Chapter 1 · Practice 2 of 4
Treat compliments as noise and commitments as signal
Why it matters
The same lecture warns against treating compliments as data: "this is really useful" is not specific and costs the speaker nothing. Steer back to concrete details.
A rough ladder of signals, from weakest to strongest:
| Signal | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| "Cool idea!" | Almost nothing |
| Joins a waitlist | Mild interest |
| Gives you an hour to walk through their current workflow | Real problem |
| Introduces you to colleagues with the same problem | Strong problem |
| Pre-pays or signs a letter of intent | Willingness to pay |
Aim for the bottom half of the table before committing months of evenings to building.
Do
- Ask for a small commitment at the end of a good conversation
Avoid
- Counting likes or waitlist signups as validation on their own