That’s where HubSpot’s Buyer Research Tool comes in. It’s designed to shine a light on the companies actively looking for services like yours, even if they’ve never visited your website. For MSP owners, this can mean the difference between a cold, uphill battle for attention and showing up right when the buyer is already warmed up.
As someone who’s been working with MSPs for years here at Tactics Marketing, I can tell you this: the MSPs who figure out how to get in front of buyers early almost always close faster, at higher margins, and with less friction.
At its core, the Buyer Research Tool monitors intent signals across the web. That means it identifies companies actively researching topics relevant to your services. For example, it might show you that a law firm in Portland is searching for managed cybersecurity compliance or that a local manufacturer is investigating cloud migration services.
Here’s what happens behind the curtain:
Data Collection: The tool aggregates online activity data across trusted sources (searches, content consumption, third-party data providers).
Topic Matching: It filters that activity against the topics you define, such as MSP-specific services like co-managed IT or network monitoring surface.
Company Identification: Instead of leaving you with anonymous signals, HubSpot ties that research back to actual companies. (think reverse IP lookup, cookies etc)
Actionable Insights: You can see which organizations are heating up in your target market and prioritize outreach.
This isn’t random lead generation; it’s focused intelligence. For MSPs, it means you spend less time chasing cold leads and more time engaging with companies that already have buying momentum.
Here’s the part most MSP owners miss: the Buyer Research Tool is powered by HubSpot Credits. Think of Credits as the “fuel” that runs advanced HubSpot features.
Adding Companies Costs Credits When you find a company researching your services and want to add them to your CRM, static lists, or workflows, that action consumes credits.
Unlocking Features Uses, But Doesn’t Burn Credits Credits also unlock advanced features like filtering research by topic, excluding competitors, or setting up automation rules. But here’s the good news: using those filters doesn’t drain your credits; it just requires them to be active on your account.
Monthly Allotment Every HubSpot subscription tier comes with a credit allocation—Starter (500/month), Professional (3,000/month), and Enterprise (5,000/month). Credits reset monthly and don’t roll over. Run out, and you’ll either need to purchase extras or risk HubSpot prompting an upgrade.
Real user thoughts: when you add a company, the tool immediately shows how many credits you’ll have left for the month—making you think twice before adding indiscriminately. That’s HubSpot’s polite way of saying: spend wisely.
The Buyer Research Tool levels the playing field for MSPs competing against larger firms with deeper pockets. Instead of waiting for inbound leads, you can:
Proactively identify prospects who are signaling interest in services like yours.
Segment by topic or intent level to prioritize high-value opportunities.
Feed warm companies directly into your CRM for faster, more relevant outreach.
Align sales and marketing teams around actual buying behavior, not guesses.
In our work at Tactics Marketing, we’ve seen MSPs go from struggling to fill a pipeline to having a consistent stream of warm companies to engage with, just by leveraging this tool smartly. When every sales cycle counts, this is how you shorten the path from “unknown prospect” to “qualified lead.”
If you’re considering (or already using) HubSpot’s Buyer Research Tool, here are a few tips to maximize ROI:
Define Your Research Topics Clearly Don’t just set “IT services” as a topic. Narrow it down to what your clients actually search for: cybersecurity for SMBs or compliance-ready managed IT. (To achieve this, you will use topic and target market filter together)
Control Access to Credits Limit who in your team can add companies to the CRM. Too many cooks can burn through credits before you see results.
Integrate With Workflows Pair the tool with HubSpot workflows so when a company is added, it automatically triggers outreach sequences, assigns a rep, or drops into a nurture campaign.
Track Credit Usage Monthly Treat credits like budgeted ad spend. Monitor usage, adjust your strategy, and avoid running dry mid-month and make sure you spend all of theme before the end of the month.
It’s worth noting that Buyer Research is only one half of the equation. The Buyer Intent Tool looks at companies already visiting your site, while the Buyer Research Tool looks outward, identifying companies researching in your market space.
Used together, they provide a full-spectrum view of demand:
Research = Who’s out there looking for solutions like yours
Intent = Who’s knocking on your door right now
For MSPs, that combination is gold. And from what I’ve seen working with MSP owners day in and day out, the ones who connect both dots—research plus intent—are the ones building a real competitive edge.
MSP owners live and die by pipeline quality. The Buyer Research Tool, powered by HubSpot Credits, lets you see demand signals you couldn’t otherwise track. It takes the guesswork out of prospecting, ensures your team engages the right companies at the right time, and helps you win deals before competitors even know they’re in play.
Just remember…credits are your currency here. Use them wisely, plan your monthly strategy, and integrate insights with your sales workflows. Done right, this tool doesn’t just feed your funnel; it changes how you build it.