What is buyer intent data?
Buyer intent data signals that a company is actively researching a product category — derived from web research behaviour, technographics, or hiring and growth signals — so you can prioritise the accounts most likely to buy soon.
Intent data answers a different question from fit. An ICP tells you who could buy; intent suggests who might buy now. It's the layer that turns a long list of qualified accounts into a short list of accounts worth calling this week.
Intent comes in several forms. Third-party intent feeds track research behaviour across the web and flag companies showing a spike in interest for your category. Technographic signals reveal a tooling change that implies a need. Hiring and growth signals — a company staffing up a function you serve — are observable proxies anyone can use without a dedicated feed.
Intent layers on top of fit rather than replacing it. A high-intent account that doesn't match your ICP is usually a distraction; a perfect-fit account with a fresh intent signal is the one to prioritise. Used together, they sequence your outreach so reps spend their best hours on the accounts most likely to respond.
You don't need a third-party intent feed to start. A tight ICP plus fresh, verified contacts is enough to run effective outreach today. Intent is a prioritisation layer you add when you want to sharpen timing — not a prerequisite for getting going.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need intent data to start?
No. A tight ICP plus fresh, verified contacts is enough to run effective outreach. Intent is a prioritisation layer you can add later to sharpen your timing.
What are examples of buyer intent signals?
Spikes in category research (from third-party intent feeds), a tech-stack change that implies a need, recent hiring in a relevant function, or rapid company growth. The observable signals work even without a paid feed.