Most sales and marketing teams have access to some form of intent data today — website visits, content downloads, review activity, or search behaviour. But here’s the problem: intent signals without action are just noise.
The real power comes when you operationalize intent data into your sales and marketing motion. That’s when signals transform from interesting datapoints into booked meetings, shorter sales cycles, and measurable revenue.
In this blog, we’ll cover:
- Why acting on intent signals is critical to pipeline growth.
- The 4 steps to operationalizing signals inside your funnel.
- A real-world example of how teams are using Lead Onion’s Intent Search to save time and close faster.
Why Acting on Intent Signals Matters
B2B buyers are leaving digital footprints everywhere:
- 95% of buyers research solutions before ever speaking to sales (DemandGen).
- The average buying group involves 6–10 stakeholders (Gartner).
- Teams using intent data are 2.5x more likely to report significant pipeline growth (TOPO).
But here’s the catch: if signals aren’t connected to workflows, they end up sitting in dashboards — disconnected from sales activity. That’s why the majority of intent data goes unused, and pipeline opportunities are lost.
Step 1: Prioritize by Fit + Intent Intensity
Not every signal is equal. Some may indicate curiosity, others buying readiness. That’s why Lead Onion scores accounts by fit (ICP match) and intent intensity (depth + recency of research activity).
This scoring helps teams focus on the top-right quadrant: the accounts most likely to buy, right now.
📌 Example: A marketing team identified 50 accounts showing competitor research, but only 12 scored as high fit + high intent. SDRs concentrated their outreach on those 12 — resulting in 3 meetings booked within a week.
Step 2: Route Automatically to SDRs/Marketing
Timing is everything. Buyers researching today may not be tomorrow. That’s why routing intent-qualified accounts automatically into cadences or campaigns is essential.
With Lead Onion, spikes in interest trigger automations that send leads directly to the right rep or nurture track — zero manual handoffs, zero delays.
📌 Example: An SDR team set up automatic routing so that whenever an ICP account showed 3+ signals in a week, the account was pushed straight into Outreach. Response rates jumped 35%, because reps were engaging at the peak moment of intent.
Step 3: Personalize Outreach
Intent data tells you not just who is in-market, but what they care about. That’s your hook for personalization.
If a contact is comparing competitors, mention what makes you different. If they’re researching a specific feature, lead with a relevant case study. This level of precision moves you from generic outreach to conversations that resonate.
📌 Example: A SaaS vendor spotted that a CMO at a target account was researching “ABM platforms.” The SDR opened their email with insights on ABM campaign ROI. The result? A positive reply within 24 hours.
Step 4: Track Results
Operationalizing signals isn’t complete without measuring outcomes. With Lead Onion, you can track:
- Conversions (from IQL → SQL).
- Pipeline value generated from intent-driven leads.
This feedback loop lets you refine prioritisation, routing, and messaging to maximise ROI.
📌 Example: A SaaS customer used Intent Search to uncover 200 new in-market accounts, cut prospecting time by 50%, and attributed £850k in pipeline to intent-led outreach within a single quarter.
Bringing It All Together
Intent signals alone won’t move the needle. But when you:
- Prioritize by fit + intensity,
- Route automatically to the right team,
- Personalize with context, and
- Track results —
…you turn signals into predictable pipeline growth.
Ready to See It in Action?
The best way to understand Intent Search is to see it live. In just 15 minutes, you’ll discover how to operationalize signals and start filling your funnel with real buyers.
👉 Join our next live demo to see it in action
👉 Or try it yourself with a free trial and claim 1,000 free Intent Qualified Leads — first 100 only
