Commitment and advancement skill

Commitment and Advancement

The most dangerous lie in customer development is "That sounds great -- keep me posted." It feels like progress but is actually a polite dismissal. This reference covers how to distinguish real interest from empty enthusiasm, the three commitment currencies, and how to design conversations that end with clear advances.

The Core Problem: Compliments vs Commitments

Compliments are free. Saying "great idea" costs nothing. Real interest always costs something -- time, reputation, or money. If someone won't invest any of these three currencies, they're not a real customer. They're being polite.

The Spectrum from Worthless to Valuable

Worthless                                                        Valuable
   |                                                                |
   "Cool idea"  →  "Keep me posted"  →  "I'll try it"  →  "Here's a deposit"
   "Love it"    →  "Send me info"    →  "Meet my boss"  →  "Letter of intent"
   "Sounds great" → "Let me think"   →  "Pilot program"  → "Pre-order payment"

The left side costs nothing. The right side costs something real. Your job is to push every conversation as far right as possible -- not to close a sale, but to test whether interest is real.

The Three Commitment Currencies

1. Time Commitment

Time is the easiest currency to ask for and the first test of real interest. If someone won't give you 15 more minutes, they won't give you their money.

Escalation ladder:

Level	Commitment	What It Signals
1	Agrees to a follow-up call	Mild interest
2	Clears their calendar for a 30-minute demo	Moderate interest
3	Attends a full workshop or training	Strong interest
4	Runs a pilot with their team for 30 days	Very strong interest
5	Dedicates internal resources to integration	Essentially committed

How to ask for time commitments:

• "Would you be up for a 15-minute demo next week?"
• "We're running a small pilot -- it's 30 days, minimal setup. Would you be interested?"
• "I'd love to show you a prototype. Can we book 20 minutes next Thursday?"
• "We're hosting a workshop on this topic. Would you attend?"

Red flags:

• "Sure, just email me" (with no specific date/time = probably won't happen)
• "Maybe next month" (indefinite postponement = not interested)
• Cancels or reschedules repeatedly (actions reveal true priority)

2. Reputation Commitment

When someone risks their professional reputation by connecting you to their network, they're investing social capital. This is a stronger signal than time because it costs them something irreversible -- if your product is bad, they look bad.

Escalation ladder:

Level	Commitment	What It Signals
1	Gives you a specific name to contact	Mild, low-risk
2	Makes an email introduction	Moderate -- puts their name on it
3	Recommends you to their boss or decision-maker	Strong -- career risk
4	Agrees to be a reference or case study	Very strong -- public endorsement
5	Publicly advocates for your product	Essentially a champion

How to ask for reputation commitments:

• "Who else on your team deals with this problem? Could you introduce me?"
• "You mentioned your VP is frustrated by this -- would you be comfortable connecting us?"
• "If we build this, would you be willing to be one of our first case studies?"
• "Do you know 2-3 other people who struggle with this? Would you mind introducing me?"

Red flags:

• "I know someone, but let me think about it" (never follows up)
• Offers a general referral but won't make a specific intro
• Introduces you but adds caveats that undermine credibility

3. Money Commitment

The ultimate test. Money is the most reliable signal because it is the most costly. If someone pays you -- even a small amount -- they are a real customer, not just a fan.

Escalation ladder:

Level	Commitment	What It Signals
1	Agrees to a price in conversation	Low -- talk is cheap
2	Signs a letter of intent	Moderate -- organizational commitment
3	Puts down a refundable deposit	Strong -- money has moved
4	Pre-orders or pays upfront	Very strong -- non-trivial commitment
5	Signs an annual contract	Customer acquired

How to ask for money commitments:

• "We're offering early access at 40% off for our first 10 customers. Would you want one of those spots?"
• "Would you be willing to put down a $100 refundable deposit to lock in your place?"
• "We're validating demand -- if we build this, would you pre-order at $X?"
• "Can I send you a letter of intent for a pilot? No obligation, but it helps us prioritize."

Red flags:

• "I'd definitely pay for that" (without actually paying -- classic Mom Test failure)
• "Let me check with my team" (stalling without a deadline)
• Agrees to a price but won't sign anything or provide payment info

Advancement vs Spinning Wheels

What Advancement Looks Like

Every conversation should move the relationship forward. If you can't point to a concrete next step with a specific date, you're spinning your wheels.

