How To Use Intent Data To Identify Sales Qualified Leads: A Strategic Guide

Some time ago, I worked with a team struggling to hit their SQL targets. They had plenty of data—website visits, email opens, even CRM entries—but still, something wasn’t clicking. 

The problem? They were drowning in broad metrics and missing the signals that really mattered. That’s when we turned to intent data.

By focusing on intent signals—what prospects were searching for, reading, and engaging with—we completely transformed how they identified leads. Instead of wasting time on the wrong prospects, the team was able to zero in on those actively looking for solutions. 

The results? A MASSIVE jump in SQL conversions within months.

Intent data is a game-changer, but it’s not just about collecting information—it’s about knowing how to use it strategically. In this guide, I’ll show you how to use intent data to identify sales qualified leads (SQLs) effectively. You’ll also discover a COMPLETELY FREE that can help you uncover high-potential prospects and elevate your sales strategy.

Forms of Intent Data You Need for Identifying Sales Qualified Leads

Imagine the frustration of chasing countless leads, only to find most of them were never ready to buy. That’s the reality many sales teams face—until they start leveraging intent data. With intent data, the guesswork disappears. Suddenly, you’re no longer wondering who’s ready to engage; you know.

Unlike generic metrics, intent data reveals the behaviors and signals that indicate buying interest—whether it’s a prospect reading blog posts, comparing products, or attending industry webinars.

There are two key forms of intent data, each with unique advantages:

1. First-party intent data: Collected directly from your own digital assets, such as website visits, resource downloads, or email outreach. It offers the most accurate insights into how prospects are interacting with your brand.
2. Third-party intent data: Sourced from external platforms, including publisher networks or intent data providers like Apollo, UpLead, and Leadfeeder. This data captures broader activity, such as prospects engaging with competitor content or researching industry solutions.

When combined, these forms provide a dynamic view of who’s actively in the market, enabling smarter, more focused outreach. The difference? Marketing spends less time chasing the wrong leads and more time converting the right ones.

‍Bonus read: Want to master outreach fundamentals? Start with our guides on cold outreach and outreach marketing to build connections with prospects.

‍How To Leverage Intent Data for Sales

‍Leveraging intent data isn’t just about tracking behaviors—it’s about interpreting signals to uncover who’s ready to buy and when to act. 

Here’s how to transform raw data into actionable insights that close deals:

1. Collect relevant intent signals
2. Enrich intent data with firmographic insights
3. Incorporate behavior and historical data
4. Score and prioritize leads based on intent
5. Tailor outreach based on buying stage

Collect Relevant Intent Signals

Collecting intent signals is the foundation for identifying high-quality leads. To make these signals meaningful, focus on understanding what actions indicate intent and how they align with the buyer’s journey.

Key types of intent signals to track include:

• Content engagement: If prospects are consuming specific blog posts or whitepapers, it often reveals the challenges they’re trying to solve.
• Page visits: High-value pages like pricing or product comparisons signal readiness to make a decision.
• Search behavior: Keywords prospects search on your site or third-party platforms often provide clues about their priorities.

For example, if multiple decision-makers from the same company interact with your case studies, this collective engagement indicates organizational interest—a signal to accelerate outreach. Integrating these signals through tools like Bombora or Demandbase ensures nothing slips through the cracks.

Enrich Intent Data With Firmographic Insights

Intent signals highlight interest, but firmographic data ensures your sales outreach focuses on prospects that align with your ideal customer profile (ICP). Combining these datasets helps prioritize leads that are interested and capable of becoming long-term customers.

Four essential firmographic details to layer on intent data are:

1. Industry: Understand the challenges specific to a prospect’s industry. For example, a marketing automation tool may address lead tracking for tech firms but focus on compliance for finance companies.
2. Company size: Customize your messaging for SMBs, mid-market, or enterprises. SMBs often seek affordability, while enterprises prioritize scalability.
3. Revenue range: Align your solution with their budgetary capacity to avoid misfits.
4. Location: Consider regional regulations or cultural factors that could influence purchasing decisions.

Here’s how layering firmographics transforms raw intent data into actionable insights:

For instance, if a prospect from a mid-market tech firm repeatedly visits your pricing page, combine this with their industry-specific needs (e.g., integrations with CRM tools). This allows you to craft sales outreach that resonates with their goals, making your solution feel tailored for them.

Incorporate Behavioral and Historical Data

‍Intent data tells you what a prospect is interested in now, but combining it with behavioral and historical data provides a complete picture of their readiness to buy. This blend helps you prioritize SQLs with precision and tailor outreach strategies for maximum impact.

