Unlocking Sales Efficiency with Buying Signals and Intent Data

Introduction

Running a commercial services business—like HVAC, electrical work, janitorial services, roofing, and solar—in 2024 is already hard enough with fierce competition. Add rising costs and long sales cycles to the mix, and every dollar and decision you make becomes critical. If you want to stay ahead, you need to close deals faster and focus on leads that convert.

And here’s another problem: Many businesses still use inefficient and outdated methods to find customers. If your sales team spends hours driving around looking for properties or cold-calling prospects in the hopes of finding new customers, you may be one of them.

These methods leave you chasing bad leads, missing out on opportunities, and burning through your budget.

But there’s a better way.

Buying signals and intent data can help you find prospects who are ready to buy. Platforms like Convex make this process faster and easier, helping you streamline your sales process and close more deals.

In this article, I’ll show you how to use these tools to transform your sales process. But first, you need to understand buying signals and intent data.

What Are Buying Signals?

Imagine knowing exactly when someone is ready to buy your services. That’s the power of buying signals. But here’s where it gets tricky: sales and marketing teams often use the same word— “buying signals”—to mean different things. Let’s clear up the confusion.

1. Search Intent Data (Signals):

This type of data looks at what people do online, like searching for keywords, clicking on websites, checking out social media accounts, or downloading resources. Marketing teams use it to figure out what topics or products people are interested in and if these details should trigger sales outreach. Think of it as a way to understand what they need, so you can catch their attention in your outreach.

2. Buying Signals:

Buying signals for sales, on the other hand, are actions that show a prospect is ready—or almost ready—to make a purchase. These are what your sales team needs to watch for, and they usually fall into three categories:

• Verbal Signals: When a prospect asks questions like, “How much does this cost?” or “When can you start?” it’s a sign they’re serious.
• Behavioral Signals: If someone spends a lot of time on your pricing page or downloads multiple resources, they’re likely comparing options.
• Situational Signals: Things like new management, permit filings, or expiring contracts tell you there’s an opportunity to introduce your services.

Think of buying signals as road signs on the way to closing a deal. They show your sales team when to act and when to wait, helping you focus on the prospects most likely to convert into customers. By following these signals, you’ll avoid wasting time on dead ends and spend more time building relationships that lead to sales.

Convex: Turning Buying Signals Into Actionable Insights

Traditional methods like in-person visits or cold calling are tedious and don’t usually end in a sale- in fact, more often than not, they’re just a waste of time.

Sales intelligence tools like Convex can simplify this process by giving you access to property and decision-maker data.

By detecting signals or Intent Data, such as leadership changes, permit filings, and facility expansion, Convex helps commercial services companies act quickly and engage with prospects when it matters the most.

What Is Intent Data?

While buying signals provide straightforward information about a prospect’s interest in your services, intent data goes a step further. Think of it as following someone’s online footsteps to see what they’ve been looking at, searching for, or adding to their shopping cart. You can tell what they’re planning to buy even before they even make contact.

Here’s how it’s collected:

• First-Party Data: Collected directly from your business. When a potential customer fills out a form or engages with your page about, say, commercial cleaning schedules, that’s a sign that they’re interested in acquiring your services. Other sources are social media and email engagement.
• Third-Party Data: This can be collected externally from keyword searches or downloads. So if a person searches for “HVAC services for restaurants”, it signals their intent to find a service provider.

Intent data helps sales managers, or sellers, identify prospects most likely to convert. For example, if you’re an HVAC service provider and notice an increase in search terms like “energy-saving cooling systems,” you can adjust your service offers to match this demand.

Convex’s Signals: Taking Intent Data to the Next Level

Convex’s Signals provides real-time insights tailored specifically for commercial services businesses. How? We track important data like building permits, service upgrades, and leadership changes to help you find high-value prospects ready to buy.

With Signals, you can find market opportunities, personalize your message to decision-makers, and act quickly. This tool transforms your sales process by turning intent data into action. You can spend less time searching for leads and more time engaging with prospects that fit.

Leveraging AI and Machine Learning

Leveraging AI and machine learning can enhance sales efficiency by helping your team analyze data faster, automate repetitive tasks, and predict buyer behavior.

AI for Data Analysis

Consider AI in sales as your team’s acceleration tool or data expert. It can interpret massive data to find patterns and trends some businesses overlook. Instead of guessing which leads to chase, you can focus on the ones most likely to convert into paying customers.

For example, if a prospect frequently visits your pricing page or checks your availability, AI can highlight them as a high-priority lead. It’s like having a compass that points you directly to the best opportunities, saving time and avoiding blind guesses.

