If you’re in B2B sales or marketing and tired of chasing leads that go nowhere, this one’s for you. The promise of “intent data” is everywhere, but making it actually useful? That’s another story. Here’s a no-nonsense guide to cutting through the noise, using Getaia intent data to find and focus on prospects that are worth your time.
Let’s get real: intent data isn’t magic. But used right, it gives you a leg up over teams still guessing who to call next. Here’s how to actually make it work.
Step 1: Get Clear on What “High Value” Means for You
Before you even log in to Getaia, you need to define what a “high value” prospect looks like for your business. This sounds basic, but skipping it is where most teams go wrong.
Ask yourself: - What’s your ideal customer profile? (Industry, size, budget, tech stack, pain points) - Which types of deals close fastest, renew most, or have the biggest upsell potential? - Who’s not a good fit, even if they look active?
Pro tip: Make a simple checklist. If your team can’t agree on who’s “high value,” intent signals won’t save you.
Step 2: Understand What Getaia’s Intent Data Actually Tells You
Not all intent data is created equal. Getaia collects digital breadcrumbs — think web visits, content downloads, product searches — across the web and sometimes from your own properties.
Here’s what you’ll typically see: - Topics or keywords: What the prospect is researching. - Activity level: How much and how recently they’ve interacted. - Company info: Who’s showing the intent signals (not always the exact person). - Signal strength: A score or indicator of how “hot” the interest is.
Don’t get fooled: A high intent score isn’t a guarantee they’re ready to buy. Sometimes it’s tire kickers or competitors snooping. Use intent as a starting point — not the finish line.
Step 3: Set Up Getaia Filters to Weed Out the Garbage
Time to get your hands dirty. Inside Getaia, you can usually filter intent data by company size, industry, location, and more.
How to set up filters that actually help: - Match your ideal customer profile: Only show companies that fit your must-haves. - Exclude junk: Filter out students, competitors, or companies too small/big for you. - Zero in on the right topics: Ignore generic signals (“cloud computing”) and focus on topics tied to buying your solution (“SaaS backup for healthcare”).
Pro tip: Over-filtering is better than under-filtering. It’s easier to loosen the net later than to wade through hundreds of weak signals.
Step 4: Score and Rank Prospects—Don’t Just Sort by “Heat”
Tempting as it is to just chase the “hottest” signals, that’s a rookie move. Instead, build a simple scoring system that combines intent signals with your own criteria.
A practical scoring recipe: - Intent strength: Are they showing repeated, recent activity on high-value topics? - Fit: Do they look like your best customers on paper? - Timing: Is there a trigger event (new funding, hiring, tech change) that makes them likelier to buy now? - Past engagement: Have they interacted with your team or content before?
Add up the points. The highest scores are your true high-value prospects. Ignore the rest.
Warning: Don’t make your scoring so complicated it needs a PhD. If your reps can’t explain it, they won’t use it.
Step 5: Enrich and Validate — Don’t Trust, Verify
Intent data isn’t perfect. Sometimes it’s outdated, or flat-out wrong. Before you hand off leads to sales, double-check key details.
What to look for: - Company still exists: Don’t laugh — it happens. - Contact info is current: Use LinkedIn, your CRM, or a data enrichment tool. - They’re not a competitor or existing customer: Obvious, but easy to miss. - The intent makes sense: Sometimes a company’s “interest” is just a random intern reading a blog post.
Pro tip: Take 2 minutes to Google or LinkedIn-check the company before you reach out. You’ll avoid a lot of red faces.
Step 6: Share Context with Sales — Not Just Names on a List
Dumping a spreadsheet of “hot leads” on your sales team is a great way to make them ignore intent data. Instead, give them what they actually need.
How to hand off intent data the right way: - Context: What did the prospect do? What content or topics were they interested in? - Fit notes: Why do they match your ideal profile? - Recommended approach: Is this a cold intro, a warm follow-up, or a trigger for account expansion? - Potential landmines: Anything that might cause sales to waste time (wrong region, existing vendor, etc.)
Reality check: Most reps won’t read a novel. Keep it tight — a few bullets are better than a page of notes.
Step 7: Track Results and Tune Your Filters
No one gets this perfect the first time. Some “hot” prospects will ghost you. Others you wrote off will pop up with a big deal. That’s normal.
What to do: - Track outcomes: Which intent-driven prospects become pipeline or closed deals? - Adjust filters and scoring: Tighten or loosen based on what actually works. - Talk to sales: Get feedback on lead quality — and actually act on it.
Pro tip: Automation can help, but don’t let it replace actual conversations with your team.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
What works: - Tight filters that match your real buyers, not just any signal. - Combining intent data with your own customer knowledge. - Quick, human validation before reaching out.
What doesn’t: - Blindly trusting intent scores or “hot lists.” - Setting and forgetting your filters — this stuff changes. - Overcomplicating your scoring until nobody uses it.
What to ignore: - Hype about “AI-powered” intent that magically finds your next big deal. - Intent data that’s too generic or not tied to your actual buyers. - Any vendor promising 100% accuracy. That’s not how this works.
Keep It Simple and Keep Iterating
Intent data — from Getaia or anyone else — is just a tool. When you use it to put your time and energy where it actually counts, you’ll close more deals and waste less effort. Start simple, tweak as you go, and don’t fall for magic bullets.
The teams that win aren’t the ones with the fanciest dashboards. They’re the ones who keep things practical, stay skeptical, and improve their process every week. You’ve got this.