What Are Buying Signals?
Buying signals are external indicators that suggest a company is in a position to buy. Unlike intent data, which typically tracks anonymous online behavior (like content consumption), buying signals are concrete, observable events tied to real business changes.
Common buying signals include:
- Leadership changes — a new CRO, VP of Sales, or CIO often triggers tool evaluation
- Funding rounds — newly funded companies expand teams and invest in infrastructure
- Job postings — hiring for roles your product supports signals active investment
- Earnings insights — mentions of strategic priorities on earnings calls reveal where budget is going
- M&A activity — mergers and acquisitions create integration needs and new buying committees
- Technology changes — adopting or dropping a complementary tool signals openness to change
Why Buying Signals Matter
Timing is one of the biggest factors in B2B sales success. Reaching out when a company is actively dealing with a relevant challenge dramatically increases response rates compared to cold outreach. Buying signals help reps:
- Prioritize accounts that are most likely to engage right now
- Craft relevant messages tied to what the company is actually experiencing
- Beat competitors to the conversation by acting on signals first
- Improve pipeline quality by focusing on accounts with genuine need
How Salesmotion Helps
Salesmotion monitors 1,000+ data sources 24/7 — news, SEC filings, earnings calls, job boards, press releases, and more — to surface buying signals the moment they happen. Instead of manually scanning Google News or LinkedIn, reps get prioritized alerts and AI-drafted outreach tied to each signal, directly inside their CRM.