00:02 Okay, so welcome to the deep dive. You're here because you really wanna get a handle on what actually makes businesses grow, right? And today we're gonna zero in on something that's super critical for basically any business. And that is understanding your ICP, your ideal customer profile. And now you've probably at this point defined who your ideal customer is.

00:32 general like you got that down. Yeah, you got that down pat. But but what if you could actually identify when they are in the market to buy? Oh, yeah. That's where that's where the magic. That's where things get really, really interesting. Right. And that is exactly what we're going to focus on today. Love it. Getting you smart about this like quickly without bogging you down in detail. Yeah. So we've been looking at this really insightful article from Dealfront. OK, they specialize in B2B data and lead generation. Cool.

01:01 and they have this piece called, to Identify ICP Companies that Show Buying Intent. Very catchy and it's a very practical roadmap. So our goal today is to really kind of move beyond just knowing your ICP on paper, right? But equip you with the knowledge to actually detect these moments when these ideal companies are like, hey, we need a solution. They're like, hey, we're ready, we need someone now.

01:31 We're looking, we're searching. So, okay, let's kind of unpack this a little Yeah, let's get into it. So defining your ICP, so you've probably got to handle on, you know, the demographics, firmographics. Right. For those who maybe haven't heard that term before. Firmographics, it's like demographics, but for companies. Yeah. So like industry, company size, revenue. Right, size, location, all the... Yeah. All that, all those like key characteristics. Yeah. But the article, you know, makes this point, like that's really just the foundation.

02:00 Yeah, it's a starting point. Yeah, it's like knowing the profile of your ideal job candidate, but not knowing if they're looking for a job. Exactly. It doesn't tell you anything about timing. Yeah, you need to know. When are they open to something new? Yeah, when are they actually actively searching for something? Are they happy where they are? Yeah. Maybe not. Are they browsing Indeed or LinkedIn jobs? Right, exactly. That's the key, That's what intent is all about. So the real leverage comes when

02:29 You can spot those signs, those signals that scream, this company is showing intent. Yes, and they are leaving these signals all over the place. They are. Think about it. A static ICP definition tells you who to target, right? OK. Understanding intent signals tells you when to engage. Oh, that's good. That's like a really nice way to put it. Because it's that timing element. That's so crucial. OK. And the fascinating thing is that these intent signals are basically digital footprints. OK.

02:59 They leave behind as they go about researching solutions. OK, so give me an example of what that might look like. Let's say a company is repeatedly visiting your product pages. On your website, that's a sign. OK. Right? Or maybe they download a case study that goes into detail about how your solution helped a similar business. OK. Or they spend time on a third party review site, comparing you to your competitors. Yeah.

03:25 These are all little digital flares going up saying, hey, we're interested in this. We are exploring this. We're exploring this. OK. So the Dealfront article calls these intent signals. OK. And they can really surface anywhere online. like, so then how do you actually keep track of all this stuff? Right, because you can't be.

03:46 everywhere all the time. You can't be manually piecing together all these potential signals. You can't be like on every website. Exactly. It's impractical. Yeah. And that's where technology, I guess, comes in. That's where these tools come in, these intent monitoring tools that can really do this efficiently and practically in near real time. OK. So the article mentions a specific tool. Yes. They talk about Leadfeeder by Dealfront. It can track companies visiting your website, even those who don't fill out a form.

04:15 That's cool. And the crucial thing is it can notify you when those visitors are on your ICP list. Oh, wow. That's when things get really interesting. OK, so like, give me an example of how that would actually work. Sure. Imagine you get an alert the moment a high priority company starts looking at your pricing page. Oh, OK. That's powerful stuff. That is pretty powerful. It means they're seriously considering you. Yeah. And your sales team can reach out.

04:43 right away while their interest is hot? While it's hot, yeah. Well, the problem they're trying to solve is top of mind. Yeah. OK, so then, so how do you set this up? So the article actually gives a step-by-step guide. Oh, nice. Using Leadfeeder. OK. And the first thing you need is a saved list of ICP companies in Dealfront Target. OK, so that's like your starting point. Exactly. That predefined ICP list is like the foundation. Got it. You're telling Leadfeeder, hey, these are the companies I care about. OK, focus on these guys. Focus your attention here. OK.

05:12 So then within Leadfeeder, you create a custom feed. Custom feed, OK. Think of it as a personalized alert system. OK. And you give it a name, something descriptive, like high intent ICP companies. OK, I like that. You can also choose to get weekly updates, but the article recommends sticking with the defaults for real time or near real time alerts. Makes sense. You don't want to be waiting a week. Exactly. You've got to strike while the iron's hot. While the iron is hot. And then comes the fun part, adding filters. OK.

