Traditional databases struggle to keep up with the fast-changing nature of modern sales. Maintaining hundreds of millions of records, as some platforms promise, is nearly impossible. Consider this: almost 39% of people change jobs every two years. Now picture a database of 100 million contacts. To fulfill its promise of accuracy, such a system would need to track and update nearly 50 million job changes each year. The scale and complexity of this task is staggering. And that’s just one way you can leverage intent data—there are countless other use cases waiting to be tapped into.
As people move to new roles, they switch industries, responsibilities, and decision-making power. A static database can’t keep pace with these changes, leaving companies to rely on outdated and irrelevant information. When your sales team is reaching out to leads with information that’s no longer valid, the result is wasted time and missed opportunities.
This gap is why companies like Clay have thrived very recently (2023-2024). Rather than relying on a single, static data source, they aggregate real-time information from multiple third-party sources, ensuring their data is always current and actionable. By pulling data from across the web and many third-party providers, these companies provide insights that are immediately relevant—far beyond what traditional databases can offer.
Captain Data was actually the first provider to introduce waterfall enrichment back in 2020, setting a new standard for the industry. Waterfall enrichment combines multiple third-party data sources, creating a layered approach to data collection. If one source is incomplete or outdated, additional sources are brought in to fill the gaps, significantly increasing data coverage and accuracy. This innovation not only ensures fresher, more reliable data but also allows businesses to scale their prospecting efforts with confidence. After Captain Data’s pioneering use of waterfall enrichment, many other providers adopted similar strategies, following the lead of combining diverse data streams to enhance their coverage.
However, it’s not just about aggregating data. To truly take advantage of real-time intent data, you need more than just access to diverse sources—you need the right technology to harness and activate that data. This is where Captain Data steps in, enabling companies to capture and use real-time signals at scale. By integrating these live insights into sales processes, businesses can replace outdated records with fresh, actionable data, improving both timing and engagement.
In the next section, we’ll explore the critical role that real-time data plays in sales, and why acting on intent in the moment is the new competitive edge.
