If your sales team is tired of chasing dead ends, and you’re looking for a way to focus on prospects who actually want to buy, this is for you. Using intent data isn’t magic, but it can help you spend more time on leads that matter. Here’s how to use Albacross to zero in on your best bets—and skip the ones who’ll waste your time.
Why intent data matters (and what to ignore)
Everyone loves to talk about “intent data” like it’s a crystal ball. It isn’t. But it does give you signals that a company is checking you out—browsing your site, reading your product pages, sometimes even comparing you to a competitor. If you’re selling to other businesses, knowing who’s poking around can make a real difference.
Here’s what intent data can do for you: - Help you spot companies who are actually interested, not just random website visitors. - Save your team time by focusing on accounts that are already warming up. - Give your outreach way more context, so you’re not cold-emailing into the void.
But don’t buy the hype. Intent data isn’t a replacement for good sales work, and it won’t magically close deals for you. It’s just another tool—one that’s only as good as the way you use it.
Step 1: Get the right Albacross setup
First, if you’re not already using Albacross, you’ll need to sign up and get their tracking code on your website. This is what lets them match anonymous visitors to actual companies.
Don’t skip the basics: - Make sure the tracking script is firing on every page you care about (especially high-value product and pricing pages). - Double-check that ad blockers aren’t stopping the code from working on your own test visits. - Set up integrations with your CRM (like HubSpot, Salesforce, or Pipedrive) if you want the data to show up where your sales team actually lives.
Pro tip: If you’re a smaller business without a dev team, Albacross’ setup isn’t rocket science—just copy the script into your site’s header. If you get stuck, their support is pretty responsive.
Step 2: Define “high value” before you get lost in the weeds
Intent data is only useful if you know what a good lead looks like for your company. Before you start sifting through the data, get clear on your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile).
Ask yourself: - What size companies are a good fit? (Revenue, employee count, industry) - Are there geographic regions you care about—or want to avoid? - Are there red flags that make an account a waste of time?
You need to set these filters in Albacross, or you’ll drown in noise. Don’t be afraid to start with a narrow definition—better to miss a few edge cases than burn hours on leads you’ll never close.
Step 3: Set up filters and custom alerts
Here’s where you make the tool work for you, not the other way around.
How to set up smart filters: - In Albacross, jump into your dashboard and look for the filtering options. - Filter by company size, location, industry, and even specific pages visited. - Save these as “segments” so you’re not rebuilding them every time.
Setting up alerts: - Turn on email or Slack notifications for when high-value companies visit key pages (like your pricing or demo page). - Don’t go overboard—if you get an alert every five minutes, you’ll start ignoring them.
What to ignore: Don’t bother with alerts for every single visitor. Focus on the pages and company types that actually convert.
Step 4: Dig into the data—what’s worth your time?
Not all “intent” is created equal. Some companies are just window-shopping. Others are ready to buy. Here’s how to tell the difference:
- Page depth: Did they visit one blog post, or did they make it to your pricing page and stick around?
- Frequency: Are they coming back multiple times in a week? That’s a stronger signal than a one-off visit.
- Timing: Are they showing up outside normal business hours? Sometimes this points to real interest, especially for global companies.
Red flags: - Visits from ISPs or generic networks (often bots or people working from home). - Companies way outside your ICP filters. - Dozens of visits from the same company in a single day—could be a competitor doing research.
Pro tip: Don’t get hung up on perfection. Some companies with weak signals will still convert, and you’ll miss a few good ones. Focus on the patterns that work most of the time.
Step 5: Map the data to your outreach process
Albacross will give you the company name, industry, size, and sometimes even contact info. Still, don’t just blast the first person you find on LinkedIn.
A better way: - Cross-reference with your CRM. Is this company already in your pipeline? If so, use the intent data as a reason to reach out (“Noticed your team was checking out our product page…”). - If they’re not in your database, look up the right contact (decision maker, not the generic “info@” address). - Personalize your outreach using what you know—mention the specific pages they visited or topics they seemed interested in.
What to skip: Don’t treat intent data as a “lead list” to dump into a generic campaign. You’ll burn good prospects with spammy, irrelevant emails.
Step 6: Prioritize, don’t just pounce
You’ll never have time to follow up with every company that visits your site, nor should you try. That’s the whole point of using intent data—to focus on quality, not quantity.
How to prioritize: - Rank leads by both fit (how well they match your ICP) and intent (how deep their site activity goes). - Create a simple scoring system—doesn’t have to be fancy. For example: - +2 for multiple visits to product pages - +1 for visiting the pricing page - -1 if the company is below your size threshold
Focus your best outreach efforts (custom emails, phone calls, LinkedIn messages) on the handful of accounts that score highest. The rest? Maybe add them to a nurture sequence, or just keep an eye on them for the future.
Step 7: Test, tweak, and don’t overthink it
Intent data is only useful if you learn from what works (and what flops). Keep it simple: - Review your “won” deals—did intent signals actually predict them? - Adjust your filters and scoring as you go. Maybe you find out that visiting your careers page is a waste of time, but repeat pricing-page visits are gold. - Don’t be afraid to turn off alerts or filters that add noise. Your time is too valuable.
Honest take: You’ll never get this perfect. The goal is to make your outreach better than it was—if you’re closing more deals and wasting less time, you’re winning.
A few things to watch out for
- Privacy laws: Make sure your use of intent data lines up with GDPR and local privacy rules, especially if you’re working in Europe.
- False positives: Sometimes companies show up as “interested” when it’s just someone from their team looking for a job, or a competitor snooping.
- Internal buy-in: If your sales team ignores the data, it’s useless. Make it easy for them—pipe it into their workflows, keep the process simple, and check in on what’s actually working.
Keep it simple, and keep improving
Intent data tools like Albacross aren’t a silver bullet, but if you use them right, they’ll help you spend less time chasing ghosts and more time talking to real prospects. Don’t overcomplicate this—set up your filters, focus on companies that fit your ideal profile, and personalize your outreach. Iterate as you go. The best sales teams keep it simple, learn fast, and don’t waste time on what doesn’t work.