05:40 So first you connect it to that ICP list in target. That's your primary filter. So that's making sure we're only focused on the companies that we actually care about. The ones that fit your ideal profile. Perfect. And the article also recommends adding a filter to exclude companies already in your CRM. Oh, that's smart. So we're not like doubling up on efforts. Exactly. No wasted effort. OK. So now we get to the really cool part. OK. Defining what online behaviors actually signal intent.

06:10 Okay, this is where we get into the nitty gritty. This is where you customize the system. Yeah. To recognize what's meaningful for your business. Okay, so like what are some examples of these signals? So let's say a company repeatedly visits your product pages. Okay. That's a pretty good sign. They're interested. They're like, mm-hmm. They're digging deep. Yeah, they're doing their research. Another one is visiting your demo request page or contact us page. Okay. Especially if they don't fill out the form. Oh, interesting.

06:39 It means they're interested, but maybe they have a question or need a little nudge. And of course, we've all been there browsing pricing pages, trying to figure out if we can afford something. So frequent visits to your pricing page are definitely a signal that they're getting serious. All right, what else? Beyond specific pages, content consumption is huge. Downloading things like case studies, white papers, reports. They want to learn. They want to see proof that your solution works.

07:08 And even something as simple as subscribing to your blog or newsletter can be a sign that they see you as a valuable resource. They're like, yeah, these guys are putting out good stuff. Exactly. OK, so how do we actually put these signals into Leadfeeder? So you can add these behavior filters. For example, you can use page URL and input the URLs of your key pages, like your product pages or pricing page. Got it.

07:33 You can even combine filters. So you could look for companies that visited your pricing page and downloaded a specific case study within a certain timeframe. Oh, that's cool. Like a double whammy. Exactly. A combination of signals. OK. And once you've got your filter set up, you save the feed, and Leadfeeder starts doing its thing. OK. It'll show you the companies that match your criteria in your chosen time frame. So then I can actually see who these companies are? You can see their location, website, industry size, even their activity on your website. No kidding.

08:02 what pages they visited, how often, when. Wow. It can even give you contact info. That's awesome. So your sales team doesn't have to start from scratch. Right. They know exactly what this company is interested in. So it's not just a random company that visited the website. We actually have information about what they were doing. Exactly. It's actionable intelligence. OK. So now we've identified these companies that are showing intent. Right. What's next? How do we actually talk to them? So the article goes into setting up

08:30 targeted outreach based on these signals. Okay, so like how does that work? You can get notified when a company meets your criteria. They talk about a couple of ways to do this. One is through Slack. Like the messaging app? Yeah, if your team uses Slack, you can set up alerts in a specific channel. So every time a new company pops up that's showing intent, boom.

08:53 we get a notification. Exactly, you can even customize how often you get these notifications. Oh cool. So you could get them immediately or as a daily summary. So we can choose like how we want to be bothered basically. Exactly, you control the flow of information. I like it. Okay, what's the other option? The other option is email. Okay. Leadfeeder has this share via email feature. Okay. So you can automatically send alerts to people. And it doesn't have to be someone who uses Leadfeeder? Nope, anyone you want. That's cool.

09:21 So if you work with freelancers or external partners. Well, they can be in the loop. They can get those alerts too. Very cool. And again, you can customize the frequency. OK, so what if we use a CRM? If your CRM is integrated with Dealfront, you can often set up automation. Oh, cool. So these high intent companies get pushed directly into your CRM. So no one has to manually enter anything? No manual data entry. Less room for error. And no hot lead slipping through the cracks.

09:50 Okay, I like that. So it's a really streamlined process. Yes, it's very cool. I'm really starting to see how this all works together. It's about moving from reactive to proactive. Okay. Instead of waiting for leads to come to you, you're going out and finding them. Finding the ones who are actually already interested. But it's not just about identifying who's interested, right? Right, you gotta understand why. Why are they interested? What are they looking for? Okay, so how do we actually do that? So you gotta analyze that intent data. Okay. Look at their behavior.

10:19 What pages are they spending time on? What content are they downloading? This tells you where they are in their journey. Are they just starting out? Just exploring their options? Or are they ready to buy? Looking at pricing, comparing vendors. So looking at what they're doing on the website can tell us how far along they are in the process. Exactly. Their behavior gives you clues. OK. So is there any like

10:47 or anything that can help us actually like sift through all this data? So this is where CRM integrations and behavioral analytics tools come in. Okay. They help you organize and interpret all this data. Okay. So you can spot patterns. Okay. And understand their needs. Right. And then you can use that to tailor your outreach. So you're not sending generic messages. Right. You're sending messages that are relevant to what they're interested in. Okay, so it's all about personalization basically.

