6sense is a B2B platform that tells you which companies are researching your product category right now, before they fill out a form on your website. The platform uses AI to track anonymous buyer behavior across the web and score accounts based on how likely they are to buy.
Most B2B buyers finish most of their research before they ever talk to sales. 6sense solves this problem by showing you which accounts are in-market today. You get visibility into who's looking, what they're researching, and where they are in the buying process.
The platform combines three things: intent data that shows buying signals, predictive analytics that score accounts, and marketing orchestration that coordinates your outreach.
Revenue teams use 6sense to focus their ad spend and sales effort on accounts that are actually ready to buy instead of guessing.
6sense targets enterprise marketing and sales teams running account-based programs. If you're spending serious money on advertising or running a dedicated ABM motion, this is the category of tool you're evaluating.
What Does 6sense Do?
6sense performs four core jobs that help you find and engage high-value accounts earlier.
First, it reveals which companies visit your website even when visitors don't convert. This is called anonymous account identification. The platform matches IP addresses to company records so you can see which accounts are on your site and what content they're consuming. No form fill required.
Second, it aggregates intent data from across the web to show you buying signals beyond your owned properties. 6sense monitors content consumption, search behavior, and engagement patterns across thousands of B2B sites. When an account shows increased research activity in your category, you see it.
Third, it scores accounts based on how likely they are to buy. The predictive model analyzes your historical deal data and current account behavior to identify patterns that correlate with closed deals. Each account gets a score and a buying stage so you know who to prioritize.
Fourth, it orchestrates campaigns across channels based on those scores. You can trigger advertising, email sequences, and sales alerts when accounts hit specific thresholds. Your campaigns fire automatically when accounts hit the triggers you set.
Core Features of the 6sense Platform
6sense built its platform through proprietary technology and acquisitions. The feature set covers data collection, prediction, and execution.
Feature Category | What It Does |
|---|---|
Intent Data | Tracks keyword research and content consumption across the web |
Account Identification | Matches anonymous website visitors to company records |
Predictive Analytics | Scores accounts and predicts buying stage using AI |
Advertising | Runs programmatic display and LinkedIn campaigns |
Sales Intelligence | Provides contact data and account insights |
Orchestration | Coordinates campaigns across multiple channels |
The intent data layer pulls signals from two sources. First, it integrates with Bombora's Company Surge data, which tracks content consumption across a network of B2B publisher sites. Second, it captures proprietary signals from 6sense's own network. You see which topics and keywords your target accounts are researching and how much time they're spending on that research.
Account identification works by matching IP addresses and digital fingerprints to company records. When someone from a target account visits your website, 6sense tells you which company they work for even if they don't fill out a form. You can track return visits and see which pages they view to gauge interest level.
The predictive engine applies machine learning to your deal history and current account behavior. It identifies which combinations of signals indicate buying readiness. Accounts get classified into stages like awareness, consideration, and decision based on their activity patterns. The model improves over time as it learns from your closed deals.
The advertising module lets you run display campaigns and LinkedIn ads through the platform. You build dynamic audiences that automatically update based on account scores and buying stage. Ad spend focuses on accounts most likely to convert instead of broad targeting.
6sense acquired Slintel to add technographic data and contact information. This gives you visibility into which technologies accounts currently use and provides email addresses for decision makers. The sales intelligence features enrich your CRM records with firmographic, technographic, and intent data.
Orchestration is where the automation lives. You can set up workflows that trigger specific actions when accounts hit certain thresholds. An account moves into the consideration stage, and 6sense automatically adds them to a retargeting campaign, sends an alert to sales, and queues up a nurture sequence.
6sense Use Cases for Marketing and Sales
Different teams use 6sense to solve specific problems in their go-to-market motion.
Demand gen teams use it to focus ad spend on accounts showing active research behavior. Instead of broad targeting, you run campaigns only for accounts the platform identifies as in-market. This improves conversion rates and reduces wasted spend on accounts that aren't ready to buy.
SDR and BDR teams prioritize outreach based on real-time intent signals. Rather than working through static lists, reps focus on accounts 6sense flags as showing buying intent. You're reaching out when accounts are actively researching solutions, which means more relevant conversations and higher connect rates.
ABM programs use 6sense to build target lists that combine ideal customer profile fit with behavioral signals. You identify which target accounts are showing intent and coordinate campaigns specifically for those accounts. The platform tracks engagement across all touchpoints so you can measure what's working.
Sales leadership uses the predictive scores to forecast pipeline. You get visibility into which accounts are progressing toward purchase and which have stalled. This helps you allocate resources and coach reps on where to focus their time.
Here's what that looks like in practice:
Marketing sees an account hit a high intent score and automatically adds them to a LinkedIn retargeting campaign
An SDR gets an alert that the account is now in the consideration stage and prioritizes outreach
The AE reviews account insights before the first call to understand what the buying committee has been researching
Leadership tracks how many target accounts are moving through buying stages to predict next quarter's pipeline
How Much Does 6sense Cost?
6sense doesn't publish pricing. The platform operates on enterprise licensing with annual contracts, and cost varies based on what you're buying.
Pricing typically starts in the mid-five-figures annually for smaller deployments. Enterprise deals with full platform access can reach several hundred thousand dollars per year. You need a meaningful budget for both the software and the internal resources to run it.
Four factors drive your final price:
Number of users: More seats accessing the platform increases cost
Account volume: Larger databases and more accounts tracked drive higher fees
Advertising spend: Running paid campaigns through 6sense adds to total investment
Module selection: Sales intelligence, data enrichment, and advanced features come with incremental charges
Implementation takes several months and requires dedicated resources from marketing ops, sales ops, and IT. Factor in these internal costs when you're evaluating total investment. Most organizations need ongoing training and a customer success manager from 6sense to get value from the platform.
The pricing model reflects 6sense's positioning as an enterprise ABM platform. If you're a mid-market company without a six-figure marketing budget, you're probably looking at alternatives.
6sense Pros and Cons
Here's what 6sense does well and where it falls short.
What works:
Intent data depth: You get granular visibility into account research behavior that's hard to find elsewhere
CRM and marketing automation integrations: Native connections to Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, and other core systems reduce manual work
Account prioritization: Sales and marketing can focus on accounts showing real buying signals instead of guessing
Built-in advertising: Running programmatic and LinkedIn campaigns through one platform simplifies campaign management
What doesn't:
Implementation complexity: The platform requires significant training and takes months to deploy across teams
Premium pricing: Annual costs make 6sense viable only for organizations with substantial budgets
Contact data gaps: While 6sense includes contact information, accuracy and coverage don't match dedicated B2B data platforms
Resource requirements: Getting ROI demands dedicated staff to manage the platform, build campaigns, and train users
The platform works best when you can commit both budget and people to an ABM program. Companies without dedicated resources to manage 6sense won't see results. You're not just buying software. You're committing to a go-to-market approach that requires ongoing investment.
Top 6sense Alternatives to Consider
Several platforms compete in the ABM and intent data space. Each takes a different approach to similar problems.
ZoomInfo combines contact data, intent signals, and engagement tools in GTM Workspace. The platform focuses on prospecting and outbound execution with comprehensive B2B data as the foundation.
Demandbase is an ABM platform with advertising, website personalization, and account intelligence. The focus is on creating account-based experiences across channels.
Bombora is a pure-play intent data provider. Company Surge signals integrate with your existing marketing and sales tools without requiring a full platform replacement.
Terminus focuses on multi-channel engagement and advertising. The platform has strong display and LinkedIn capabilities with simplified ABM workflows.
RollWorks comes from NextRoll with advertising roots. The platform targets mid-market teams with easier setup than enterprise ABM tools.
The alternatives split into categories. Some focus on data quality and coverage. Others emphasize orchestration and campaign execution. A third group specializes in advertising and paid media.
Your choice depends on whether you need a full ABM platform or specific capabilities like intent data or contact information. Many organizations use multiple tools to cover different parts of their go-to-market motion.
How ZoomInfo Compares to 6sense
ZoomInfo and 6sense solve different problems. ZoomInfo starts with data and builds outbound execution on top. 6sense starts with intent signals and orchestrates marketing campaigns around them.
What You're Buying | ZoomInfo | 6sense |
|---|---|---|
Contact Data | Verified emails and direct dials at scale | Contact data included but often supplemented |
Intent Signals | Integrated across platform | Core product with predictive modeling |
Primary User | Sales teams prospecting and executing outbound | Marketing teams running ABM programs |
Pricing | Tiered options for mid-market through enterprise | Enterprise-focused annual contracts |
Main Job | Find prospects, get contact info, execute outreach | Identify in-market accounts, orchestrate campaigns |
ZoomInfo delivers comprehensive B2B contact and company data. The platform includes intent signals, but the core value is giving sales teams the information they need to identify, research, and engage prospects. GTM Workspace provides workflows for prospecting, list building, and outreach sequencing in one place.
6sense focuses on predicting which accounts are in-market and coordinating marketing campaigns to engage them. The platform excels at identifying anonymous buyer behavior and running multi-channel ABM programs. Contact data exists but typically needs supplementing.
Many organizations use both. Marketing runs ABM programs through 6sense while sales prospects and executes outbound through ZoomInfo. If you're prioritizing outbound sales execution and need accurate contact data, ZoomInfo solves the prospecting problem first.
Book a demo to see how ZoomInfo fits your GTM strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions About 6sense
Does 6sense work for mid-market companies or only enterprises?
6sense primarily targets mid-market and enterprise organizations due to pricing and implementation requirements. The platform offers packages for growing companies, but you need dedicated ABM resources and budget to make it work.
Can I use 6sense as my primary source for contact data?
6sense includes contact data through its Slintel acquisition, but most users supplement with dedicated B2B data providers. Coverage and accuracy on email addresses and direct dials don't match platforms built specifically for contact data.
How does 6sense collect intent data on my target accounts?
6sense aggregates signals from web activity, content consumption, and third-party sources. The platform tracks keyword research and engagement patterns across thousands of B2B sites to predict which accounts are actively researching solutions in your category.
Which CRM and marketing automation platforms integrate with 6sense?
6sense offers native integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, Pardot, and other major platforms. The integrations sync account data, trigger workflows, and push intent signals into your existing tools.
What makes 6sense different from Bombora if they both provide intent data?
Bombora is a pure-play intent data provider that plugs into your existing stack. 6sense is a full ABM platform that includes intent data plus predictive analytics, advertising, and orchestration. Bombora gives you the signals. 6sense gives you the signals and the tools to act on them.
