Sort in-market people by how far along they are: problem-aware, exploring, evaluating, or decision-ready.
The same message cannot serve someone who has just realised they have a problem and someone comparing two vendors’ pricing pages. Stage identification classifies each identified buyer by the depth and pattern of their research so messaging, channel, and urgency can match.
Stage also sets the honest expectation internally. Early-stage volume should not be judged by this month’s closed deals, and decision-ready contacts should not be dropped into a twelve-week nurture sequence.
We learn how this works for you today, from the people involved in it.
We agree what good looks like, who owns which step, and how success is measured.
We deliver the work in a narrow first slice you can see functioning.
We measure it, correct it, and widen it only once it holds.
It is a probabilistic read of behaviour, not a confession. Treat it as prioritization rather than certainty.
Yes, and it matters. A fading late-stage signal often means they chose someone else — worth knowing before you keep spending on them.
Yes, with different stage definitions and a different research footprint.
Tell us what you are trying to accomplish. If buyer-stage identification is not the right starting point, we will say so.