Signals
What changes is often more useful than what simply exists.
A customer asks a question. Someone takes longer than usual to reply. A stakeholder who was previously active becomes quiet. The tone of a conversation shifts.
None of these observations has a fixed meaning. That is precisely why signals are useful — and dangerous. A signal is not an answer. It is something that deserves attention because it may indicate that the situation has changed.
Look for change, not labels
It is easy to attach meaning to individual behaviour. Silence becomes disinterest. A price question becomes budget pressure. A hesitant response becomes doubt. But the more useful question is often simpler:
What is different from before?
A customer who has always taken a week to reply is behaving normally when they take a week again. A customer who normally responds within an hour and suddenly disappears for a week has changed their pattern.
The silence is the same. The change is not.
Patterns make signals more useful
Signals become more informative when several pieces begin to move together. A change in the questions being asked may coincide with a new stakeholder joining the discussion. Slower communication may appear at the same moment that technical questions give way to commercial ones. A previously clear next step may suddenly become vague.
No individual observation proves what is happening. Together, they can give you a reason to look more carefully.
Notice first. Explain later.
The temptation is to move quickly from observation to interpretation. However, spotting a signal is only the beginning. Its meaning depends on context, timing, the people involved and the other pieces surrounding it.
Sometimes the signal will turn out to mean very little and sometimes it is where the most useful part of the conversation begins.
From the book
Signals, changing patterns and the difference between observation and interpretation are explored throughout Sales Between the Lines.