Intent data in B2B: what it is and when it is worth the money

Intent data is signals that a company is about to buy, for example that they are reading comparison pages, downloading guides or hiring for a new function. It splits into first party data, what you collect yourself, and third party data, what you buy from external vendors. For B2B companies with 11 to 100 employees the answer is almost always: exhaust your own free signals first, bought intent rarely pays off in that segment.

What is the difference between first party and third party intent?

First party intent is behavior you observe yourself:

• Visits to your pricing page or your comparison pages
• Downloads, webinar sign-ups, opened proposals
• Replies and clicks in your emails
• Incoming questions to support or sales

Third party intent is data you buy: networks of publishers and data collectors that report which companies are consuming content in your category. Vendors like Bombora and 6sense dominate internationally.

The difference in practice: first party data is about your company specifically and is strong, third party data is about category interest and is weak but broad.

Which signals do you already own for free?

Before you look at bought data, take stock of what you are already sitting on:

1. The CRM history. Leads who asked for a proposal two years ago but never bought are documented interest. According to Forrester, 80 percent of leads stamped "not ready" buy something within 24 months, just usually from someone else.
2. Site visits. Tools that identify which companies visit your site cost a fraction of intent platforms and show direct interest in you specifically.
3. Email engagement. An old lead who suddenly opens and clicks again has been woken by something.
4. Public signals. A new sales leader, a funding round, job postings and expansion news are free to monitor and often say more than anonymous content consumption.
5. Closed deals. Lost deals with the reason "wrong timing" are an intent list with an expiry date.

Most companies in the segment have hundreds of such signals sitting unworked. That is intent data you already paid for.

When does bought intent data pay off?

Third party intent has three requirements to earn its keep:

• Volume. The data points to companies, not people, and with noise. You need a sales engine that can work many weak signals for the hits to carry the cost.
• A large addressable market. If your target group is 300 companies, category data adds little new: you can already monitor all 300 directly.
• Budget. The platforms are priced for enterprise, often from several hundred thousand SEK or the equivalent per year, and they also require labor to turn the data into action.

For a company with 11 to 100 employees the math usually fails on all three at once. The exception is niche SaaS companies with a global market and high deal value, where a single extra deal pays for the year.

How do you go from signal to action?

The signal is worthless without fast and relevant follow-up:

1. Define which signals matter for your specific business
2. Set a time limit: a signal should become contact within days, not weeks
3. Reference the context, not the signal. "I saw you looked at our pricing page" is unsettling, a relevant email about the problem you solve is not
4. Measure replies and meetings per signal type and scale what works

That work, monitoring signals on existing leads and acting with personal emails while the timing is right, is exactly what Leo at Revexa is built for. A calculator for what your own CRM list may be worth is on the home page.

Common questions

Is intent data legal under GDPR?

First party data about your own leads is usually straightforward with legitimate interest as the basis. Bought third party data requires you to review the vendor's collection and legal basis, the responsibility follows the data.

What does third party intent data cost?

International platforms typically start in the hundreds of thousands per year with annual contracts. Simpler site-visitor identification is available from a few thousand per month.

Which signal is strongest?

A previously engaged lead who gets a new relevant event, for example a new decision maker or funding. Documented interest plus fresh timing beats anonymous content consumption every time.