Intent data is one of the single most misunderstood technologies deployed – why doesn’t it work better?  Expectations for intent data can vary significantly.

 

As I previously discussed, there are a number of vendors that offer up intent data to Sales and Marketing:  LinkedIn, 6sense, ZoomInfo, TechTarget, DemandBase, Bombora, G2, RB2B, Influ2, Warmly.ai, Keyplay, the list goes on and on.

 

Here are 5 common misconceptions about intent data as it relates to ABM ABX based on our experiences with 100s of Sales and Marketing teams:

 

  1. Intent is a guide, not a guarantee: Intent signals indicate interest or research activity, but don’t necessarily translate to immediate buying decisions.
  2. Context matters: Not all intent signals are equally valuable or actionable. The type of signal, its recency, and its relevance to your specific offering all need to be interpreted and considered.
  3. Intent requires interpretation: Raw intent data needs to be analyzed in conjunction with other data points and business context to be truly valuable.
  4. It’s part of a larger picture: Intent data is most effective when combined with other data sources and integrated into a comprehensive marketing and sales strategy.
  5. Quality varies: The effectiveness of intent data depends heavily on its source and how it’s collected. Not all intent data is created equal.

 

Intent data is not the silver bullet everyone thinks.  One has to be thoughtful about Sales and Marketing targets and workflow to maximize intent data.  It doesn’t work universally across all industries (like local government for example) and doesn’t universally work for all regions due to privacy concerns.   There is no silver bullet but it can be helpful.

 

If you like this article, you might be interested in these foundational articles: