Not All Intent Data Is Created Equal—Here’s What They Don’t Want You to Know

Intent data is the backbone of modern B2B sales and marketing. But not all intent data is trustworthy.

Companies like Cognism and LeadGenius promise high-quality B2B contact and intent data, but here’s the real question: Where is that data coming from? How fresh is it? And should you trust it?

Most data providers love to sell you on their AI-powered, GDPR-compliant, precision-targeted datasets. But they rarely talk about the limitations, accuracy issues, and ethical concerns that come with buying third-party intent data.

Let’s pull back the curtain on how these companies really source their data—and what they’re not telling you.

How Companies Like Cognism and LeadGenius Collect Data

Both Cognism and LeadGenius rely on a combination of web scraping, publicly available information, partnerships, and AI-driven enrichment.

Here’s where their data typically comes from:

✔ Public web scraping – Extracting information from company websites, press releases, job postings, and social media.
✔ Reverse IP tracking – Matching website visitors to company IP addresses.
✔ Third-party partnerships – Buying and reselling intent data from other providers like Bombora or ZoomInfo.
✔ Email signature scraping – Some tools extract contact details from emails sent by people using their platforms.
✔ Crowdsourced data from users – Some platforms collect and aggregate user-contributed data (sometimes without them realizing it).

On the surface, this sounds like a solid mix of data sources. But here’s where things get questionable.

The Problems With Their Intent Data

🚩 Outdated or inaccurate records – If their datasets aren’t refreshed frequently, you’re working with stale data that leads to wasted outreach.

🚩 Low-quality intent signals – Many of these providers track weak engagement signals (like one webpage visit) and label them as “intent.”

🚩 Overlapping or recycled data – If they’re buying data from third-party providers, you’re often getting the same data that’s been sold to multiple companies.

🚩 Legal and compliance risks – Some methods of data collection may not be fully GDPR or CCPA compliant, putting you at risk.

🚩 Lack of transparency on data sources – If a provider won’t tell you exactly where their data comes from, that’s a red flag.

What This Means for Your Sales and Marketing Teams

If you’re using intent data that isn’t fresh, accurate, and transparently sourced, you’re setting your team up for failure.

❌ Wasted time on bad leads – If your SDRs are reaching out to the wrong people, it kills efficiency.
❌ Lower email deliverability rates – Old or inaccurate contact info means higher bounce rates and spam issues.
❌ Privacy and compliance concerns – Using improperly sourced data could lead to legal headaches.

How to Get Intent Data You Can Actually Trust

If you want reliable intent data, here’s what to look for:

1️⃣ First-party data is king. Start with data you collect yourself—website visits, product engagement, and CRM activity.

2️⃣ Ask where the data comes from. If a provider can’t explain their sources clearly, walk away.

3️⃣ Prioritize fresh and verified data. If it’s not recently updated, it’s not useful.

4️⃣ Look for multiple intent signals. One action (like reading a blog post) isn’t enough—strong intent data tracks multiple engagements across different channels.

5️⃣ Don’t rely solely on third-party providers. Combine intent data with your own insights for the full picture.

See How Real Intent Data Works

Not all intent data is created equal. If you’re using third-party data, make sure it’s transparent, up-to-date, and actually useful.

View the Intent Data Slide Deck to see how real, high-quality intent data works. If you’re ready to start using intent data that actually helps you close deals, you can purchase it here.