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Topics / Intent & signals

Intent & signals: contacting accounts at the right moment

Signal-based selling replaces static lists with triggers: a key hire, a funding round, a job change, a tech install or a visit to your pricing page. Members debate which signals actually predict buying and how accurate visitor identification is.

In the club

Counted across 255,431 messages from 1,844 members. Nobody is named or quoted.

What people ask for help with

  • Finding leads & building lists1100%
  • Hiring, talent & careers200%

Share of 497 sampled questions

Why it matters

Timing is often the difference between a reply and silence. Good signals shrink lists to accounts that are more likely to care right now.

What practitioners should know

  1. 01

    First-party beats third-party

    Your own website, product and email engagement data tends to be more reliable than broad topic intent.

  2. 02

    Match rates vary

    Visitor identification resolves only a portion of traffic to companies, and fewer to people; treat it as a hint, not a fact.

  3. 03

    Combine signals

    Several weak signals on the same account are usually stronger than one strong-looking signal alone.

Worth reading

Research gathered Sep 29.

Questions to be able to answer

  • Which signal has actually predicted meetings for you?

Public threads on this

Club numbers as of Oct 24. Words are reviewed before they go live. Links go to their publishers.