‍Key behavioral and historical data points to analyze include:

• Past interactions: Review touchpoints like previous webinar attendance, resource downloads, or email engagement. Recurring actions often signal growing interest in your offerings.
• Purchase history: For existing customers, analyzing past purchases reveals upsell or cross-sell opportunities. For new prospects, use historical comparisons to identify similar buying behaviors.
• Engagement frequency: Consistent activity—such as revisiting high-value content (e.g., pricing pages or case studies)—indicates a prospect’s progress toward a decision.
• Collaborative activity: Team-wide engagement—such as multiple stakeholders from the same company downloading resources—signals organizational alignment and intent.

For instance, imagine a prospect who recently downloaded a feature comparison guide and has a history of attending your webinars. Pairing this data with their consistent engagement on pricing pages suggests they’re evaluating solutions against competitors. This is a golden opportunity to craft outreach that showcases competitive advantages, offers a tailored ROI projection, and invites them to a high-stakes conversation.

Score and Prioritize Leads Based on Intent

Intent data alone doesn’t guarantee conversions—it’s how you analyze and prioritize it that determines success. Scoring leads based on intent helps your sales team focus on high-priority prospects who are ready to engage while deprioritizing those unlikely to convert.

To effectively score and prioritize leads, focus on three key criteria:

• Engagement context: Go beyond basic signals to assess the type of interactions. For example, assess whether content engagement happens in high-intent contexts, such as viewing a case study after attending a webinar.
• Decision-making potential: Look for clues that suggest the lead is a decision-maker, such as their job title, department, or interactions across multiple touchpoints indicating stakeholder involvement.
• Momentum: Identify trends in behavior, such as an increase in engagement frequency over a short time span, which often indicates urgency in decision-making.

Here’s an example of a scoring system tailored to intent signals:

‍‍I recommend refining your scoring model regularly. Lead behavior evolves, and aligning your scoring criteria with these shifts ensures your strategy stays relevant and impactful. I find that simple scoring models that offer clarity and actionable next steps work best for dynamic sales environments.

Tailor Outreach Based on Buying Stage

Crafting personalized outreach is essential for converting leads into paying customers, but aligning it with their buying stage elevates your strategy to a whole new level. 

When you match your messaging and timing to the prospect’s journey, you build trust and position yourself as the solution they’ve been searching for. It’s about meeting them where they are and guiding them confidently toward a decision.

Here’s how to tailor outreach to different buying stages:

For example, if intent data shows a prospect actively downloading a case study and revisiting your comparison page, it’s a clear indication they’re evaluating options in the consideration stage. 

In that case, I’d reach out with a tailored message like: “I noticed you’ve been exploring our solutions for [specific challenge]. Here’s how we’ve helped similar businesses achieve [specific outcome]. Let’s schedule a quick call to discuss how we can do the same for you.”

‍Bonus read: Looking to craft tailored messages that convert? Check out our guide on how to write an outreach email to create emails perfectly aligned with your prospect’s buying stage.

‍Leverage RB2B To Identify High-Intent Prospects

Executing the strategies discussed above is essential for B2B lead generation, but one challenge remains: identifying exactly who is engaging with your content. To address this limitation, platforms like Apollo, Demandbase, and 6sense have been designed to provide valuable visitor data. However, these tools stop at the company level, leaving sales teams guessing about individual decision-makers and their specific interests.

This is where RB2B excels. By capturing person-level data in real time, RB2B gives you the clarity needed to prioritize and personalize outreach. It uncovers critical details—such as names, roles, and engagement history—so your team can act decisively.

Here’s what RB2B’s Person-Level Website Visitor ID tool pushes to your Slack channel in real time:

• Full visitor profiles, including names, roles, and business email addresses, to pinpoint decision-makers with precision
• LinkedIn profile links, allowing immediate access to each visitor’s professional background for hyper-personalized outreach
• Page-by-page interaction data, showing exactly what content prospects are exploring and where their interests lie

Instead of combing through spreadsheets or relying on generic company insights, you’ll know exactly which individuals are researching solutions and what they care about. This eliminates guesswork and empowers your team to act with precision and confidence.

Better yet, RB2B is 100% COMPLIANT with U.S. regulations, including CCPA and CPRA. The tool only tracks U.S.-based website visitors, sidestepping E.U.-based data entirely—you don’t have to worry about GDPR requirements!

How To Get Started With RB2B

‍Getting started with RB2B is quick and hassle-free—all you have to do is:

1. Create a free account
2. Validate your email and complete your profile setup
3. Follow the prompts to embed the RB2B tracking code on your website
4. Integrate with Slack and enable real-time alerts

With RB2B’s basic plan, you get 100% FREE, LIFETIME ACCESS to person-level visitor data—making it an indispensable tool for identifying sales-qualified leads. For teams needing advanced features like enhanced reporting and analytics, the Pro version offers a comprehensive solution with a 30-day free trial to explore its full potential.

Don’t waste time guessing who to reach out to—sign up for RB2B’s Person-Level Website Visitor ID tool and start closing deals with precision. 

‍Bonus read: Learn how to harness LinkedIn’s features for high-impact outreach in our guide to LinkedIn outreach strategy.

Featured image source: Serpstat