If you’re in sales, marketing, or growth, you know most leads go nowhere. That’s just reality. The trick isn’t getting more leads—it’s finding the ones who actually care. This guide is for folks who are tired of wishful thinking and want to use data to spot real buying signals. We’ll walk through how to use Peopledatalabs intent data to separate the tire-kickers from the prospects who might actually buy.
No fluff. No buzzwords. Just a clear path to finding people who are ready to talk.
Step 1: Understand What “Intent Data” Really Means
Before you do anything, get clear on what you’re working with. “Intent data” gets thrown around a lot, but here’s the blunt version:
- Intent data is just information that hints someone’s in the market for what you’re selling.
- It’s usually based on stuff like web searches, content consumption, job changes, or company projects.
What intent data is NOT: - A magic list of buyers with their credit cards out. - 100% accurate or predictive (sometimes it’s just noise).
With Peopledatalabs, you’re getting signals about people’s or companies’ activity—things like recent job changes, new funding rounds, or shifts in tech stacks. The idea is to catch people at moments when they’re more likely to buy.
Honest take: If you expect to plug in intent data and instantly close deals, you’re going to be disappointed. It’s a starting point, not a silver bullet.
Step 2: Set Clear Criteria for “High Intent”
Don’t just look for any activity—define what “high intent” actually means for your business. Otherwise, you’ll waste time chasing ghosts.
Ask yourself: - What signals usually come before someone buys from us? - Are there industries, company sizes, or job titles that matter more? - Do certain triggers (like new funding or hiring sprees) line up with our best deals?
Common high-intent signals from Peopledatalabs: - Recent executive hires (new leadership often means new priorities and budgets) - Company growth (hiring surges, new locations, funding) - Tech stack changes (adding a tool you integrate with, or dropping a competitor) - Job changes or promotions (people you know moving to new companies) - Content engagement (visiting your site or downloading resources, if you’re tracking it)
Pro tip: Pick two or three signals to focus on. Too many, and you’ll drown in false positives.
Step 3: Pull and Filter the Right Data
Here’s where you get your hands dirty.
A. Accessing the Data
- Log into Peopledatalabs (or set up their API if you want to automate things).
- Decide if you want person-level or company-level intent. Both have their uses:
- Company-level: Good for ABM (account-based marketing) or enterprise sales.
- Person-level: Great if you want to reach out directly to decision-makers or influencers.
B. Building Your Query
Peopledatalabs lets you filter by a bunch of fields. Here’s what’s actually useful:
- Industry
- Company size
- Job title or function
- Seniority
- Recent activity (the “intent” part): e.g., job changes in the last 30 days, companies that raised a round in the last quarter, companies hiring for specific roles.
What to ignore: - Overly broad filters (e.g., “anyone in tech”) - Vanity fields like “interests” unless you know they correlate with buying
C. Export or Connect to Your CRM
- Export your filtered list as a CSV.
- Or, better yet, push it directly to your CRM if you’ve got an integration set up.
Reality check: The data’s only as good as your filters. If you’re pulling 10,000+ “high intent” leads, your criteria are probably too loose.
Step 4: Score and Prioritize Prospects
Don’t treat every “intent” signal equally. Some are way more meaningful than others.
Build a simple scoring system: - Assign points to each signal. For example: - +10 for a recent funding round - +8 for a new CTO hire - +5 for adding a tool in your ecosystem - +3 for a job change - Add points up and sort your list.
Keep it simple: Fancy scoring models usually don’t outperform a basic, logical system—at least not until you’ve got real-world feedback.
Watch out for: - Old signals: Someone who raised money a year ago probably isn’t still shopping. - One-off events: A single job change doesn’t always mean a buying cycle.
Step 5: Research and Personalize Outreach
Intent data gets you in the ballpark, but it’s not an excuse for generic outreach. People can tell when you’re just blasting a list.
Do a quick check on each top prospect: - Skim their LinkedIn or company page. - Look for recent news, blog posts, or press releases. - Try to spot the actual pain point or opportunity.
Personalize your message: - Mention the trigger you noticed (“Saw you just raised a Series B—congrats!”). - Connect your solution to their likely situation (“Teams in your stage often struggle with X—here’s how we help.”).
What NOT to do: - Don’t pretend you’re an old friend. - Don’t just parrot back their LinkedIn headline (“I see you’re the CTO at Acme…”).
Pro tip: Even a single relevant sentence boosts your reply rate. Skip the fluff.
Step 6: Test, Track, and Adjust
You’re not going to nail this on the first try. Treat it like an experiment.
Track: - Which signals actually lead to meetings or deals? - Are certain industries or company sizes more responsive? - Is there a pattern to who replies or buys?
Adjust: - Drop signals that aren’t working. - Double down on the ones that do. - Keep your filters fresh—markets and buying cycles change.
Don’t get lazy: Intent data goes stale quickly. Refresh your lists every few weeks.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
Works: - Combining multiple intent signals (not just one) - Quick, specific outreach tied to recent activity - Tight filters that focus on your real buyer
Doesn’t work: - Mass-blasting every “intent” lead - Ignoring data quality issues (out-of-date info is common) - Blindly trusting the data—always sanity-check
Ignore: - Hype about “AI-powered intent” that claims to read minds. It’s just pattern-matching. - Fancy dashboards that distract you from the basics
Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Overthink
Intent data isn’t magic. It’s a way to spot potential buyers a little earlier, not a guarantee. Start with a few clear signals, build a shortlist, and focus on quality conversations—not volume.
Test, tweak, and pay attention to what actually works for you. The tools will keep changing, but the fundamentals won’t: focus on real signals, keep your filters tight, and don’t waste time chasing ghosts.
Get out there, try it, and adjust as you go. That’s how you actually find high intent prospects—without the B.S.