B2B sales and marketing teams are obsessed with intent data—and for good reason.

In an ideal world, intent data helps you pinpoint the exact moment when a potential buyer is ready to engage, so you can reach out before your competition even knows they exist. That’s the promise, at least.

The reality? Most intent data providers fail to deliver on this promise.

Instead of real purchase intent, you get a jumbled mess of weak signals, inflated engagement metrics, and vague buying behaviors that lead your team down the wrong path.

At Longcut, we’ve spent years dissecting the flaws in traditional intent data and rebuilding a solution that actually works. If you’re tired of chasing dead-end leads and wasting money on bloated data contracts, this article is for you.

Why Most Intent Data is Overhyped and Underwhelming

Intent data is supposed to provide clear insights into who’s in-market for your solution. The problem? Most providers rely on broad, outdated, and often misleading methodologies.

Here’s what’s wrong with the industry standard:

1. They Confuse Curiosity with Intent

Let’s say a prospect downloads an eBook or visits a blog post about a problem your solution solves. That’s great, but does it mean they’re actively looking to buy?

Not necessarily.

Most intent data providers treat these actions as definitive signs of purchase intent, but in reality, they could be:

• A student researching for a paper
• A competitor snooping on your content
• A random website visitor who stumbled upon your blog

If your sales team is chasing people who aren’t even close to buying, they’re wasting time and resources.

2. Black-Box Data Collection Means You Have No Visibility

Most intent data providers won’t tell you exactly where their data comes from. They rely on a mix of:

• Publicly available web activity (which anyone can access)
• Third-party partnerships (that you have zero control over)
• Click-based tracking (which assumes every website visit = buying intent)

The result? You’re left guessing whether the data is reliable, accurate, or even compliant.

At Longcut, we do the opposite. We provide full visibility into how our data is sourced, so you can trust that every signal is backed by real, verifiable buyer activity.

3. Weak Identity Resolution Leads to Wasted Effort

Ever called a prospect, only to realize they have no idea why you’re reaching out?

That’s because traditional intent data is often poorly matched to actual decision-makers. Many providers rely on:

• IP-based tracking (which struggles with remote work and shared networks)
• Generic company-wide intent signals (which don’t tell you who is actually interested)
• Inaccurate data matching (leading to leads in the wrong industry or role)

If your intent data can’t tell you exactly who is engaging, you’re just guessing.

4. Overpriced & Overcomplicated Solutions That Lock You In

The big-name intent data providers love to pitch themselves as enterprise-grade solutions, which often translates to:

• High-cost contracts with long commitments
• Complicated, bloated data that requires extra tools to use
• Rigid pricing models that don’t scale for growing businesses

For many companies, this means paying a fortune for data that doesn’t actually help them sell better.

How Longcut Fixes These Problems

At Longcut, we’ve taken a completely different approach. Instead of inflating intent signals or hiding behind vague data partnerships, we focus on accuracy, transparency, and actionability.

✅ 1. Real Intent, Not Just Engagement Signals

We go beyond surface-level actions to identify true in-market buyers. Instead of just tracking clicks and content downloads, we analyze:

• Deeper engagement patterns that indicate real purchase intent
• Contextual signals that separate research from buying behavior
• Industry-specific buying cycles to predict readiness more accurately

That means fewer wasted sales calls and more meaningful conversations.

🔒 2. Full Transparency into Data Sourcing

Unlike other providers, we don’t hide where our data comes from.

• Private & Exclusive Partner Network – Longcut doesn’t rely on public data. Our closed-loop network ensures high-quality, exclusive insights that aren’t available elsewhere.
• Clear, Verifiable Data Collection – Every signal we provide is backed by real buyer activity, not vague web clicks.
• Compliance-First Approach – Longcut follows the strictest data privacy standards, so you never have to worry about compliance risks.

When you use Longcut, you know exactly where your data comes from, how it was collected, and why it matters.

🎯 3. Bulletproof Identity Resolution

Longcut eliminates the guesswork from intent data by using:

• Advanced multi-touch attribution to map engagement across multiple channels
• Direct identity matching to pinpoint the actual buyer within a company
• Precision filtering so your team only sees the most relevant prospects

With Longcut, your sales team always knows who to contact and why—no more dead-end leads.

⚡ 4. Actionable Insights That Drive Real Sales

Data is only valuable if it leads to real business results.

Longcut doesn’t just dump intent signals into your CRM—we translate them into clear, prioritized action items that help your team:

• Know exactly when to reach out
• Understand what pain points the prospect is focused on
• Tailor messaging to match the buyer’s specific needs

That means faster sales cycles, higher close rates, and more revenue—without the wasted effort.

💰 5. No Enterprise-Only Pricing or Long-Term Lock-Ins

Longcut is built for businesses that actually want to use their intent data—not just store it.

• Flexible pricing that scales with your team
• No unnecessary complexity or inflated costs
• A sales-first approach that delivers ROI from day one

The Bottom Line: Stop Settling for Weak Intent Data

Most intent data providers overpromise and underdeliver—flooding your CRM with bad leads, vague signals, and overpriced contracts.

Longcut is different. We provide:

✅ Real, purchase-ready intent signals
✅ A private, exclusive data network for better accuracy
✅ Full transparency into data sourcing
✅ Bulletproof identity resolution
✅ Sales-ready insights, not just raw data

If you’re tired of chasing bad leads and overpaying for weak intent signals, it’s time to take the Longcut to smarter sales.

📩 View Our Slide Deck  and see how Longcut can transform your pipeline.