Your play
Most outbound is guesswork. Teams call accounts that look like a fit, without knowing who’s actually in-market. The result is low connect rates, poor timing, and conversations that start too early or too late.
Search intent signals change that. When companies actively research topics related to your category, competitors, or alternatives, it’s a strong sign they’re moving into evaluation and priorities are taking shape. Rather than changing how you prospect, intent surges simply alert you when an account’s research activity spikes, so you know who to prioritise first.
This play shows you how to use a search intent agent to surface accounts researching right now, prioritise the best opportunities, and reach out with relevance while timing is strongest.
Tools
Firmable: Use a search intent agent to monitor intent topics across your target market and identify accounts showing active buying behaviour.
Digital channels: Use phone, email, and LinkedIn in this play. Lead with a call for cut-through, then reinforce with a short follow-up email and a light LinkedIn touch to stay visible.
CRM: Use your CRM to assign ownership and track every touch, outcome, and next steps in one place once outreach begins.
Actions
Step 1: Define your intent topics
Start by picking the intent topics that signal buying readiness for your product. This usually includes competitor names, solution categories, or the problems your product solves.
Step 2: Set up your search intent agent
Create a buying signal agent in Firmable to monitor search intent and configure it to monitor your chosen topics across your target account or broader market lists. The agent will notify you when there’s new intent activity to act on.
Step 3: Review intent signals and shortlist accounts
When an intent signal triggers, scan the account at a high level to confirm fit and relevance. This should take minutes, not hours. Prioritise accounts with high surge ratings, as they’re more likely to be actively evaluating solutions rather than casually browsing.
Step 4: Push to your CRM for follow-up (optional but recommended)
If the intent signal is from a company you want to pursue, push the company record and any relevant contacts into your CRM, like HubSpot or Salesforce, so it can be actioned immediately. Assign ownership and note the intent topic in the record so follow-up stays consistent.
Step 5: Reach out while timing is strong
Template
Email outreach
Subject: Quick question on [topic]
Hi [First name],
Noticed [topic] has been coming up more across [industry] teams lately, so I thought I’d reach out while it’s top of mind.
When companies start looking into [category / problem], it’s usually because they’re pressure-testing what they’re doing today and what needs to change next. We’ve helped teams like [similar company / segment] with [outcome].
Open to a quick chat to see if this is relevant for you right now?
[Your name]
Call opener
“Hi [First name], it’s [your name] from [your company] – I’m reaching out because teams like yours often review [category/problem] when priorities shift, and I wanted to see if this is something you’re actively looking at right now.”
LinkedIn message
Hi [First name], noticed more teams in [industry] are looking into [topic] at the moment, so I thought I’d reach out. If [category / problem] is on your radar this quarter, happy to share what we’re seeing work with similar teams.
Metrics
- Time to first touch after an intent surge
- Connect or reply rate on intent-led outreach
- Meetings booked from intent-driven accounts
- Pipeline created from intent-led conversations
Bottom line
Search intent helps outbound teams stop guessing and focus effort on accounts actively researching right now. Set up an intent agent, prioritise high-surge accounts first, and follow up quickly so you reach buyers when momentum is strongest.
Try running this intent play this week or talk to our team about tailoring intent topics to your ICP and outbound motion.
