Wednesday Wisdom: Intent Data Part 2: Why Sales Hates It (and Why That Makes Sense)

saraboostani

A couple weeks ago, I shared an article written by our head of research @Kerry arguing why intent data should not be called intent at all, but rather signals (highly recommend it if you haven’t read it already!!).

In this follow up, Intent Data Part 2: Why Sales Hates It (and Why That Makes Sense), Kerry digs into what’s actually happening when sales teams chase these so-called “intent” signals. The spike of activity that gets flagged isn’t usually intent at all — it’s often just an early, vague signal that buyers are still months away from involving sellers. When those spikes are tossed over to SDRs as meeting triggers, they inevitably lead to wasted effort, missed expectations, and skepticism from sales.

Kerry’s argument? These signals do have value, but not as a sales handoff. They should be owned by marketing — used to target, nurture, and enable buyers until patterns emerge and real intent shows up. Treating the first raindrop like it will fill the bucket is a recipe for disappointment (love Kerry's metaphors!!). Carrying the signal until it’s contextualized is how marketing sets sales up to win.

Give it a read here: Intent Data Part 2: Why Sales Hates It (and Why That Makes Sense)