Signals · Warming up
Interest is building. One on its own means little. Two or three together mean it is time.
What are warming up signals?
Warming-up signals show a company is starting to look: visits to your pricing page, comparing you with alternatives, job ads for the problem you solve, webinar sign-ups. Each one is weak alone and fades within one or two weeks. When several land at one company in the same week, a buying window is opening.
How to use them
At a glance
| Signal | What it means | Strength | Lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
| PpPricing page activity | Repeat or deep visits to pricing suggest active evaluation. | Fades in two weeks | |
| SpSurge in product usage | Usage jumps well above the account's normal baseline. | Fades in two weeks | |
| CiCompliance or IT user identification | Security, compliance or IT staff start using the product. | Fades in two weeks | |
| EbEconomic buyer activity | A budget owner engages with you or your space. | Fades in two weeks | |
| IpIdeal persona community join (owned) | A target persona joins your community. | Fades in two weeks | |
| RrRapid rise and fall in product usage | A usage spike that collapses: interest without success. | Fades in two weeks | |
| PuPower user threshold reached | A user crosses the activity level that predicts expansion. | Fades in two weeks | |
| CfCommunity or forum question asked | Someone asks for help on your problem space. | Fades in two weeks | |
| SeSurge in email opens (internal) | Many people at one account open your emails at once. | Fades in two weeks | |
| MpMultiplayer product activity | Several colleagues collaborate inside the product. | Fades in two weeks | |
| UsUpgrade screen activity | Users view or toggle upgrade options. | Fades in two weeks | |
| AmAha! moment reached | A user completes the action that predicts retention. | Fades in two weeks | |
| BqBug question/complaint | Users hit friction; a chance to help and learn. | Fades in two weeks | |
| CpCompetitor follow | A target account follows a competitor. | Fades in two weeks | |
| EcEmployee of competitor follow | A target contact follows competitor employees. | Fades in two weeks | |
| IdIdeal persona support forum join | A target persona joins your support forum. | Fades in two weeks | |
| SuSurge in product log-ins | More people log in more often than usual. | Fades in two weeks | |
| ScSecurity page/terms page activity | Visits to security or legal pages, often late in evaluation. | Fades in two weeks | |
| PrProduct link share | Users share product links with colleagues. | Fades in two weeks | |
| GpGmail/personal sign-up enrichment | A personal-email sign-up resolved to a real company. | Fades in two weeks | |
| CuCommunity or forum question answered | A community member helps others: a potential champion. | Fades in two weeks | |
| ItIntegration page activity | Visitors check whether you fit their stack. | Fades in two weeks | |
| DpDocs page activity | Technical evaluators read documentation. | Fades in two weeks | |
| RpRelevant post engagement | Reactions and comments on posts about your problem. | Fades in a week | |
| NpNegative product review | A public complaint about a competitor or adjacent tool. | Fades in two weeks | |
| NaNew account sign-up | A new account is created from a target company. | Fades in two weeks | |
| SiSign-up flow abandonment | Someone started signing up and stopped. | Fades in two weeks | |
| FcForm or chat flow abandonment | A visitor starts a form or chat and drops off. | Fades in two weeks | |
| RcRage clicks | Frustrated repeated clicks show a blocker. | Fades in two weeks | |
| StSupport ticket creation | Support requests reveal needs, risk or expansion. | Fades in two weeks | |
| QaQuestions answered | Someone repeatedly answers questions in your space. | Fades in two weeks | |
| IeIdeal persona community join (unowned) | A target persona joins an outside community in your space. | Fades in two weeks | |
| SrSurge in hiring | Headcount growth in the teams you serve. | Fades in two weeks | |
| CnContent consumption | A target account reads your content. | Fades in a week | |
| EaEvent attendance | A contact attends an event in your space. | Fades in two weeks | |
| PtProduct review intent | Research on review sites for your category. | Fades in two weeks | |
| WpWebinar participation | Someone attends a session on your problem space. | Fades in a week | |
| LeLive event registration/attendance | Registration for or attendance at your in-person event. | Fades in two weeks | |
| DeDigital event registration/attendance | Registration for or attendance at your online event. | Fades in two weeks | |
| JoJob opening(s) | Open roles describe the work and tools needed. | Fades in two weeks | |
| LpLinkedIn profile view | A target contact views your or your team's profile. | Fades in a week | |
| LiLinkedIn insights tag activity | Tracked visits from LinkedIn-matched companies. | Fades in two weeks | |
| LkLikes/comments on relevant topics across content aggregators | Engagement on your topic across aggregators. | Fades in two weeks | |
| SbSubscribe (blog, newsletter, video, podcast) (internal) | Someone opts in to your content. | Fades in two weeks | |
| CaComparison or alternatives page visit | A visitor reads your comparison or alternatives pages. | Fades in two weeks | |
| PyPositive outbound reply | A committee member replies with interest. | Fades in two weeks | |
| EvEvent registrant no-show | Registered but did not attend: interest without contact. | Fades in two weeks |
Signal by signal
Repeat or deep visits to pricing suggest active evaluation.
Usage jumps well above the account's normal baseline.
Security, compliance or IT staff start using the product.
A budget owner engages with you or your space.
A target persona joins your community.
A usage spike that collapses: interest without success.
A user crosses the activity level that predicts expansion.
Someone asks for help on your problem space.
Many people at one account open your emails at once.
Several colleagues collaborate inside the product.
Users view or toggle upgrade options.
A user completes the action that predicts retention.
Users hit friction; a chance to help and learn.
A target account follows a competitor.
A target contact follows competitor employees.
A target persona joins your support forum.
More people log in more often than usual.
Visits to security or legal pages, often late in evaluation.
Users share product links with colleagues.
A personal-email sign-up resolved to a real company.
A community member helps others: a potential champion.
Visitors check whether you fit their stack.
Technical evaluators read documentation.
Reactions and comments on posts about your problem.
A public complaint about a competitor or adjacent tool.
A new account is created from a target company.
Someone started signing up and stopped.
A visitor starts a form or chat and drops off.
Frustrated repeated clicks show a blocker.
Support requests reveal needs, risk or expansion.
Someone repeatedly answers questions in your space.
A target persona joins an outside community in your space.
Headcount growth in the teams you serve.
A target account reads your content.
A contact attends an event in your space.
Research on review sites for your category.
Someone attends a session on your problem space.
Registration for or attendance at your in-person event.
Registration for or attendance at your online event.
Open roles describe the work and tools needed.
A target contact views your or your team's profile.
Tracked visits from LinkedIn-matched companies.
Engagement on your topic across aggregators.
Someone opts in to your content.
A visitor reads your comparison or alternatives pages.
A committee member replies with interest.
Registered but did not attend: interest without contact.
Time windows are starting points, not benchmarks. Tune them to what actually turns into meetings for you. Signal names adapted from Common Room’s signal library.
Other groups
The best openings come from mixing groups: a good-fit company, plus an act-now event, plus some warming-up interest.
An intent signal is behaviour that suggests a company is researching a problem or a product, such as reading about a topic, visiting your pricing page or comparing vendors. It shows interest, not a decision.
Most website and content signals lose their value within one to two weeks. Use 7 to 14 days as a starting point and adjust it based on what actually turns into meetings for you.
Tools can often name the company behind a visit. Naming the individual person is less reliable and legally risky for EU visitors, so work at company level there.