Operationalizing Intent Practically

Mason Cosby connects with Putney Cloos, the Chief Marketing Officer at Bombora, to clarify exactly what intent data is and how revenue teams should use it. While many marketers view intent data strictly as a tool for sales prioritization, Putney argues that the use cases go much deeper. She explains the difference between first-party data collected from owned properties and third-party data gathered from across the web.

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A major focus of the conversation is data provenance. Putney highlights a critical but often overlooked question: Does your data provider actually have the right to use the data they sell? She details how Bombora uses a proprietary tag within a data co-op to ensure consent is explicitly granted for intent tracking.

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Mason and Putney also explore how to operationalize this data without buying a massive, all-in-one platform. They discuss the "unbundled" ABM stack, where data is ported directly into the tools teams already use, such as CRMs, CDPs, or advertising platforms like The Trade Desk and LinkedIn.

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Guest Bio

Putney Cloos is the Chief Marketing Officer at Bombora, where she leads marketing and communications to expand the company's "Data Co-op" and intent data solutions. She previously served as CMO at Cision, where she built the company's first account-level data strategy. Putney also spent nearly a decade at American Express, rising to Vice President of Commercial Demand Generation and creating Amex's first commercial demand-generation and ABM capabilities. She holds an AB from Harvard College and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.

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What We Cover

1. Defining intent data: Putney clarifies that intent is behavioral data showing when a company is actively researching a solution, distinct from static firmographic data.
2. First-party vs. third-party signals: The difference between tracking known visitors on your own site versus capturing research behaviors across the broader B2B internet.
3. The importance of data rights: Why marketers must ask if their provider has explicit consent to use data for intent purposes, rather than relying on repurposed bidstream data.
4. Reducing customer churn: How customer success teams use intent signals to spot when current clients start researching competitors before the renewal conversation happens.
5. Informing the product roadmap: Using search behavior to identify unmet market needs or features that prospects are actively seeking.
6. The unbundled tech stack: How to deploy intent data directly into existing platforms like Salesforce, HubSpot, or programmatic ad exchanges without needing a standalone ABM platform.
7. Start simple: Putney's advice to pick one specific use case—like sales prioritization—and master it before adding complexity.

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Resources

1. Bombora
2. Scrappy ABM: Visit for more ABM tips and strategies.
3. Connect with Mason on LinkedIn for a conversation about ABM.

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If you enjoyed today's episode and found valuable insights for your business, be sure to subscribe to the Scrappy ABM podcast for more expert discussions. Don't forget to leave a review and share this episode with your team or fellow marketers!