SALES
Salesmotion vs. 6sense
See how Salesmotion stacks up against 6sense, what the differences of the two platforms are and which is best for your use case.
See how Salesmotion stacks up against Demandbase, what the differences of the two platforms are and which is best for your use case.
Salesmotion vs. Demandbase: A Practical Guide to Choosing Your Intent Signals Platform
TL;DR
- Demandbase specializes in intent signals—tracking which companies are researching specific topics, visiting B2B websites, or consuming digital content.
- Salesmotion delivers actionable account signals—publicly verifiable business moves like hiring, funding, product launches, and leadership shifts from 1,000+ trusted sources.
Intent signals show who is interested; account signals reveal what’s changing, why, and when to act. They’re complementary, and top-performing teams use both depending on their go-to-market strategy and workflow integration.
Choosing an ABM platform isn’t about the “best”—it’s about finding the right fit for your sales motion and stack.
Understanding the Core Difference
ABM platforms differ fundamentally in the types of signals they surface:
Demandbase (Intent): "Company X is researching 'cybersecurity compliance' and showing a surge in relevant keyword searches."
Salesmotion (Account Signals): "Company X just opened a Berlin office, hired a VP for EMEA, and posted new strategic job openings."
Both types of signals matter—intent signals flag interest, while account signals reveal context, timing, and relevance for engagement.
How Demandbase Tracks Intent
Demandbase is the market leader for intent data. It uses:
- Reverse IP identification of anonymous visitors
- Content consumption and search patterns across millions of B2B sites
- AI-driven intent scoring based on keyword surges and engagement
- Account scoring and predictive analytics
Intent signals are powerful for surfacing in-market accounts and prioritizing early engagement, particularly in large addressable markets and marketing-driven ABM.
How Salesmotion Surfaces Account Signals
Salesmotion continuously monitors public, third-party data sources to surface meaningful account signals such as:
- Press releases on expansion, partnerships, and acquisitions
- Leadership changes—C-suite hires, departures, promotions
- Funding rounds, IPOs, financial milestones
- Job postings and hiring bursts (indicating growth or new initiatives)
- Product launches, integrations, and GTM moves
- Earnings calls, SEC filings, and investor presentations
- Podcasts, executive interviews, and social announcements
These account signals offer real-world context and timing, enabling sales teams to reach out when an account’s business is actually changing.
Side‑by‑Side Comparison
| Feature | Demandbase (Intent Signals) | Salesmotion (Account Signals) |
|---|---|---|
| Data Type | Intent signals (web, content, search) | Account signals (news, hiring, funding, filings) |
| Timing | When accounts start researching | When key business signals indicate new needs |
| Depth | Activity-level signals | Context-rich signals, linked to sources |
| Integration | Standalone platform + CRM sync | Embedded in CRM, email, Slack |
| Best Use | Discovering in-market accounts | Timing and personalizing outreach |
| Implementation | 60–90 days | Operational in days |
| Pricing | Enterprise ($30K+ / year) | By monitored account list, starts ~$1,000/mo |
When to Use Each Approach
Intent Signals (Demandbase)
- Large or undefined addressable markets
- Buying journeys that start with digital research
- Marketing-driven ABM with programmatic ads and web personalization
- Dedicated resources to manage and optimize ABM platforms
Account Signals (Salesmotion)
- Defined ABM/TAM lists for targeted selling
- Sales cycles triggered by specific business signals
- Personalized, timing-based engagement is critical
- Sales teams want insights within existing workflows
- Context and signal quality matter more than lead volume
Why Combining Both Drives Results
Modern ABM leaders use both:
- Intent signals highlight engaged accounts showing buying interest
- Account signals add context, timing, and relevance to prioritize outreach
For example: Intent may show a spike in “supply chain software” searches, while account signals reveal a recent expansion and hiring blitz—making your outreach timely and hyper-relevant.
Cost & Adoption Considerations
- License fees: Demandbase ($30K+/yr), Salesmotion (~$1-2K+/mo)
- Implementation: Demandbase may take 1–3 months, Salesmotion is often live in days
- Operational overhead: data management, training, enablement
- User adoption: seamless workflow integration drives higher adoption and ROI
How to Decide
- Identify key sales triggers: Are your signals digital behaviors or business changes?
- Assess your market: Broad, undefined or a targeted account list?
- Map workflow needs: Is in-workflow delivery (CRM, Slack, email) essential?
- Factor in resource capacity: Can your team support another major platform?
- Project true ROI: Weigh platform costs vs. time and pipeline impact
The Future of Signal-Based ABM
- Multi-source signal fusion (intent, account, social, first-party)
- AI-driven synthesis and action recommendations
- Workflow-first, push-based integration will replace stand-alone tools
- Flexible pricing unlocking signal-based selling for SMBs and enterprises
The best platforms will surface the most relevant account signals, right inside the tools where sales teams already work.
Ready to drive revenue with account-based signals?
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I combine intent and account signals?
A: Yes—high-performing teams use intent data to spot in-market accounts and account signals to add timing and context for outreach. Demandbase and Salesmotion can be used together.
Q: How much signal data is available?
A: Salesmotion aggregates thousands of sources—news, earnings calls, filings, hiring trends, exec moves—to surface actionable account signals every day.
Q: What’s typical implementation time?
A: Demandbase can require 1–3 months for setup; Salesmotion can start pushing account signals into your CRM and workflows in days.
Q: How is data privacy handled?
A: Both platforms use only public or anonymized data. No personal data is tracked; Demandbase anonymizes web signals, Salesmotion only indexes public disclosures.
Q: My reps hate new tools—how is adoption?
A: Workflow-integrated tools win. Salesmotion pushes signals into Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack—no separate logins required, maximizing adoption.
Q: Is this worth it for smaller sales teams?
A: Yes—if you have defined target accounts and long sales cycles, actionable account signals can create pipeline and save hours, even for small teams.
Q: How do we measure success with signal-based ABM?
A: Focus on engagement rates, pipeline velocity, time to meeting, and win rates for accounts surfaced by account signals.