Clear advances:

• They agree to a follow-up meeting with a specific date and time in the calendar
• They introduce you to someone specific via email (not "I'll mention you sometime")
• They sign up for a pilot, trial, or beta program with a start date
• They provide a deposit, pre-order, or letter of intent
• They give you access to their data, system, or team for testing

Spinning wheels (feels like progress but isn't):

• "Let's stay in touch" (no specific next step)
• "Send me more info" (they'll never read it)
• "We should grab coffee sometime" (no date)
• "I'll forward this to my colleague" (rarely happens without an intro email)
• "Come back when you have a prototype" (delay tactic with no commitment)

The Advance Planning Framework

Before every conversation, decide what advance you want. Have three levels ready:

Level	Description	Example
Dream ask	The best possible outcome	"They pre-order and intro me to 3 colleagues"
Realistic ask	A reasonable next step	"They agree to test a prototype next week"
Minimum ask	The bare minimum that constitutes progress	"They introduce me to someone more relevant"

If you can't get even the minimum ask, the conversation has given you important data: this person (or segment) isn't a real customer.

Designing the End of a Conversation

The last two minutes of every conversation should follow this pattern:

Step 1: Summarize What You Learned

"So if I understand correctly, your biggest challenge is [X], you've tried [Y] and [Z] but neither worked because [reason], and you're currently spending [amount] on this problem."

This does three things:

• Confirms your understanding
• Shows you were listening
• Gives them a chance to correct or add details

Step 2: Share Your Vision (Briefly)

Now -- and only now -- you can share what you're building. Keep it to 30 seconds.

"Based on what you've told me and what I'm hearing from others, we're building [one sentence description]."

Step 3: Make the Ask

"Would you be willing to [specific commitment with a specific date]?"

If they say no or hesitate, that's valuable data. Don't push harder -- instead, ask:

• "What would need to be true for this to be a priority?"
• "Is there someone else who might be a better fit for this?"
• "What's holding you back?"

Step 4: Set the Exact Next Step

Never end with "I'll follow up." End with:

• "I'll email you Tuesday with the prototype link, and we'll do a 15-minute walkthrough Thursday at 2pm."
• "You'll intro me to Sarah by end of week, and I'll reach out to schedule a call."

Commitment by Stage

Different stages of your business require different commitment asks:

Idea Stage (No Product Yet)

• Ask for: Problem validation and intros
• Good signals: "Yes, this is a real problem. Talk to my colleague Sarah -- she deals with this daily."
• Bad signals: "Sounds interesting, keep me posted."

Prototype Stage (Something to Show)

• Ask for: Time to test and feedback on specifics
• Good signals: "Can I try this right now? When will it be ready?"
• Bad signals: "Looks great!" (with no follow-up action)

Beta Stage (Working Product)

• Ask for: Pilot commitments, letters of intent, deposits
• Good signals: "We'd like to run a 30-day pilot with our sales team."
• Bad signals: "Definitely send me the link when it launches."

Launch Stage (Ready to Sell)

• Ask for: Purchase, annual contract, referrals
• Good signals: "Here's our PO number."
• Bad signals: "We need to think about it." (after months of conversation)

The Zombie Lead Problem

Zombie leads are the most dangerous outcome of bad customer conversations. They're people who:

• Keep taking your meetings
• Keep saying nice things
• Keep promising they'll buy "when it's ready"
• Never actually commit anything of value

How to identify zombie leads:

1. Count the number of meetings you've had with them
2. Count the concrete commitments they've made
3. If meetings > 3 and commitments = 0, you have a zombie

How to cure zombie leads:

• Force a clear yes or no: "We need to decide by Friday whether to include you in the pilot. Are you in or out?"
• Set a deadline: "We're closing early access spots next week. Would you like to lock one in?"
• Ask directly: "We've met three times and I really value your input. To move forward, I need [specific commitment]. Is that something you can do?"

A "no" from a zombie is a gift -- it frees you to focus on real prospects.

Tracking Commitments

Use a simple spreadsheet to track every conversation:

Column	Purpose
Name / Company	Who you spoke with
Date	When the conversation happened
Key quotes	Exact words, not your paraphrase
Facts learned	Observable behaviors and specifics
Commitment given	What they actually agreed to do
Commitment kept?	Did they follow through? (Track this!)
Next step	Specific action with specific date
Belief update	Did this conversation change what you believe about problem/customer/solution?

The "commitment kept" column is the most important one. Over time, it reveals who your real customers are and which segments are full of zombie leads.