Buying (intent) signals to track for SaaS startups

Have you ever had that moment when you're trying to figure out just how eager your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is to buy your product? I've been there.

Having a proper ICP is important, but not sufficient for higher customer conversions.

A user might fit in your ICP, but not show interest. But when it starts to give some clues, it means he/she is more likely to use your product.

Buying signals adds extra weight to your ICP scores, in a way of saying "Hey, this person is REALLY into what you're offering."

Then you can start focusing on those, and refine your ICP over time.

I wanted to gather some signals you can benefit from together: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1W3Q00EYZfjU0TkbF62SYLBrESWeWiMrrNsaZYn0yK1g/edit?usp=sharing

1. Brand Interactions (The user shows interest in your brand and materials are more likely to buy. The level of the interaction is important here. Website, Social Media Engagement, etc.)

2. Product Usage (The more active the user, the closer to the buying stage. Daily, weekly, active for 1 hour, etc.)

3. Feature Preferences (Using X feature, Implementing Y feature, etc.)

4. Usage Pattern (Engaging with certain advanced features, etc.)

5. Number of Users (Users inviting their team to your product are more likely to adopt your solution at a company level.)

6. Onboarding Completion ( Users who completed the whole onboarding or have successfully completed the onboarding steps are more ready to implement your solution.)

7. Decision-maker Inside (When a decision-maker joins the workspace, it means that the product passed from the influencer/user persona to the buyer persona.)

8. New Team Lead (New leaders are more likely to create a new set of tools.)
   Setting up Integration (It is an essential signal that shows a user is willing to use your product in their routine workflow.)

9. Key Actions (You need to identify your key actions that give value, and if a user takes that action, it is the best signal.)

10. Contacting Sales/Support (If the user creates a meaningful conversation with your sales or support, it is a plus point.)

11. Scheduling Product Demo (Enterprise and account-level users are more likely to schedule a demo.)

12. Visiting Review Sites (A user looks for others’ reviews are tries to find real comments.)

13. Visiting Case Studies (A user specifically looks for your case studies and is trying to find similar use cases.)

14. Acquisition (If a company is newly acquired by another company, it means some things will change, and therefore they are testing your product.)

15. New Headquarter (If the company moves their HQ, it means they are also in the process of renovation and change.)

16. Company Enhancing Their Team (Companies growing their teams might be in the process of implementing more solutions.)

What other buying signals do you track when deciding the willingness level of your ICPs?

Source: https://usermotion.com/blog/how-to-identify-ideal-customer-profile-icp