Setting up a Play in Salesloft is all about possibilities—it’s like having a full menu of options to tailor exactly what you need. When it comes to criteria fields, picking the right ones helps your Plays run smarter and guide the right actions at the right time.

Whether you're prospecting, qualifying, or closing, these five tips will help you pick the best criteria fields—default or custom—so your Plays hit the right people at the right time.

1. Start with the Fields That Reflect Your Day-to-Day

If you're an SDR or BDR, you're likely filtering your engagement based on job title, industry, or lead source. Those are all Person or Company fields—default options that are super useful for top-of-funnel Plays.

Example: 

Trigger {this} Play when someone’s Title includes ‘Director’ and Industry equals ‘Tech’.” This is great for targeting mid-level tech buyers in your ICP.

If you're an AE working renewal or expansion opps, fields like Opportunity Stage, Last Contacted, or Meeting Type might be more relevant. 🧠

2. Use Custom Fields to Match Your Sales Motion

Your team may have custom fields that help you track things your CRM doesn't natively capture—like Buying Committee Status, Pilot Start Date, or Account Tier.

Example:
Your team uses a custom field for Accounts called Engagement Score.

Create a Play that targets accounts where the Engagement Score is greater than 75—a great signal to follow up and add people to a cadence to capitalize on higher engagement. 📈

The key here? Use custom fields to tailor your Plays to what your team actually cares about—not just what’s available out of the box.

3. Think by Role: Who Should This Play Apply To?

Each role in sales has different goals—so your criteria should reflect that.

• SDRs might want to trigger Plays when Lead Status = MQL and Last Contacted is null.
• BDRs targeting specific regions (with specific content and Cadence strategies) could use Company Location = EMEA.
• AEs working renewals might set Plays to fire when Opportunity Type = Renewal and Close Date is within 30 days.
• Managers can help teams follow up on signed agreements by triggering Plays when DocuSign Status = Completed and Opportunity Type = Renewal, guiding reps to send the right next-step content or confirmation email.

Start by asking, “What’s the job to be done?” Then build your criteria around that. 🎯

4. Pair Signals + Fields for Better Precision

A signal like “meeting booked” is a great start, but pairing it with criteria fields helps filter out noise.

Example:
Trigger this Play when a prospect clicks a content link AND their Title includes ‘VP’.” Boom. Now your action fires only when there's real intent from a qualified contact. 🔥

This is especially useful when Plays feel too noisy or start triggering too often.

5. Keep It Simple (Especially at First)

It's easy to overthink criteria, especially with custom fields. A good rule of thumb: start small, test often.

Begin with 1–2 key fields that tie to your goal. Once you're confident the Play is working, layer in more detail.

Tip: Before you publish, preview the contacts or accounts that qualify. Does the list make sense? If not, tweak your fields or logic. 🛠️

Wrapping It Up

Choosing the right criteria fields isn’t just a “set it and forget it” step—it’s how you make sure your Plays are helping you work smarter. Lean on default fields to get started, then bring in custom ones to fine-tune your motion.

When in doubt, ask your team:

• What fields do we care about most?
• Are those fields clean and consistently used?
• Do these conditions reflect how we actually sell?

With the right mix of criteria, your Plays become more than automation—they become actionable guidance.