How to Identify Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs) Using B2B Intent Signals: A Step-by-Step Guide

Defining the ICP is the first step toward driving sales.

If you get this step wrong, everything else will go wrong too.

A wrong ICP means:

• Wrong messaging
• Wrong value proposition
• Wasted time and resources
• Lost sales opportunities

To get it right, you need to study buyer intent signals, analyze them, and identify which ones align with your ICP.

A well-defined ICP helps you segment your market, focus on high-value customers, and increase conversion rates.

Let’s go step by step on how to use intent signals to improve sales and marketing.

What are Intent Signals?

Intent signals show when a potential customer is interested in your product or service. These signals tell you if someone is:

• Searching for solutions
• Researching competitors
• Ready to buy

But not every signal matters. Your job is to identify which signals to use and which to ignore.

Intent signals help your sales and marketing teams find the right customers, optimize marketing campaigns, initiate outreach, and make better decisions.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Identifying ICPs Using B2B Intent Signals

1. Redefining Your ICP with Buyer Intent

The problem with traditional ICPs is that it only focuses on firmographics—such as industry, company size, and revenue. These are useful, but they don’t show which companies are actively looking for a solution.

To refine your ICP, add behavioral data and technographic insights.

How to Use Behavioral Data:

Monitor website visits, content downloads, and webinar participation to gauge interest.

Tracking these interactions requires analytics tools that allow you to monitor user engagement on your website.

This way, you will be able to identify intent signals, such as frequent visits to product pages or repeated content downloads—both of which indicate strong interest.

How to Use Technographic Data:

Understand the tools and technologies your prospects currently use. Why? Because it indicates compatibility or a need for your solution.

To implement this, use platforms like Clearbit or ZoomInfo to gather data on the software and tools used by potential clients.

This insight will guide your prospecting efforts based on their existing tech stack.

2. Capturing Intent Data from Multiple Sources

Identifying real-time buyer interest isn’t straightforward—it requires a multifaceted approach. Relying solely on one data source is incomplete and can mislead you.

To get a complete picture, collect intent data from both first-party and third-party sources. Multiple sources help you gain a comprehensive understanding of prospect’s behavior.

First-Party Data (Your Own Data):

First-party data involves tracking on-site behaviors such as page views and resource downloads.

To collect this data, set up tracking mechanisms on your website to monitor user engagement.

Use tools like Google Analytics to gather insights on the most visited pages and downloaded content.

Third-Party Data (External Data):

Third-party data tracks off-site activities, including content engagement and search behaviors.

Use platforms like Bombora, G2, and 6sense to collect third-party data.

These platforms provide insights into off-site activities, such as which companies are researching topics related to your offerings—even if they haven’t visited your site.

3. Identifying Buying Committees & Key Stakeholders

B2B purchasing decisions typically involve multiple stakeholders, making it challenging to identify and engage all relevant parties.

The solution? Map out decision-makers and tailor content to their specific roles within target accounts.

Mapping Out Decision-Makers

• Identify who holds influence and authority within target accounts.
• Use LinkedIn and other professional networks to research organizational structures.
• Pinpoint key individuals in departments relevant to your solution.

Tailoring Content to Roles

• Provide strategic insights for executives and practical solutions for end-users.
• Your content should address the unique concerns of different stakeholders.

For example, create case studies highlighting ROI for executives and user guides for operational teams.

4. Scoring & Prioritizing High-Intent Accounts

Not every prospect engaging with your content is interested in buying. Some may show interest without actual intent to purchase.

To evaluate intent accurately, develop a scoring system that assigns values to various intent signals based on their likelihood of leading to conversion.

How to Score Intent Signals:

Assign values to different intent signals based on their probability of conversion.

For example:

• Webinar attendance = 10 points
• Demo request = 20 points

Regularly refine this model based on conversion data.

Prioritize High-Scoring Leads:

Focus on accounts with the highest scores. High scores = High intent → Follow up quickly.

Use your scoring system to rank leads and prioritize follow-ups. High-scoring leads should be your top priority and must receive immediate attention from your sales team.

5. Personalize Outreach Based on Intent Signals

Generic messages get pushed aside—your prospects expect personalized communication.

Customize communication and offer relevant content that addresses the prospect’s current challenges and stage in the buying journey.

Customizing Communication

• For tailored messaging, focus on specific interests and behaviors shown by the prospect.
• Use data from your CRM to craft personalized emails and calls.
• Refer to specific actions the prospect has taken, such as downloading a particular eBook, to make your outreach more relevant.

Offering Relevant Content

Ensure your resources address the prospect’s current challenges and buying journey stage.

Develop a content library segmented by buyer journey stages.

For example:

• Share case studies with prospects in the consideration stage.
• Provide product comparisons to those in the decision stage.

6. Continuously Optimizing & Evolving Your ICP

Markets and buyer behaviors are constantly changing. Your ICP cannot remain static—it must evolve over time.

Regularly analyze win/loss data and stay informed about industry trends to refine your ICP and align it with emerging opportunities.

Analyzing Win/Loss Data

• Identify patterns in successful and unsuccessful deals to refine your profile.
• Conduct quarterly reviews of closed deals to determine common characteristics of wins and losses.
  Use this data to update your ICP criteria.

Final Thoughts

Intent signals help you find real buyers. They take the guesswork out of marketing and sales.

Key Takeaways:

✅ Use behavioral & technographic data to refine your ICP
✅ Collect first-party & third-party intent data
✅ Identify decision-makers and personalize outreach
✅ Prioritize high-intent leads using a scoring system
✅ Keep your ICP updated to stay relevant

Want better leads and faster conversions? Start tracking intent signals today.

Vikas Bhatt

Vikas Bhatt is the Co-Founder of ONLY B2B, a premium B2B lead generation company that specializes in helping businesses achieve their growth objectives through targeted marketing & sales campaigns. With 10+ years of experience in the industry, Vikas has a deep understanding of the challenges faced by businesses today and has developed a unique approach to lead generation that has helped clients across a range of industries around the globe. As a thought leader in the B2B marketing community, ONLY B2B specializes in demand generation, content syndication, database services and more.