Intent Data & Sales Triggers
Intent Data & Sales Triggers platforms identify prospects actively researching solutions in your category right now, enabling sales teams to engage buyers at the exact moment they're evaluating options rather than reaching out cold. Instead of guessing which accounts might be interested, intent data tracks digital signals such as website visits, content downloads, search behavior, review site activity, social media engagement, and technology changes to score and prioritize accounts showing buying intent. These platforms aggregate signals from thousands of websites (via advertising pixels and data partnerships), combine them with proprietary signals (job changes, funding events, tech stack changes), and surface qualified accounts when they cross activation thresholds. For sales teams tired of low response rates from cold outreach, intent data transforms prospecting from spray-and-pray into precision targeting of active buyers.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Intent Data & Sales Triggers
Intent data providers collect buying signals from multiple sources:
(1) First-party intent: Visits to your own website, content downloads, demo requests, pricing page views
(2) Third-party intent: Research activity across thousands of B2B websites tracked via advertising pixels, content syndication networks, and review sites
(3) Contact-level signals: Individual prospect actions (LinkedIn profile views, email opens, content engagement)
(4) Account-level signals: Company-wide research (multiple employees researching, increased web traffic, competitive comparison searches)
(5) Trigger events: Job changes, funding announcements, tech stack changes, earnings calls, hiring spikes
Platforms score accounts based on signal volume, recency, and relevance to your keywords/topics.
First-party vs third-party intent serve different purposes:
First-party intent (your own data):
(1) Tracks visitors to YOUR website, content, emails
(2) Highest intent—already know your brand
(3) Free to collect (Google Analytics, marketing automation)
(4) Limited to your traffic—miss prospects researching elsewhere
Third-party intent (external research):
(1) Tracks research on industry sites, review platforms, competitors
(2) Earlier stage—researching category before knowing vendors
(3) Paid ($10k-$100k/year from Bombora, 6sense, Demandbase)
(4) Discovers accounts before they visit your site
Best practice: Use third-party intent to identify early-stage accounts, use first-party intent to prioritize and personalize outreach.
Top providers by data type:
Third-party intent (B2B research tracking):
(1) Bombora: Largest B2B intent network, tracks 5,000+ sites
(2) 6sense: AI-driven intent + account scoring
(3) Demandbase: ABM platform with integrated intent
First-party intent tracking:
(1) HubSpot: Marketing automation with visitor tracking
(2) Clearbit Reveal: Identifies companies visiting your website
(3) Koala: Modern visitor identification and intent scoring
Trigger events:
(1) Apollo: Job changes, funding, hiring signals
(2) Common Room: Community + product signals
(3) LeadFeeder: Website visitor identification
Best practice: Combine first-party + third-party for complete intent coverage.
Pricing varies widely by provider:
(1) First-party tools: $0-$500/month (Google Analytics free, Clearbit Reveal $99-$500/mo)
(2) Third-party intent: $10k-$100k/year (Bombora, 6sense, Demandbase)
(3) Trigger event platforms: $99-$2,000/month (Apollo, LeadFeeder, Common Room)
(4) ABM platforms with intent: $20k-$200k/year (6sense, Demandbase, Terminus)
Typical setup: $1,500-$5,000/month for mid-sized teams (first-party + one third-party intent source + trigger events).
ROI: Intent data typically improves response rates 2-3x and shortens sales cycles by 20-40%, justifying higher costs for enterprise teams.
Accuracy varies by signal type and provider:
Third-party intent accuracy:
(1) 60-80% of flagged accounts have genuine buying interest
(2) False positives common (research without buying authority, competitive research, students)
(3) Better for large accounts (more employees = more trackable activity)
First-party intent accuracy:
(1) 80-95% accurate for known visitors
(2) 50-70% identification rate for anonymous visitors
(3) More reliable than third-party but limited reach
Best practices to improve accuracy:
(1) Combine multiple signal types (intent + firmographics + triggers)
(2) Set minimum thresholds (e.g., 3+ signals in 30 days)
(3) Validate with sales outreach—not all intent converts
(4) Focus on account-level surges, not single signals
Expect 20-40% of intent-flagged accounts to engage when you reach out (vs 1-5% for cold outreach).
Have more questions? Contact us
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