Buyer Intent Data: How to Find Ready-to-Buy B2B Leads

Most B2B sales teams waste time chasing leads who aren't ready to buy. They send cold emails to prospects who have no immediate need, schedule demos with tire-kickers, and wonder why conversion rates stay stubbornly low. Meanwhile, actual buyers—people actively comparing solutions and ready to make a decision—slip through unnoticed.

Buyer intent data solves this problem by revealing which accounts are researching solutions like yours right now. Instead of guessing who might be interested, you can focus on prospects already showing buying signals. Research shows that 80% of leads never convert—largely because teams target the wrong people at the wrong time.

What Is Buyer Intent Data?

Buyer intent data is behavioral information that shows when a prospect is actively evaluating or moving toward purchasing a solution. Rather than focusing on demographic data like company size or industry, intent data captures what buyers actually do: the content they consume, searches they perform, and engagement patterns they exhibit.

Think of it this way: a company matching your ideal customer profile might be a good fit on paper, but that doesn't mean they're ready to buy today. Intent data adds the timing dimension. It tells you not just who could buy, but who is actively researching right now.

B2B buyers now complete most of their research before talking to any salesperson. They read blogs, watch videos, compare options, and discuss solutions on platforms like Reddit—all before filling out a demo request form. Intent data lets you see this hidden activity and engage prospects earlier in their journey.

Three Types of Buyer Intent Data

Not all intent data is created equal. Understanding the different types helps you choose the right approach for your sales motion.

First-Party Intent Data

First-party intent data comes from behavior on your own website and product. This includes which pages prospects visit, how long they spend on pricing pages, what content they download, and how they interact with your product if you offer a free trial. Since this data comes directly from real behavior on your properties, it's the most reliable signal. Teams can personalize outreach with full context because they know exactly what the prospect engaged with.

Second-Party Intent Data

Second-party intent data comes from trusted platforms where buyers actively compare options. Review sites like G2 and TrustRadius, comparison platforms, and partner ecosystems capture high-value signals from accounts evaluating specific product categories. This data is particularly valuable because prospects on these platforms are typically further along in their buying journey.

Third-Party Intent Data

Third-party intent data is collected from across the web through data cooperatives, content networks, and reverse IP tracking. Providers like Bombora aggregate signals from thousands of B2B websites to identify which companies are researching specific topics. This gives you visibility into accounts you might never have found otherwise—but requires validation since the data is less deterministic than first-party signals.

Why Buyer Intent Data Matters for B2B Sales

The fundamental problem with traditional lead generation is timing. You might have a perfect-fit prospect in your database, but if you reach out when they're not in buying mode, your message gets ignored. Intent data shifts the paradigm from spray-and-pray to precision targeting.

- Prioritize accounts showing active buying signals over static lead scores
- Personalize outreach based on the specific topics prospects are researching
- Identify competitive opportunities when prospects research alternatives to their current solution
- Reduce sales cycle length by engaging prospects earlier in their research phase
- Improve conversion rates by focusing on genuinely interested accounts

Research indicates that 42% of B2B marketers cite lack of quality data as their biggest barrier to lead generation. Intent data addresses this directly by adding a layer of behavioral qualification on top of firmographic criteria.

Key Intent Signals to Track

When building Prediqte, we discovered that certain intent signals correlate more strongly with actual buying behavior than others. Understanding which signals matter helps you filter noise and focus on meaningful opportunities.

- Recommendation requests: People asking for tool suggestions on Reddit, LinkedIn, or community forums
- Comparison research: Prospects actively comparing solutions or looking for alternatives to competitors
- Pain point discussions: Buyers expressing frustration with their current solution or workflow
- Job changes: New hires in decision-making roles often bring fresh budget and mandate to make purchases
- Competitor engagement: Prospects interacting with competitor content signal active evaluation

The most valuable intent signals combine recency with relevance. Someone who visited your pricing page yesterday is a stronger signal than someone who downloaded a whitepaper six months ago. Similarly, a prospect asking 'what CRM should I use?' on Reddit represents immediate intent compared to general industry research.

