound—not passive campaign inclusion. An account in a broad nurture campaign may not register as “reached” if they’re not receiving personalized attention.
Does adding someone to a LinkedIn ad audience count as Reach?
Does adding someone to a LinkedIn ad audience count as Reach?
Yes, if they’re in a targeted account-based audience. Broad retargeting audiences don’t count—Reach focuses on intentional, account-specific engagement.
How often should I expand Reach at an account?
How often should I expand Reach at an account?
When you first engage (multi-thread early), when deals progress to new stages (involve new personas), and when coverage becomes single-threaded again (someone leaves).
Can Reach be too high?
Can Reach be too high?
Yes. Over-engagement burns out accounts. If you’re reaching 15+ people at a 100-person company with daily touches, you’re likely doing more harm than good.
How does Reach help with existing customers?
How does Reach help with existing customers?
Low Reach on existing customers indicates at-risk accounts. If you’re not engaging your customer base, they’re vulnerable to churn and competitive displacement.