What is a buying signal in UK B2B sales, and which come from public records?

A buying signal is a dated, checkable event that suggests a company may soon need what you sell. A new finance director, a newly registered charge, a public contract that is about to end or a first hire in a function are all examples. The useful ones share three traits: they happen at a known date, they point to a change in the company's situation, and the seller can read the underlying record before picking up the phone.

In the UK a surprising number of these events are published openly. Companies House, Contracts Finder, Find a Tender, planning registers and job postings all carry them. This page explains which public-record signals exist, how often they occur, and how a small sales team should use them.

Signal versus intent data

Intent data usually means inferred behaviour, such as a person reading articles about a topic. It is a model's guess about interest. A public-record signal is different: it is a fact that someone filed, awarded or advertised, with a date and a source. Neither is automatically better, but only the second can be verified by the seller in a minute, which matters when the opening line of a call is 'I saw that you...'.

The main public-record signals

Lockley reads six families of signal each night. Each one has a different reason to call.

Public-record signals and what they suggest

How common each signal is

Volume matters because it decides how you work. The index counted the following in the seven days to 7 October 2026, against the week before. Director changes and charges are common and need filtering. Contract expiries and new sites are rare and deserve a call almost every time.

Turning a signal into a call

A signal is a reason to call, not a pitch. The sequence that works for a small team is simple. First, check that the company fits what you sell: sector, size and place. Second, read the record itself so you can describe it accurately. Third, link the event to a problem you solve, in one sentence. A director change gives you a polite reason to introduce yourself to a new decision maker. A contract ending gives you a reason to ask how the re-tender is being resourced.

Be careful not to over-read. A charge registered is evidence that a lender took security; it is not proof that a company wants your product. The signal earns you the call and the context. The conversation still has to do the rest.

Where Lockley fits

Lockley reads the registers above every night and gives a small B2B sales team a short list of companies to call each morning, each with the public record that says why now. Each finding links to the record it came from, so the seller can check it before calling. Lockley does not sell contact lists or bulk email data, and it does not send email on a customer's behalf. You can also do all of this by hand from the free registers; the difference is the nightly reading and the short list.

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