If you’re in B2B sales or marketing, you know the pain: Too many leads, not enough real buyers. You can chase every “MQL” and still miss quota. If you’re tired of hunches and ready to start working smarter, not harder, this guide is for you. We’ll walk through how to use Salesintel buyer intent signals to cut through the noise and focus your time on prospects who actually care.
What Are Buyer Intent Signals… Really?
Before you can use intent data, you need to understand what it is—and, more importantly, what it isn’t. Buyer intent signals are digital breadcrumbs that suggest a company is in the market for a solution like yours. Examples:
- Reading articles or reviews about your product category
- Downloading whitepapers on related topics
- Searching for competitor solutions
- Visiting your or your competitors’ pricing pages
But here’s the key: intent signals are hints, not guarantees. Someone poking around for information isn’t always ready to buy. Don’t let the hype fool you—it’s not a magic crystal ball, but it does help you spot where the heat is.
Step 1: Get Your Salesintel Intent Data Set Up Right
First, make sure you have access to intent data in Salesintel. If your company already has it, great. If not, talk to whoever owns your Salesintel account.
What to check:
- Is intent data enabled in your Salesintel subscription?
- Are you clear on which intent topics are being tracked?
- Who in your org is responsible for keeping these topics up to date?
Pro tip: Don’t just use the default topics. Review them and cut anything irrelevant. For example, if you sell HR software, tracking “ERP” or “cloud computing” is probably too broad.
Step 2: Define the Buyer Signals That Actually Matter
Not all intent signals are created equal. Some show mild curiosity; others are like a flashing “ready to buy!” sign. Don’t treat them all the same.
Here’s how to sort them:
- High-value signals: Pricing page visits, product comparison searches, competitor brand mentions.
- Mid-value signals: Downloads of solution guides, reading in-depth industry articles.
- Low-value signals: Generic blog views, unrelated tech searches.
What to ignore: Weak or broad intent topics that light up hundreds of accounts with no real pattern. If everything is a “hot” lead, nothing is.
Reality check: Some intent vendors brag about “thousands of signals.” That’s noise. Focus on the handful that tie directly to actual buying activity.
Step 3: Layer Intent Data on Top of Your ICP
Intent data is only useful if you connect it to your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). A random company showing interest doesn’t mean you should pounce.
Ask yourself: - Is this account in my target industry, size, or region? - Does it match my best customers? - Are they big enough to matter, but not so big that I’m wasting my time?
How to do it: In Salesintel, filter intent signals by your ICP criteria. Don’t get distracted by “hot” signals from companies you’d never sell to anyway.
Pro tip: It’s tempting to chase every spike in interest. Don’t. Stay disciplined—intent data is a supplement, not a replacement for knowing your market.
Step 4: Rank Prospects by Signal Strength and Fit
Now you’ve got a filtered list of intent-rich accounts that match your ICP. Time to prioritize.
Here’s a simple way to do it:
- Score each account by both intent strength (how “hot” the signals are) and ICP fit (how well they match your ideal customer).
- Rank them: Highest total score to lowest.
- Set a threshold: Only focus on the top accounts. If you have 500, cut to the top 50–100.
Example scoring model: - High intent + strong ICP fit = Priority 1 (call now) - High intent + weak fit = Priority 2 (maybe) - Low intent + strong fit = Priority 3 (nurture) - Low intent + weak fit = Ignore
Don’t overthink it. Fancy scoring models can be a time sink. Even a simple 1–3 scale beats random guessing.
Step 5: Align Your Outreach to the Intent Signal
This is where most people blow it: They get a hot signal, then send the same generic pitch they always do. If you know what someone’s interested in, use it.
Examples: - If a prospect is researching your competitor, mention how you’re different—without trash-talking. - If they’re reading about a pain point you solve, lead with that in your email or call. - If they downloaded a technical guide, offer to answer specific questions or share a case study.
Don’t: Mention “I saw you were researching X” in your first outreach. It’s creepy and rarely helps.
Do: Tailor your message so it’s relevant to their interest. Show you understand their world.
Pro tip: Reference recent industry news or trends related to their signal—makes you look informed, not pushy.
Step 6: Integrate Buyer Intent Into Your Sales Process
Intent data shouldn’t live in a silo. It has to fit into your daily workflow.
Here’s what works: - Set up alerts or reports in Salesintel so reps see new high-intent accounts every week. - Pipe intent data into your CRM, so it’s visible alongside other account info. - Train your team: Show real examples of how intent signals led to better outreach and wins.
What doesn’t work: - Treating intent data as “extra credit” instead of a core part of prospecting. - Flooding reps with too many “hot” leads and no context. - Relying on automation alone—context matters more than speed.
Honest take: If your reps ignore intent alerts after two weeks, your process is broken. Make it actionable, not just another dashboard.
Step 7: Measure, Adjust, Repeat
No system is perfect out of the box. You’ll need to tweak as you go.
What to track: - How many intent-flagged accounts turn into meetings, pipeline, or revenue? - Are some intent topics duds? Drop them. - Are reps wasting time on false positives? Tighten your filters.
Don’t chase vanity metrics. More signals ≠ better results. Focus on actions that drive real pipeline.
Pro tip: Have a regular review (monthly or quarterly) to prune your intent topics and double down where you’re seeing results.
What to Watch Out For
- False positives: Sometimes intent signals pop up for weird reasons (e.g., academic research, bots, job seekers). Sanity-check before you call.
- Data privacy: Don’t be creepy. Use intent to guide relevance, not to stalk.
- Shiny object syndrome: Intent data is a tool, not a strategy. It won’t fix bad messaging or a broken ICP.
Keep It Simple (and Keep Going)
Buyer intent data—when used right—can help you stop chasing ghosts and start talking to real buyers. But don’t overcomplicate it. Pick a few key signals, map them to your best-fit prospects, and adjust as you learn. The goal isn’t to automate thinking; it’s to point your effort where it counts.
Start simple, stay curious, and you’ll get more out of every sales day.