Buyer intent signals from 6sense, Bombora, G2, and intent-data providers identify which accounts are in market for your category. That's necessary but not sufficient. The signal converts to pipeline only when paired with the warm-intro motion to reach the buying committee. This post is the framework.
The 8 buyer intent signals worth acting on
- Category research surge. Account suddenly researching your category. Highest-weight 6sense/Bombora signal.
- Competitor comparison searches. Account researching "X vs Y" in your category.
- Implementation-stage searches. "How to deploy X" or "X implementation guide" — closer to buying decision.
- RFP or vendor selection searches. Late-stage signal that decision is imminent.
- Job postings in target buying roles. Hiring VP Sales or VP Marketing maps to category buying decision within 90 days.
- Funding event. Series B/C/D announcement creates buying urgency.
- Leadership change at target account. New CRO, CFO, CMO, or CIO triggers 30-60 day vendor selection window.
- Champion job change. Customer champion moves to a target account.
Why intent alone produces 1.8% reply rates
Detect-then-cold motion: intent fires → SDR enrolls account in cold cadence → reply rate 1.8%, qualification cycle 90 days. The intent told you the door is unlocked; cold cadence ensures no one answers.
The intent + warm-intro motion
Detect-then-warm motion: intent fires → check warm graph for connector path to buying committee → warm intro from existing customer, board member, advisor, or alumni → reply rate 25-35%, qualification cycle 30 days.
| Motion | Reply rate | Cycle |
|---|---|---|
| Intent + cold cadence | 1.8% | 90 days |
| Intent + warm intro | 32% | 30 days |
Roughly 40x conversion improvement on the same intent signal volume.
Where to start
For the broader buying signal framework, see 13 buying signals. For the warm-intro orchestration, see warm outreach. For the executive buyer framework, see executive buyer mapping.
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