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Key Takeaways Intent arbitrage means capturing a buyer’s interest before they even start evaluating competitors — and thanks to AI, this capability is available to every business.
AI detects emerging intent by processing millions of data points and continuously monitoring intent signals, letting companies respond faster than traditional, reactive demand-generation methods.
Turning early intent signals into a competitive advantage requires leadership buy-in and coordination between marketing, sales and product teams.
What if you could influence a buyer’s choice before they even realize they are making one? That’s intent arbitrage — capturing a buyer’s interest before they even start evaluating competitors. Today, timing is a critical aspect of digital demand generation. The companies winning deals show up first and set the direction of the conversation.
Think about Amazon and how they predict your battery needs before your remote even dies. Companies like this have mastered anticipating buyer needs early. Today, thanks to AI, this capability is available to every business.
Understanding buyer intent signals
Explicit signals are the obvious ones, like search queries, keyword trends or a series of related searches demonstrating an intent to buy. When someone types, “best CRM for remote teams,” they are waving a flag. But by then, competitors have mobilized.
Implicit signals offer richer opportunities. These show up in a sales call, where prospects mention adjacent challenges, social chatter revealing industry frustrations and forum discussions where users troubleshoot related problems. Identifying pain points early transforms reactive selling into proactive positioning.
Now the question is: How quickly can you catch the signals? Most teams detect patterns only after trends crystallize and competition intensifies.
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