11:17 Okay, cool, but this can't just be like a sales thing, right? No. It has to be like a whole company effort. Sales and marketing have to work together. Right. They need a shared understanding of what intent means for your business. Yeah. And they need a plan for how to respond. So like how do we actually get those teams to work together effectively? Communication is key. Yeah. Regular meetings, shared dashboards. Okay. Collaborative tools like Slack.

11:45 or a sauna. So everyone's on the same page? Everyone's on the same page. Marketing can nurture the prospects with content. Okay. Based on their intent. Yeah. And sales can reach out at the right time with the right message. It's like a beautiful dance. It's a beautiful symphony. Okay, so the article actually talks about like crafting these personalized messages. They do. So what do they suggest? They recommend using email templates.

12:10 Okay. And CRM notes. Right. To make sure your communication is tailored. Okay. And they have a really important reminder about GDPR. Oh yeah. For our European listeners. Exactly. Especially for cold outreach. Okay. The rules can vary from country to country. Yeah. So they provide links to resources for the DACH region and Benelux. Oh that's very helpful. It is. Okay so they actually give us some templates. Right. But yeah. like examples of what we can send. Yes. Three examples. Okay. A LinkedIn message.

12:38 an email and a phone call script. Oh, awesome. Okay, so walk me through like what those look like. So the LinkedIn message is short and sweet. Okay. You reference their specific interest based on their activity. Okay. Mention some success stories from similar companies. Social proofs. Exactly. Yeah, always. And then you offer a quick call. Okay, very cool. What about the email? The email focuses on simplifying their decision. Okay. You talk about how you've helped similar companies with their pain points. Got it.

13:07 and then suggest a quick chat to discuss pricing and value. You even suggest some specific times. Well, that's smart. Makes it easy for them to say yes. Yeah. OK. And what about the phone script? So you start by mentioning their interest. OK. Then you ask some questions to understand their challenges. So like a little discovery. Exactly. And then you suggest a follow up call to talk about solutions.

13:30 Okay, so the key with all these templates is that we're not just like pitching our product, right? Right. It's about providing value, showing them you understand their needs. Okay. Not just trying to sell them something. Cool. And beyond the content, you also have to choose the right channel. Oh, right. Like email, LinkedIn, phone. Exactly. How do we know which one to use? It depends on your prospects and their preferences. Okay. You can use data from your CRM or multi-channel outreach platforms.

13:59 So we might even use a combination of channels. Exactly. A multi-channel approach can be very effective. Makes sense. Yeah. OK, so we sent our messages. What's next? Now you track your results. Use your CRM email tracking tools, sales engagement platforms. See what's working. Exactly. OK. You want to track things like open rates, response rates, follow up actions. So you can see what's resonating. Exactly. And then adjust our approach based on that data. Data is your friend.

14:28 Data is our friend. It helps you optimize your outreach. I like it. OK, so we've gone through this whole process. A whole shebang. Yeah. What kind of results can we actually expect to see? The article highlights three main benefits. Lay it on me. Higher conversion rates. OK, because we're talking to the right people at the right time. Exactly. Awesome. What else? Improved sales efficiency. OK, because we're not wasting time on people who aren't interested. Exactly. You're focusing on the hot leads. Nice.

14:55 And finally, an enhanced customer acquisition strategy. Okay, so like overall, just a better way to get customers. A smarter way to get customers. Yeah, a smarter way to get customers. I like that a And it all starts with understanding your ICP and then taking it a step further by identifying when they're ready to buy. Using their intent. Using intent signals. Okay. And tools like Leadfeeder can help you do that. Awesome. So to wrap this all up. Yes. Knowing your ideal customer is great. It's crucial. Yeah, but the real magic happens.

15:25 Yes. When you can actually identify when those customers are ready to buy. When they're actively looking for a solution. Yes, and by using these tools like intent monitoring, analyzing the data, getting our sales and marketing teams aligned, crafting personalized messages. All of it working together. We can dramatically improve our chances of closing deals. Absolutely. Oh wow, this has been a really eye-opening deep dive. It has. Like I'm kind of sitting here thinking about all the opportunities we've probably missed. It makes you think. Yeah.

15:54 just because we weren't paying attention to these buying signals. It's a whole new world out there. It is. Yeah. is. And it's making me think, how could a deeper understanding of our ICPs behavior really change how we do sales and marketing? Right. How can we move beyond just basic demographics and actually connect with prospects at the moment they need us? Yeah. When they're actually experiencing that pain point. Exactly. That's a huge question. It is something to ponder. Yeah.

16:24 So if you're listening to this and you're like, man, I want to learn more, check out Dealfront's website. They have a ton of resources. Yeah, they've got blogs, webinars, all sorts of good stuff to help you grow your pipeline. Definitely worth checking out. OK, well, hey, thanks for joining us for this deep dive. It's been a pleasure. We'll catch you next time. See you then.