If you’ve been handed a stack of product links and told to “find the best intent data platform,” you’re in the right place. This isn’t a shopping list of features—it’s a real-world guide for marketers, sales ops, and anyone who actually has to use these tools. We’ll walk through how to compare Bombora with other B2B go-to-market (GTM) intent data software, what you can safely ignore, and how to avoid buyer’s remorse.
1. Get Clear On What “Intent Data” Actually Means
First off, not all intent data is created equal. When people say “intent data,” they’re talking about signals that a company (or sometimes an individual) is in the market for something you sell. But these signals come from very different places:
- First-party intent data: Stuff collected on your own website (think: page views, downloads).
- Third-party intent data: Stuff collected elsewhere—across the web, from publisher networks, etc.
Bombora is known for third-party intent data, especially “Company Surge” scores, which try to tell you when a business is researching topics related to your product. Others, like 6sense or Demandbase, may combine both first- and third-party signals.
Pro tip: If you don’t know where the data comes from, you don’t know what you’re buying.
2. List Out What Actually Matters to You (and Ignore the Rest)
Most platforms will try to wow you with dashboards and AI-powered widgets. Ignore those for now. Here’s what you really need to pin down:
- Data coverage: Which companies, geographies, and industries does the platform track? Is your target market even in their dataset?
- Signal quality: How fresh and accurate are the signals? Are they real buying signals, or just people reading blog posts?
- Integration: Can this plug into your CRM, marketing automation, or sales tools without weeks of IT pain?
- Ease of use: Will your team actually use this, or will it become another tab nobody opens?
- Pricing: Is it clear, or do you have to sit through three demos before getting a number?
- Support and transparency: Can you get a straight answer if something breaks or seems off?
What not to obsess over:
- Fluffy AI claims (“predictive magic!”)
- Beautiful but useless dashboards
- “Proprietary algorithms” no one can explain
3. Compare Bombora With Other Vendors—Not Just On Features, But On Fit
Let’s talk about Bombora vs. the competition. Here’s a quick, honest breakdown:
Bombora
- Strengths:
- Deep third-party intent data from a broad publisher network.
- Well-known “Company Surge” scores for B2B buying signals.
- Integrates with a lot of popular CRMs and marketing tools.
- Weaknesses:
- Heavy focus on company-level signals—not as strong for individual-level insights.
- Black-box aspects: You won’t always know exactly where a signal came from.
- Not the cheapest option, especially for smaller teams.
Other Players
- 6sense: Combines first- and third-party data, more focus on account identification and orchestration. Solid if you want intent data plus ABM tools in one place. Can be pricey and overwhelming for smaller orgs.
- Demandbase: Known for account-based marketing (ABM) features, strong at tying intent data to activation. Interface can be complex, and intent data is sometimes less transparent than Bombora’s.
- ZoomInfo: Leverages its massive contact database, and their intent product is easy to bolt onto existing workflows. But intent data is not their core strength.
- Other niche vendors: There are dozens more—TrustRadius, G2, LeadSift, etc.—usually focused on review-site or behavioral intent. Great for specific use cases, but coverage can be spotty.
Pro tip:
Ask each vendor to show you your target account list and walk through actual matches. If they can’t, that’s a red flag.
4. Dig Into Data Sources and Transparency
Here’s where most intent data sales pitches get fuzzy. You’ll see claims like “millions of signals processed daily,” but that doesn’t mean those signals are useful for you. Ask vendors:
- Where does your intent data actually come from? (Named sources, not just “our network.”)
- How do you filter noise (e.g., students doing research, bots, random browsing)?
- How often is data refreshed?
- Can you audit or trace a signal back to its source?
Bombora is relatively open about its publisher co-op model, but you’ll rarely get a complete list. Others may be more opaque. Don’t be afraid to press for specifics.
5. Test Integration Early—Don’t Trust the Slide Deck
It’s one thing for a vendor to say “connects with Salesforce in minutes.” It’s another thing to actually see your CRM fields populated with useful data. Before you sign anything:
- Ask for a trial, pilot, or sandbox environment.
- Get your marketing ops or sales ops person involved—don’t leave this to IT alone.
- Look for bottlenecks: Does it require a bunch of custom mapping? Will it break if your CRM changes?
- Check if intent signals can actually trigger workflows (e.g., alert sales, score leads) or just sit in a report.
Pro tip:
If you can’t get real data into your workflows within a week, you’ll probably never use the full potential of the tool.
6. Look for Proof—Not Just Hype
Intent data isn’t magic. Even the best data won’t fix bad targeting or weak messaging. Ask vendors for:
- Real customer stories (not just logos on a slide).
- Examples of campaigns or plays that worked and those that didn’t.
- Metrics that actually matter (pipeline created, deals accelerated), not just “engagement increased 200%.”
Talk to current users if you can. LinkedIn is your friend here—reach out to someone not on the vendor’s reference list and ask for the unfiltered take.
7. Sort Out Pricing—and Watch for Gotchas
Pricing in this space is all over the map. Some charge by number of accounts monitored, some by data volume, some by integrations.
- Get a line-item quote in writing.
- Ask about overages—what happens if you want to track more companies mid-year?
- Watch for long-term contracts with automatic renewals.
- Don’t get upsold into fancy features you won’t use.
Bombora isn’t the cheapest, but you get solid coverage. Others may look cheaper up front but nickel-and-dime you on integrations or support.
8. Pilot, Measure, and Be Ready to Walk Away
Once you pick a platform, run a short pilot—ideally 30 to 60 days.
- Set a clear goal: e.g., increase meetings set with target accounts, or speed up deals.
- Measure what actually changes. If nothing moves, don’t be afraid to cut your losses.
- Don’t buy into year-long “strategic partnerships” unless you’ve seen proof.
Summary: Keep It Simple, Stay Skeptical, and Iterate
Look, intent data can help, but it won’t save a bad list or fix sloppy sales plays. Get clear on your use case, ignore the shiny stuff, and dig into the data and integrations. Start small, measure real results, and don’t be afraid to switch tools if you’re not seeing value. The best tool is the one your team actually uses—and trusts.