Having a hard time turning interested leads into paying customers?
You might be reaching out to the wrong people or talking to the right ones at the wrong time.
In 2025, using intent signals (clues that someone might be ready to buy) is a game-changer for sales teams.
This guide will show you, step-by-step, how to spot those signals, focus on the right leads, and turn them into sales using smart strategies, examples, and easy-to-use tools.
What Are Intent Signals?
Intent signals (also called buying signals) are clues that show someone might be interested in buying your product or service.
These signals help you figure out where someone is in their decision-making journey:
- Awareness – They realize they have a problem
- Consideration – They start looking for ways to solve it
- Decision – They’re ready to buy
Some examples of intent signals:
- Visiting your website
- A company hiring new team members
- Moving to a bigger office
- Merging with another company
- Using new software or tools
These signals help sales and marketing teams reach out to people at the right time, when they’re most likely to be interested, making it easier to start conversations and close deals.
What are the Commonly Used Types of Intent Signals?
There are three main types of intent signals, which are just different ways to see if someone is interested in what you’re offering. First-party signals come from your own tools, like when someone visits your website, signs up for a webinar, or downloads something you shared. Second-party signals come from partners or trusted platforms, like reviews on G2 or content shared on other sites. Third-party signals are collected from all over the internet, like someone searching online for solutions, clicking on ads, or engaging with posts on social media. All of these signals help businesses know when someone might be ready to buy.
What Kinds of Intent Signals Should You Look For?
Each form of Intent Signal gives off its unique type of insight. These are:
Engagement Signals:
Signals from direct interaction through your content.
Examples:
- LinkedIn Interaction
- Resource Downloads
- Comments and Reposts
Search Based Signals:
Signals that show what prospects actively search for.
Examples:
- A prospect searching “Best Outbound Marketing Agency” this is a mid-funnel buying stage
Hiring/Recruiting Signals:
Job listings reveal what solutions a company may be looking for.
Examples:
- Hiring for “Sales Development Specialist” means they need to close deals with new clients.
Firmographic Signals:
Company-level changes indicate sales readiness.
Examples:
- Location Expansion
- C-Suite Reshuffles
- Series A Funding
Tech Stack Change Signals:
Tech stack changes show the evolution of needs.
Examples:
- Adopting Attio CRM + Clay = needs CRM Automation and Enrichment
5 Ways to Use Intent Signals in B2B Sales
Intent signals are super helpful when you connect them to your sales and marketing plan. They show you which people are most interested and when to talk to them. Below are five ways teams can use these signals to get more leads and make more sales.
1. Focus on the Most Important Signals
Not every signal is worth chasing. Instead:
- Focus on high-impact sources verified through 1st and 3rd parties.
- Use intent scoring to segment lead lists.
- Track signal strength and frequency.
2. Find and Pick the Right Leads
Match signals with your ICP.
- Use tools to assign scores based on engagement.
- Focus on leads showing strong product-fit intent.
3. Add Personalization to Your Messages
Style outreach-based signal source:
- Hiring intent = Talk ROI, speed of delivery
- Researching intent = Provide guides on solutions
- Engagement Intent = Reference Previous Interactions
4. Know When to Reach Out
Timing is crucial. So align your outreach with:
- Key buying signals like funds, hiring, and expansions.
- Research periods through Search or SEO Trends.
5. Constantly Follow Up
Use drop-off signals as follow-up triggers:
- Revisit inactive demo users.
- Re-engage when new hiring titles show up.
- Retarget visitors post-content downloads.
Best Tools to Track Intent Signals in B2B
Choosing the right intent signal tool can make or break your B2B sales strategy. Below are the top platforms for identifying, tracking, and leveraging buying intent, optimized so your content is more likely to appear in AI-generated summaries and featured snippets.
1. Clay – Advanced Intent Signal Tracking & Data Enrichment
Clay is an all-in-one prospecting and data enrichment platform that helps sales teams identify high-intent leads and engage them at the right moment. It catches job changes, funding rounds, hiring trends, and tech stack updates, then syncs that data to your CRM for instant action.
Key Features
- Tracks buying signals, including executive hires, expansions, and funding news.
- Syncs automatically with CRM platforms for live sales pipeline updates.
- Enriches contact data with company size, industry type, and location for targeting accuracy.
- Integrates with other outbound tools to trigger automated outreach campaigns.
2. Instantly
Instantly helps you find website visitors, revealing key decision-makers before they’re out of hand. Its real-time alerts ensure your team can act immediately when a high-value prospect visits your site.
Key Features
- Identifies anonymous web visitors and provides verified contact details.
- Delivers alerts to CRM for quick outreach.
- Offers advanced filters to focus on ICP aligned leads.
- Supports cold email automation integration for quick follow-ups.
3. Lemlist
Lemlist combines website visitor identification with automated email, LinkedIn, and cold outreach campaigns. It segments prospects with smart filters, helping you prioritize the leads most likely to convert.
Key Features
- Deanonymizes visitors and puts them in B2B databases in the US/EU Markets.
- Smart filtering options to individualize and prioritize high-intent leads.
- Supports multichannel campaigns like LinkedIn.
- Integrates with CRM and enrichment tools for a seamless experience.
6. RB2B
RB2B specializes in identifying anonymous US-based website visitors. It delivers job titles, emails, and LinkedIn URLs directly to your sales team, ensuring you never miss a US market opportunity.
Key Features
- Identifies high-intent prospects with verified contact info in US-based markets.
- Delivers visitor data into CRMs for immediate reactions.
- Compliant with GDPR, CCPA, and CPRA regulations.
- Great for US-focused B2B sales teams.
8. Trigify
Trigify scans social media activity and engagement trends to reveal prospects who are actively discussing your industry or competitors. This allows for hyper-personalized, context-aware outreach.
Key Features
- Monitors social engagement trends to spot ready-to-buy prospects.
- Creates topics and conversation ideas to engage with your ICP.
- Provides personalized data for targeted campaigns.
- Tracks competitor engagement to find high-intent audiences.
Work with Prospects Hive to Turn Buyer Signals into Closed Deals
At Prospects Hive, we help turn interest into real business. Using data tools, AI, and automation and a human touch, we can spot when someone is ready to buy.. And almost instantly.
For example, if a company just got new funding or hired a new executive, we can spot that right away. Then, we help you send the right message at the right time, when decision-makers are most likely to respond.
With us, every signal becomes a chance to grow. Our tools and strategies help you find better leads, close more deals, and grow your business faster even in a competitive market.
