How to Use Intent-Based Data to Maximize Sales with Mike Farrell, #205

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What if you knew the exact companies or individuals who are actively looking for the products or services you offer? Imagine how much more targeted your outbound marketing or prospecting could be. 

That’s the exact topic we dive into in this episode of the Modern Selling Podcast with my expert guest, who is leading the way in leveraging intent-based data to revolutionize the sales game.

We welcome Mike Farrell, CEO of Green leads, to the show.

Mike is a proven high-growth leader with over 30+ years in the IT Channel and BPO-service industries with both start-up and public companies. He has direct leadership experience with seven M&A events and has expertise in leading integration teams. With Green Leads, Mike leads business growth by focusing on strategic differentiation, customer acquisition, and providing a high-touch, high-quality client experience.

Prior to Green Leads, Mike did sales consulting work, helping B2B companies optimize their digital marketing and build internal SDR teams. In addition, he served as the Chief Operating Officer of BAO and was the driving force behind their growth to become a category-leading, 200+ employee, $20M+ Outsourced SDR firm (BPO).

Listen to this cutting-edge conversation as we explore intent-based data, how to leverage its predictive power and what SDRs can do today to use it to improve their prospecting results.

Download the full episode now and jump in to hear what’s really working to give sales organizations a competitive edge on the market.

What Really is Intent Data?

Before we discussed specific intent-based data strategies, it was important to understand what intent data is.

I wanted to hear Mike’s perspective on the topic and what he sees is the growing trend in the area.

He shares, “Intent-based data is a type of digital forensics. It helps you zone in on the companies and people who are actively looking for your offering on the web. We get all sorts of buyer intent signals that let us know who is searching our keywords, reading our content, etc. From there, we can study to help us perfect our prospecting and hone in on the best time to reach out to get buyers right when they’re ready to buy.”

At Vengreso, we use a host of intent-based data tools to help us pinpoint target accounts to focus on with our prospecting efforts. But, like I always say, “a fool with a tool is still a fool,” meaning if SDRs aren’t equipped with the right training, they still may not maximize the full prospecting power of intent signals.

Using intent-based data is still a relatively new strategy among B2B sellers, but when put to use in the right way, SDRs can get more prospects on the phone – faster.

Mike explains the prospecting process they use at Green Leads that is getting their client’s impressive results (it’s not at all what I even thought was possible.)

Join in the conversation and listen to the specific ways that Mike recommends sales leaders analyze and use intent data to determine how to reach out to increase prospecting response rates.

How Does that Intent Data Impact Conversion Rates into Meetings?

In my experience, intent-based data can be helpful to help you identify target companies. However, most intent-based tools don’t give you great insight into the individuals who are within those companies who control the buying decisions.

So, the question ultimately becomes: How do you leverage intent-based data to actually increase your prospecting efforts?

Mike had some important insights to share, “Finding companies who may be searching for what you offer is just one small part of the puzzle. Intent-based data gets us a powerful head start, so you’re not prospecting from scratch. But, that’s where you must have a robust sales process in place, once you’ve identified these target accounts. We teach our clients how to create specific content based on intent signals to draw those prospects in to book a call. In other words, we look for triggers or entry points and nurture the prospect from there.”

It’s also important for sales leaders and sales organizations to consider all of the data privacy regulations and how using intent-based data sources could play into this. Mike has a very unique perspective on this, so be sure to listen in right around the 24-minute mark.

Although intent-based data is one part of the prospecting toolkit, at Vengreso, we teach the importance of taking an omnichannel approach to prospecting, using LinkedIn, email, text messages, and videos to get your prospect to lean in. So, once intent-based data is collected, the goal is to put your prospecting process into play – reaching your B2B buyer in as many channels as possible – always with highly personalized messages.

Download this episode and get the inside scoop on the best intent-based tools to use and what important steps you should be taking to maximize various B2B buyer intent signals.

What Are The Best Intent-Based Data Tools?

There are a host of sales technologies that not only help SDRs improve their productivity, but also change how we can find and engage with B2B prospects.

The key is to find tools that can easily be integrated into the prospecting process to increase prospect engagement (ideally across a host of channels).

We created FlyMSG, a text expander to help sales teams type less, so they can prospect more. A tool like this could help SDRs take the intent-based data they receive from other platforms and start to reach out and engage with prospects.

To get the full scope of how we should be getting the most out of intent-based signals, I wanted to get Mike’s rundown of the must-try tools to win the intent signal game.

I won’t spill the beans here, so be sure to download and listen to the full episode to get his Top 3 Intent-Based Data Tools to use.