Buyer intent
Buyer intent is the signal that a prospect is actively researching or evaluating a solution, used by sales and marketing teams to prioritize outreach.
Buyer intent comes in two flavors. Third-party intent is data purchased from vendors (Bombora, G2, 6sense, Demandbase) that tracks content consumption across the web and flags accounts showing a surge in research on a specific topic. First-party intent is data a company collects from its own surfaces (website visits, product trials, event attendance, inbound calls, feature engagement).
Intent data is most useful when paired with an ICP filter. A third-party intent spike from a company that does not fit the ICP is noise. A first-party website visit from a senior buyer at a target account the week after a feature launch is a high-signal event. The best teams combine the two. Third-party data finds the account, first-party data confirms the timing.
The failure mode is treating intent data as a replacement for understanding why a buyer is in-market. A surge tells you something is happening. It does not tell you what problem they are trying to solve, which vendors they are comparing, or which objection will kill the deal.
The Amdahl view
The best intent signal a company owns is already in its own conversations. Third-party intent data tells you someone is interested without telling you why. The why is what closes deals. When a rep can walk into a first meeting knowing the exact phrase the prospect used on an inbound call, or the objection three peers raised last month, the deal starts at a different altitude. Third-party intent points at the door. First-party buyer signal, tied to verbatim language, tells you how to walk through it.
Frequently asked
Related terms
- The IntersectionFirst-party buyer signalFirst-party buyer signal is any signal from a conversation, transaction, or interaction that a company owns directly, as opposed to third-party intent data purchased from a vendor.
- The IntersectionCustomer intelligenceCustomer intelligence is the structured, queryable layer of meaning a B2B company builds from every conversation, signal, and interaction it has with buyers and customers.
- GTM FundamentalsVoice of customerVoice of customer is the verbatim language buyers and users use to describe their problems, goals, and reactions to a product.
- GTM FundamentalsConversation intelligenceConversation intelligence is the category of software that records and analyzes sales calls for rep coaching, deal inspection, and pipeline review.
- GTM FundamentalsIdeal Customer Profile (ICP)An Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is the defined segment of companies where a product is a structural fit, worth the cost of acquisition, and likely to expand.
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