TL;DR — Buyer intent data reveals which accounts are researching a solution like yours right now. Combine first-party and third-party signals — hiring, funding, review-site activity, content engagement — to time your outreach and prioritise in-market accounts.
Timing is the hidden lever
Most outbound fails for one boring reason: bad timing. The message might be perfect, but the prospect simply isn't thinking about the problem yet. Intent data fixes that by telling you which accounts are actively researching a solution like yours right now — so you reach them while the door is open.
First-party vs third-party intent
There are two flavours, and you want both:
- First-party intent — signals from your own channels: website visits, pricing-page views, demo requests, email engagement, content downloads. Highest quality, but limited to people who already found you.
- Third-party intent — signals gathered across the wider web: what accounts are reading, searching, and comparing elsewhere. Broader reach, noisier, but it surfaces buyers who don't know you exist yet.
Where the signals live
You don't need a giant budget to spot intent. Common signals include:
- Job postings — a company hiring SDRs, RevOps, or a VP of Sales is investing in pipeline.
- Funding and expansion news — fresh capital means fresh spending and new hires.
- Review-site activity — prospects browsing G2 or Capterra categories are in buying mode.
- Website and content engagement — repeat visits to high-intent pages.
- Technographics — the tools a company already uses (and the gaps around them).
- Social signals — engagement with relevant posts, questions asked, competitors followed.
Tools like Bombora, G2 Buyer Intent, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, and hiring trackers make these easier to monitor at scale.
Turning signals into conversations
Intent data is worthless if it just sits in a dashboard. The play is simple: when an account shows a signal, prioritise it, and reference the reason they're relevant in your outreach. "Saw you're hiring three SDRs" is a far warmer opener than "Hope you're well" — it's the Show Me You Know Me principle in action.
A word of caution
Intent isn't certainty. A signal means worth a conversation, not ready to buy. Treat it as a prioritisation tool, not a promise — and still do the human work of qualifying. At Kräfte, we combine intent signals with live conversations so you only spend time on accounts that are genuinely in-market.