From manual research to signal-driven pipeline

Zencity helps local governments make better decisions by understanding what residents actually think and feel. For Josie Peery, who leads enterprise accounts, that means identifying the right agencies at the right moment and engaging them with context that reflects what they are actively working on.

Before Starbridge, finding those opportunities relied on Google Alerts and manual research. Signals were scattered, inconsistent, and often surfaced too late to act on. Valuable time was spent sifting through noise instead of focusing on real demand.

Now, Starbridge surfaces high intent accounts already discussing the problems Zencity solves. Instead of chasing leads, Josie starts each day with a clear view of where interest is emerging, which accounts are showing buying signals, and where her team can add value.

"Starbridge has already done a lot of that filtering. It's only surfacing the best leads — people that are talking about things I've trained it to talk about. It understands when a lead is at that point of buying, or when there are gaps in what they're currently doing where I could come in and be helpful."

Faster execution, more relevant outreach

With Starbridge, the workflow from research to outreach is streamlined into a single system. Josie can quickly understand what a city is prioritizing, identify the right stakeholders, and translate that insight into messaging that reflects real, current needs.

Instead of spending 20 to 30 minutes gathering context and contact data for each prospect, she can move from signal to outreach in seconds, saving over an hour each day and increasing the volume of high quality touchpoints.

"I'll use the Ask Starbridge feature to identify a couple of key topics or priorities they've been talking about at their recent council meetings. Then I'm taking the Starbridge email snippets — those are new and incredible — and throwing those into my outreach tools."

Because outreach is grounded in what cities are actively discussing, it lands differently. Conversations start warmer, and response rates improve.

"It's a lot more common that I'm getting replies, even on those cold-level emails, because they feel warmer. It feels like I understand what's going on in their city and have some insight into what they need."

Turning insight into meetings

That context becomes even more powerful in live settings. Whether at conferences or in first conversations, Starbridge equips Josie with the specificity needed to break through immediately.

By combining buying signals, stakeholder context, and real time priorities, she can approach prospects with relevance from the first interaction, making it easier to earn time and start meaningful conversations.

"If I can go up to a prospect in person and say, 'Hey, I know you're working on this big project' — that's going to be a meeting every single time. I've had a 100% success rate walking into those conversations and having that data."

Navigating complex government sales

Selling into government requires more than identifying interest. Procurement rules, approval processes, and political dynamics all influence how deals move forward.

Starbridge gives Josie visibility into those layers before the first call, including purchasing pathways, past contracts, and how decisions are typically made within each agency. This allows her to tailor her approach and engage buyers with credibility from the outset.

"Every time I'm walking into a first discovery call, I'm checking that procurement message and already have my talk track ready — here are resellers they've thought through, here are purchasing methods they've had before. I'm ready to have that conversation with my buyers on call number one."

Expanding and strengthening accounts

Beyond new pipeline, Starbridge helps Zencity stay ahead within existing accounts. As champions move roles and priorities shift, Josie can track those changes, anticipate new needs, and build relationships early.

This proactive approach allows her team to maintain continuity, strengthen retention, and expand into new areas as customer priorities evolve.

"As our champions move and change roles, Starbridge helps us track them, go with them into those new roles, and get ahead of any gaps. We can approach a new economic development director and say, 'Hey, we know these are going to be your top three priorities as you get into this role.' That's how we build longevity in accounts."

The result

With the right context behind every interaction, Josie shows up informed, relevant, and aligned with what her buyers actually care about. Conversations feel less like outreach and more like collaboration.

"It makes me better tailor what I'm saying to the things they currently care about. Three years ago it was broadband. Today, it's navigating data centers. I have these key pieces of data — and they feel like I come from that same place. I feel like a colleague instead of a salesperson to them."

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