Machine Learning in Sales

Machine learning works alongside AI, acting like an assistant that gets smarter with every task. By analyzing past data, it learns to predict when a prospect might need your services.

Take an HVAC company, for instance. Machine learning can analyze maintenance histories and alert you when a building’s system is likely due for an upgrade. It also handles repetitive tasks like scheduling follow-ups or updating records, letting your team focus on closing deals instead of juggling busy work.

With tools powered by AI and machine learning, your sales process becomes sharper, faster, and more efficient—like having a reliable assistant who works around the clock.

Practical Strategies for Implementing Intent Data

Leveraging intent data for sales process automation can help you stay organized, find leads faster, and connect with prospects better. Here’s how you can implement intent data into your process:

1. Automate Responses

Making a sale isn’t about gathering the most leads; it’s about connecting with the right people at the right time. When a prospect shows interest in your services—whether through checking your pricing page or signing up for your newsletter—you’ve got a short window to engage. But here’s the kicker: you can’t be everywhere at once, and your sales team can’t monitor every little engagement on your website.

That’s where automation tools step in. Think of them as your always-on assistant, making sure no lead gets overlooked. Automation sends a follow-up email or pings your sales team to reach out right when it matters. This keeps your responses quick and ensures you’re talking to prospects while they’re still interested. It’s like saying, “Hey, we’re here to help,” just when they’re ready to hear it.

2. Integrate with CRM Systems

Juggling multiple tools can slow your team down, and nobody has time for that. CRM integration is necessary to manage leads and track progress more easily.

Sales intelligence tools like Convex can be integrated with CRMs like Salesforce or Hubstaff, providing real-time updates on leads in just one platform. Think of it this way: when a prospect shows interest in your business, Convex automatically notifies your sales team about it. No back-and-forth, just a smooth, streamlined process.

3. Personalize Sales Approaches

Let’s be honest: one-size-fits-all sales pitches never work. With intent data, you can access the information you need to make your outreach more personal.

Let’s say a prospect is researching solar panels for their property. Instead of sending a generic email, share details about energy-saving solutions that fit their needs. With tools like Convex Engage, you can take it further by tailoring your phone scripts or LinkedIn messages to their specific property or industry. When you show that you’re paying attention to what they need, you’re not just selling—you’re building trust.

These data-driven sales strategies can create a smoother, more efficient sales process.

The Impact of Timely Responses to Buying Signals

In commercial services sales, timing is everything. When a prospect shows buying intent—like visiting your page, asking about pricing, or downloading a resource—it means they’re actively weighing their options. And you’re one of them! This is the best time to reach out and guide them toward choosing your business.

Reaching out promptly doesn’t just improve your chances—it can completely transform your results. Research has found that sales teams who connect with a lead immediately after engagement are 21 times more likely to close the deal compared to those who wait even 30 minutes.

It’s not just about speed; it’s about showing your prospects that you’re paying attention, that you value their time, and that you’re ready to help them solve their problem. A timely response sets you apart from the competition and builds trust and credibility that turn curious leads into loyal customers.

Case Studies and Real-World Examples

Comfort Systems USA Southwest was facing some huge challenges in their market. Their sales team worked hard but spent hours cold-calling, searching library databases, driving from property to property, and searching for leads that rarely turned into sales.

They lacked the tools to identify high-value prospects or track buying signals and intent data. It felt like they were spinning their wheels, chasing dead ends, and watching opportunities slip away.

Rapid growth, no matter how much they wanted it, seemed slow and slightly out of reach.

Then, they found a better way. Using Convex, they gained access to regularly updated and actionable building insights—like permits, facility updates, and when new managers and owners stepped in—paired with buying signals to understand what prospects were actively looking to purchase.

With the right tool, they focused on high-value leads and building relationships with their prospects. Through leveraging buying signals and intent data, they can finally act with precision and reach out to decision-makers at the right time.

Within a short time, Comfort Systems USA Southwest doubled the size of its business, proving that when you work smarter, success follows.

Conclusion: The Future of Sales Efficiency

The competition in the commercial services industry is fierce, and if you’re still using outdated methods of prospecting, I hate to tell you this, but you don’t stand a chance. Businesses that succeed are those that adapt and leverage tools like buying signals and intent data to streamline their sales process.

Comfort Systems USA Southwest is a living example of how acting on real-time insights and intent data can turn your challenges into opportunities to grow your business. With Convex, you can tap into the power of buying signals and intent data, connect with decision-makers at the right time, and unlock your sales efficiency.

Don’t let missed opportunities hold you back. Schedule a free demo of Convex today!