Top Buyer Intent Data Providers in 2026

The intent data market has matured significantly. Here are the leading providers and what makes each distinct.

- ZoomInfo: Combines intent data with 100 million company profiles and 500 million contacts. Tracks over 12,000 intent topics from 5,000+ B2B sites.
- Bombora: Offers Company Surge Scores tracking account-level research surges. Provides custom topic modeling with 10,000+ topics.
- TrustRadius: Captures downstream intent from buyers actively comparing products and reading reviews on their platform.
- Lift AI: Claims 85% accuracy on real-time behavioral intent across anonymous website visitors.
- UserGems: Focuses on buyer-level signals including job changes, hiring trends, and funding events across 700+ triggers.

Enterprise intent data platforms can cost thousands per month. For early-stage SaaS companies and lean sales teams, there's a more affordable approach: finding intent directly in the conversations where buyers discuss their needs.

Finding Buyer Intent Without Expensive Platforms

Traditional intent data platforms aggregate signals from across the web and charge premium prices for access. But some of the strongest intent signals are hiding in plain sight—in the public conversations happening on Reddit and LinkedIn every day.

When someone posts 'looking for a project management tool for a remote team of 15' on Reddit, that's pure intent data. They've told you exactly what they need, their team size, and their specific use case. When a LinkedIn user comments on a competitor's post asking about limitations, that's a buying signal waiting to be captured.

Prediqte automates the discovery of these high-intent conversations. Enter your product's website and let AI analyze your offering. Select Reddit, LinkedIn, or both—and receive a curated list of leads with AI-scored relevance explaining why each conversation matters. Starting at $4.95 per run with no subscription required, it's intent data without enterprise pricing.

How to Use Buyer Intent Data Effectively

Collecting intent data is only valuable if you act on it correctly. Here's a framework for turning signals into revenue.

- Score and prioritize: Not all intent signals are equal. Weight signals based on recency, relevance to your solution, and buying stage
- Personalize outreach: Reference the specific content or topic that triggered the intent signal in your messaging
- Time it right: Respond quickly to intent signals—buyers in research mode make decisions fast
- Multi-channel approach: Combine intent data with personalized email, LinkedIn outreach, and relevant content
- Track and optimize: Measure which intent signals actually convert and adjust your scoring accordingly

The key is to add value rather than interrupt. When you know someone is researching a problem you solve, you can approach as a helpful resource rather than a cold salesperson. Share relevant content, offer genuine insights, and position your solution as part of the answer they're already seeking.

Buyer Intent Data Trends in 2026

The intent data landscape continues to evolve. AI-powered platforms now distinguish between casual content consumption and active vendor research by analyzing engagement patterns, frequency, and topic depth. This helps filter noise so you only act on meaningful signals.

With third-party tracking declining due to privacy regulations, consent-based intent data offers a more sustainable approach. Platforms that capture intent from users actively engaging with review sites, communities, and comparison content provide signals that don't depend on tracking cookies.

The shift toward buyer-level signals rather than account-level data is also gaining momentum. Knowing that a specific person—not just a company—is researching your category enables more personalized outreach and higher response rates.

Start Using Buyer Intent Data Today

Buyer intent data transforms how B2B teams prioritize their outreach. Instead of guessing who might be interested, you can focus on prospects already showing buying signals. Whether you invest in enterprise intent platforms or start by mining public conversations on Reddit and LinkedIn, the principle remains the same: timing matters as much as targeting.

For B2B SaaS founders and marketing teams looking to find high-intent leads without enterprise budgets, tools like Prediqte offer a practical starting point. Enter your website, select your platforms, and discover buyers who are already looking for what you sell. It's intent-first lead generation at a price point that makes sense for growing companies.