If you’re in B2B sales or marketing and tired of chasing leads that never go anywhere, you’ve probably heard about “intent data”—maybe even from your boss. Here’s the deal: intent data can help you spot buyers who are actually in the market, but only if you use it right. This guide walks you through using Infotelligent intent data to find buyers who are ready to pull the trigger, skip the tire-kickers, and focus your time where it counts.
Let’s get practical.
What Is Intent Data, Really?
Before we dive into steps, let’s clear something up: intent data isn’t magic. It’s info about what companies are researching online—topics they’re reading about, keywords they’re searching, content they’re clicking. The idea is, if a company is suddenly interested in, say, “cloud backup solutions,” they might be shopping.
Infotelligent pulls this data from a mix of sources (web activity, job postings, firmographics, and sometimes even email signatures). It’s not perfect, but if you know how to connect the dots, it’s a powerful head start.
What intent data can do: - Show you which companies are warming up to your kind of product. - Help you prioritize outreach—no more random cold calls. - Sometimes give you a hint about decision-makers, but not always.
What it can’t do: - Tell you exactly who to call or email. - Guarantee a company is buying—interest doesn’t always mean intent. - Replace smart research or good old-fashioned conversation.
Step 1: Get Clear on What “Ready to Buy” Means for You
Not every signal is created equal. Before you even log in to Infotelligent, figure out what “ready to purchase” actually looks like for your business.
Ask yourself: - What are the buying triggers for our product? (Hiring new IT staff? Searching for compliance tools?) - Which company sizes/industries are our best bets? - What’s the usual sales cycle? (Long, short, seasonal?)
Write these down. Otherwise, you’ll drown in noise later.
Pro tip: Talk to your best salesperson about the last 5 deals they closed. What clues did they spot early?
Step 2: Set Up and Filter Your Infotelligent Dashboard
Log in and don’t just accept the default settings. The power’s in the filters.
Here’s what to focus on: - Company size & industry: Narrow your target. Skip the Fortune 500 if you only sell to mid-market. - Location: If you’re not global, don’t waste time on leads you can’t serve. - Intent topics: These are the keywords or themes. Go specific (e.g., “email encryption” vs. broad “cybersecurity”). - Recency: Look for recent spikes. Someone who started researching last week is a hotter lead than someone who clicked a blog post two months ago.
Tweak these settings until your dashboard isn’t overwhelming. Quality over quantity.
Ignore: Vanity metrics like “total website visits.” Focus on relevant, recent, and specific intent signals.
Step 3: Identify and Score Your Hottest Accounts
Not all intent signals mean the same thing. Infotelligent will show you companies engaging with certain topics—but you need to score them.
Here’s a simple scoring method: - +2 points for companies with a high spike in relevant topics this week. - +1 point for companies matching your ideal customer profile. - +1 point if there’s a recent job posting related to your solution (e.g., hiring a “Sales Ops Manager” when you sell sales tools). - -1 point if they’re already a customer (unless you’re upselling), or if the signal is old.
Add up the points. Anyone scoring 3 or more? They’re your “hot” accounts.
Pro tip: Don’t overthink the math—just create a simple system everyone understands.
Step 4: Research the Context Before Reaching Out
Don’t be that rep who contacts a company just because they clicked a whitepaper. Take 10 minutes and get a bit of context.
Check: - What pages or topics did they engage with? - Any recent company news (funding, layoffs, new hires)? - What tech are they already using? (Infotelligent sometimes surfaces this.)
Why bother? Because a generic pitch falls flat. Mentioning something specific (“noticed you’re looking into email encryption—curious what’s driving that?”) sets you apart.
Skip: Deep stalking. You’re not writing a biography—just enough to not sound clueless.
Step 5: Craft Outreach That Acknowledges the Signal
This is where most teams mess up. If you know a company’s interested in a topic, reference it. Don’t pretend you don’t have the data, but don’t be creepy, either.
Example email opener:
“Saw your team’s been looking into cloud backup solutions—happy to share what we’re seeing work for similar companies. Is this a current priority?”
Tips: - Be direct, not pushy. - Offer a real reason to talk (“sharing a quick case study,” “answering questions you might have”). - Keep it short—no one reads long emails.
Avoid: Over-personalizing based on a single click. Acknowledge interest, but don’t assume they’re ready to buy on day one.
Step 6: Track Responses and Adjust
You’re not going to get it right the first time. Some signals won’t convert. Others might surprise you.
What to do: - Track which intent signals actually lead to conversations. - Compare conversion rates for different topics, company sizes, and outreach styles. - Adjust your filters and scoring as you learn. (If “hiring IT staff” never pans out, drop it.)
Pro tip: Loop back with sales and marketing once a month to see what’s working—and what’s just noise.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
What works:
- Focusing on recent and specific intent signals.
- Layering in your own knowledge about target accounts.
- Combining intent data with human research (not just spamming everyone flagged as “interested”).
What doesn’t:
- Relying on intent data to replace basic sales skills.
- Setting your filters too broad (leads to wasted time).
- Assuming every signal is a hand-raiser.
Ignore:
- “Lookalike” audiences unless you’ve fully worked your true ICP (ideal customer profile).
- Metrics that don’t tie to meetings or pipeline.
- Overly complex workflows—simple beats smart, every time.
Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Get Distracted
Intent data is a tool—not a silver bullet. With Infotelligent, you can surface real buying signals and focus on the buyers who matter. Start with tight filters, keep your scoring simple, and refine as you go. Don’t let bells and whistles distract you from the basics: find the right companies, reach out with a clear reason, and track what moves the needle.
Don’t overcomplicate it. Test, learn, and double down on what actually puts deals on the board.