Getting Started With Intent Data: A Practical Guide for Sales Teams
You keep hearing about intent data but nobody explains how to actually use it. This guide walks sales teams through setup, signal types, and first-week workflows.
Getting Started With Intent Data: A Practical Guide for Sales Teams
You keep hearing about intent data. Your competitors are using it. Your VP of Sales mentioned it in the last QBR. A vendor pitched you on it last month. But nobody has explained, in plain terms, how to actually use it on a Tuesday morning when you sit down at your desk.
This guide fixes that. No jargon, no theory, no hypothetical scenarios. Just the practical steps to get intent signals working for your sales team this week.
What Intent Data Actually Is
Intent data tells you which companies or individuals are actively researching, evaluating, or taking actions that indicate they are about to make a purchase. It is the difference between calling someone who might be interested and calling someone who just filed a permit, posted a specific job, or triggered a compliance deadline.
There are three types of intent signals.
First-party: Actions people take on your website (page visits, content downloads, pricing page views). You already have this in your analytics. It is valuable but limited to people who already found you.
Third-party: Actions people take elsewhere on the internet (competitor research, review site visits, topic searches). Useful but noisy and often relies on cookie tracking.
Public-record: Government filings, permit applications, license renewals, regulatory events. Verifiable, high-intent, and not dependent on cookies or consent. This is what SIE Data provides.
Your First Week With Intent Signals
Day 1: Set your filters. Log in, select your industry, define your territory (zip codes or states), and set your minimum signal score. Start with HOT signals only (score 80+). You want to see what the highest-quality signals look like before you expand.
Day 2: Review your first signals. Each signal includes the filing type, date, jurisdiction, and a BANT score. Read through 10-15 signals. Get a feel for what actions your target buyers are taking and how recently they took them.
Day 3: Make your first calls. Pick 5 HOT signals and call them. Reference the specific filing in your opening: "I noticed your company filed a [specific permit] last week. Are you still evaluating vendors?" Note the response. Was the prospect aware of what you were referencing? Were they in market? Did they have a timeline?
Day 4: Follow up with email. For the signals you did not reach by phone, send a personalized email. One sentence referencing the signal, one sentence about how you can help, one sentence with a specific ask (15-minute call next week).
Day 5: Review your numbers. How many signals did you act on? How many conversations did you have? How many were in market? Compare this to a typical week of cold outreach. The difference will be obvious.
Integrating With Your CRM
Most teams want signals inside their CRM, not in a separate dashboard. Our API and webhook integrations push signals directly to Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, or any CRM that accepts inbound data. Setup takes less than an hour.
Recommended CRM workflow: Create a custom object or tag called "Intent Signal" in your CRM. Map the signal score, type, and date to custom fields. Build a report that tracks signal-to-opportunity conversion over time.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake 1: Treating signals like leads. A signal is not a lead. It is intelligence that tells you when to call and what to say. Do not dump signals into a generic lead queue and let them rot.
Mistake 2: Waiting too long to act. A signal from yesterday is gold. The same signal two weeks later is noise. Build a daily workflow, not a weekly batch process.
Mistake 3: Using generic outreach. The whole point of intent signals is relevance. If your email does not reference the specific signal, you are wasting the advantage.
Getting Started
Start free with 25 signals -- no credit card required.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many signals will I get? It depends on your industry and territory. We show you the signal count for your specific filters before you commit.
What if I am not sure which signals are right for my industry? Start with permit filings and license events. They are the highest-intent signals across all industries. Once you see results, expand to other signal types.
Can I try it before committing? Yes. 25 free signal lookups per month. No credit card, no contract, no sales call required.
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Ready to stop guessing and start selling to prospects who are already in market? Start free with 25 signals