GTM Alpha

The value in high-intent prospect data

One area I’ve been thinking about recently is the “GTM alpha” contained in high-intent prospect data.

Every few months, someone declares that “cold outreach is dead.” I think the opposite is true - it can remain very effective as a channel, but as inboxes have become more saturated, with the abundance of cheap data, and automated sending infrastructure, the playbook has evolved.

Outbound still works incredibly well when executed thoughtfully.

The ideal scenario is simple to describe, but hard to execute: reach the right person, at the right time, with the right offer, using the right message, and through the right channel.

When you get those variables right, you have a predictable pipeline engine. When you don’t, you're spamming, with no surprise that reply rates approach 0...not to mention you risk a fine under the US CAN-SPAM Act!

Most outbound campaigns start with a basic firmographic filter - for example, a private equity firm, looking to acquire a new business, might pull a list of all businesses with $10M+ EBITDA in a particular sector, and then enrich the dataset with decision-makers.

But how receptive would a generic list of accounts like this, be to a cold offer to enter buyout discussions? Possible, but not likely.

ENTER “SIGNAL DATA”

The real leverage comes from layering firmographic data with signal data - information that helps you predict which prospects are most likely to be receptive right now.

Imagine enriching that same private equity target list with signals like:

• Owner age approaching retirement age

• Owner posted on social media about fatigue

• Company has seen recent high employee turnover

• Owner's children in corporate careers (less likelihood of succession?)

• Owner listed business on brokerage platforms for >6 months

Thanks to tools like Clay, Trigify.io, and Momentum.io, obtaining the above data is no longer a manual exercise. You can systematically capture, enrich, and score prospects against these signals.

THE IMPACT

Suddenly, the private equity firm is not just sending cold emails into the dark, but having perfectly timed conversations with tired business owners, already exploring exit options.

And because this is top-of-funnel work, small improvements like doubling message reply rates from 1% to 2%, assuming downstream conversion rates hold, literally doubles the number of closed deals.

...that's certainly enough to pay for the extra cost of "signal data"!

Teams embracing this new approach can scale their impact without increasing headcount, whilst also reducing the risk of brand damage that can come from blasting irrelevant messages to a unrefined prospect lists!