# Commitment Signals (Currencies of Conversation)

## Purpose
Distinguish genuine customer interest from polite enthusiasm by tracking the "currencies" (time, money, reputation, effort) they invest in helping you—the only reliable predictor of future purchase.

## When to Use
- Evaluating customer discovery conversations
- Assessing deal pipeline quality
- Determining if an opportunity is real or politeness
- Prioritizing which prospects to focus on
- Avoiding false positive feedback that feels good but means nothing

## Process

### 1. Understand the Core Principle

**Talk is cheap. Commitment is expensive.**

Customers lie (usually unintentionally) because:
- They want to be helpful
- They don't want to hurt your feelings
- They're optimistic about their own future behavior
- They genuinely believe they'd buy (but won't)

**The antidote:** Look for what they give, not what they say.

### 2. The Four Currencies

Commitment signals come in four forms, ranked by strength:

**Money (Strongest)**
- Pre-orders and deposits
- Letter of intent with dollar amounts
- Paying for early access
- Budget allocation confirmed

**Reputation (Strong)**
- Introduction to colleagues or decision-makers
- Agreement to be a reference/case study
- Willing to co-develop publicly
- Internal advocacy (visible support)

**Time (Medium)**
- Scheduling specific follow-up meetings
- Attending demos with their team
- Dedicating hours to evaluate
- Participating in pilots

**Effort (Baseline)**
- Filling out detailed surveys
- Installing and trying prototypes
- Providing detailed feedback
- Completing tasks you assign

### 3. Score Each Conversation

After every customer conversation, ask:

**Did they give me anything of value?**

| Currency | Low Signal | High Signal |
|----------|------------|-------------|
| Money | "I would pay for that" | "Here's a deposit" |
| Reputation | "I might share this" | "Let me intro you to my colleague" |
| Time | "Let's chat sometime" | "Let's meet Tuesday at 2pm" |
| Effort | "Send me info" | "I'll test this and give feedback" |

### 4. The Commitment Ladder

Watch for progression up the ladder:

**Level 0: Polite interest**
- "That's interesting"
- "Sounds cool"
- No follow-up action

**Level 1: Time commitment**
- Schedules specific meeting
- Attends demo with team
- Dedicates evaluation time

**Level 2: Effort commitment**
- Tries your prototype
- Provides detailed feedback
- Does homework you assign

**Level 3: Reputation commitment**
- Introduces to others
- Agrees to be reference
- Advocates internally

**Level 4: Money commitment**
- Pre-orders or deposits
- Signs letter of intent
- Allocates budget

### 5. Interpret Commitment Levels

**Low/No commitment (Levels 0-1):**
- They're being polite
- Don't count them as validation
- May still be worth learning from

**Medium commitment (Level 2):**
- Genuine interest exists
- Keep engaging and pushing for more
- Not yet validated—need more signal

**High commitment (Levels 3-4):**
- Real customer potential
- Prioritize these relationships
- Use as validation evidence

### 6. Push for Advancement

After each conversation, ask for something concrete:

**Asking for time:**
"Can we schedule 30 minutes next Tuesday to continue this?"
- Yes with specific time = commitment
- "Sometime next week" = polite deflection

**Asking for effort:**
"Would you try our prototype and give feedback by Friday?"
- Does it and provides feedback = commitment
- "I'll try to find time" = polite deflection

**Asking for reputation:**
"Who else at your company should I talk to about this?"
- Sends intro = commitment
- "I'll let you know" = polite deflection

**Asking for money:**
"We're offering early access for $X. Would you like to reserve a spot?"
- Pays or signs LOI = commitment
- "Let me think about it" = not ready

### 7. Track Commitment Across Conversations

Create a commitment log:

| Prospect | Date | Currency Given | Level | Next Ask |
|----------|------|----------------|-------|----------|
| Acme Co | 1/15 | Scheduled meeting (T) | 1 | Ask for team demo |
| Beta Inc | 1/12 | Intro to CFO (R) | 3 | Ask for pilot |
| Gamma Ltd | 1/10 | "Interesting" | 0 | Try different angle |
| Delta Co | 1/8 | Tested prototype (E) | 2 | Ask for intro |

### 8. Use Commitment to Prioritize

**Your time is limited.** Focus on:
1. Those who have given money or reputation
2. Those advancing up the commitment ladder
3. Those with potential to give high-value signals

**De-prioritize:**
- Those stuck at Level 0-1 after multiple conversations
- Those who repeatedly commit verbally but don't follow through
- Those whose words and actions don't match

### 9. Common Commitment Traps

**The "let me think about it" trap:**
- They say they need time
- You wait patiently
- They forget about you
- Fix: Push for specific next action

**The "send me more info" trap:**
- Feels like progress (they want info!)
- Actually deflection (info goes unread)
- Fix: Ask what specific questions they have first

**The "I'd definitely buy this" trap:**
- Hypothetical future commitment
- Often sincere but meaningless
- Fix: Ask for concrete current commitment

**The referral trap:**
- They say "you should talk to [person]"
- But don't make the intro
- Fix: Ask "Can you introduce us via email now?"

### 10. Synthesis

After each customer interaction, ask:
- What did they actually give me (not promise)?
- Did they advance on the commitment ladder?
- What should I ask for next?
- Is this prospect worth continued investment?
- Do I have enough commitment signals to validate this hypothesis?

## Example

**Idea**: "AI-powered tax optimization for freelancers"

### Conversation Tracking

**Prospect A: Sarah, freelance designer**

| Date | What Happened | Currency | Level |
|------|---------------|----------|-------|
| Week 1 | Discovery call, showed interest | None (words only) | 0 |
| Week 2 | Scheduled follow-up with her accountant | Time + Reputation | 2 |
| Week 3 | Tested prototype, sent feedback | Effort | 2 |
| Week 4 | Agreed to $50 early access deposit | Money | 4 |

**Assessment:** Strong commitment trajectory. Real customer.

**Prospect B: Mike, freelance developer**

| Date | What Happened | Currency | Level |
|------|---------------|----------|-------|
| Week 1 | "This is exactly what I need!" | None (words only) | 0 |
| Week 2 | Didn't respond to follow-up | None | 0 |
| Week 3 | "Sorry, been busy. Let's chat next week" | None | 0 |
| Week 4 | No-showed scheduled call | None | 0 |

**Assessment:** Empty enthusiasm. Not a real prospect.

**Prospect C: Lisa, freelance writer**

| Date | What Happened | Currency | Level |
|------|---------------|----------|-------|
| Week 1 | Asked good questions, skeptical | None | 0 |
| Week 2 | Introduced me to freelancer group | Reputation | 3 |
| Week 3 | Posted about us in that group | Reputation | 3 |
| Week 4 | Signed LOI for beta access | Money + Reputation | 4 |

**Assessment:** Champion emerging. High priority.

### Commitment Summary

After 15 conversations:
- Level 4 (Money): 3 prospects
- Level 3 (Reputation): 4 prospects
- Level 2 (Effort): 3 prospects
- Level 1 (Time): 2 prospects
- Level 0 (Words only): 3 prospects

**Validation assessment:**
- 7/15 (47%) gave meaningful commitment (Level 2+)
- 3/15 (20%) committed money
- Pattern: Freelancers with $100K+ income commit more

**Insight:** Mike's enthusiasm ("This is exactly what I need!") felt more validating in the moment than Lisa's skepticism. But Lisa's actions (introductions, advocacy, payment) were worth 100x more as validation. Commitment tracking prevented the team from mistaking politeness for product-market fit.
