33 Buying Signals That Tell You A Prospect Is Ready to Buy

Your buyers have specific buying signals that tell you if they’re ready to buy.

As a salesperson, it’s important to recognize those telltale signs from potential customers.

By recognizing these not-so-secret signals, you’ll be able to focus more on the opportunities with a higher chance of closing.

But, just what are buying signs?

In this blog post, we’ll discuss what buying signals are and why they are important. We’ll also provide some tips on how to spot them. Keep reading to learn more!

What are buying signals?

A buying signal is a cue that indicates a prospect’s interest in buying a product or service. They can be verbal or nonverbal, and they can be conscious or subconscious. 

To spot a buying signal, actively listen and pay attention to your prospect’s actions and words.

For example, eye contact and attention is usually a good buying sign. It shows they’re interested in your product or service. Another buying signal to look for is when someone asks questions about your product or service. Questions about the post-sale experience, specific features, or customer stories show they’re considering purchasing.

Of course, not all buying signals are so obvious.

Sometimes people will give off more subtle cues, like paying more attention during a demo or speaking with a curious tone. These can be harder to spot, but they are worth paying attention to. If you see someone doing this, it may be an indication that they’re interested in what you have to say.

The bottom line is that buying signals can come in all shapes and sizes. Being attuned to them can increase your chances of making a sale.

Why are buying signals essential to recognize?

As a salesperson, one of the most important skills you can have is recognizing buying signals. These are discrete actions or behaviors indicating that a customer is interested in purchasing.

When buyers are comparing multiple suppliers‚ the amount of time spent with any one sales rep may be only 5% or 6%. 

Not much time is spent between the prospect and seller, or it’s important for sales reps to understand if they’re in buying mode. By recognizing these buying signals, you can adjust your sales pitch accordingly and close the deal.

33 types of buying signs

There are many different types of buying signals, and they can vary depending on the prospect.

However, some common examples of buying signals include body language, asking questions, and expressing interest in a product or service.

It is important to remember that not all customers will exhibit the same buying signals. Some may be more subtle, while others may be more explicit.

Pay attention to the individual customer to identify their specific buying signals.

Non-verbal buying signals examples

1. Positive body language and paying attention: When the buyer is interested, they may show a buying sign through their body language. They will be more attentive than a passive buyer. They’ll nod in agreement and give more attention to you and the product. This is a great time to ask if they see themselves using your product.

2. Appearing excited about your product or service: When buyers are confident that the solution you’re showing can solve their pain points, they’ll show excitement. This signal can be identified by positively reacting to your product or while walking through a demo. It shows growing interest if they discuss how they’ll use your product.

3. Involving stakeholders in buying committee: An effective buyer will involve multiple stakeholders and decision-makers to evaluate your product. They are keen on getting everyone’s feedback and selling to their peers internally. Provide them with a presentation, case studies, and other assets to illustrate how the company can use your solution.

4. Responding quickly to emails: Immediate and frequent email communication is a great buying signal. It shows they have urgency for getting a solution. Additionally, it means they’re interested in continuing the conversation with you.

5. Positive tone of voice: A positive and curious tone is a good buying sign that the buyer is interested. Especially if they’re asking many questions about your solution and responding positively.

Open communication buying signal examples

6. Openly discussing their pain points: A buyer who is transparent about their pain points is keen on buying a solution. They aren’t hiding any details and are willing to walk through their current situation, their technical or business pain points, and what solutions they’ve tried in the past. You can use the pain funnel line of questioning to get more details.

7. Telling you about problems with their current solution: If they are using a competitor’s solution and are telling you about their frustrations, this is a great buying signal. If they’re unhappy with their current provider, they are more inclined to transition to another solution. Use competitive battlecards to explain how your solution is different in comparison.

8. Sharing their goals: When a buyer comes prepared with a plan and shares their desired goals, then they are likely actively evaluating different solutions. They already know what they want but just need reassurance that they’re picking the best solution for their business. Explain how your product can uniquely accomplish its goals and share customer stories to reinforce your value proposition.

9. Confirming specific features or benefits: When your buyer consistently confirms that your solution offers specific benefits and features, it likely means they’re checking off requirements during an evaluation. This is a great buying signal demonstrating they’re close to choosing a solution. It also means they’re evaluating multiple solutions to see which works best for their needs. Share documentation on specific product functionality and reiterate the benefit of each feature.

10. Imagining themselves as customers: When you demonstrate your solution, you’ll hear them tell you how they’ll use the product. It’s a good sign because they’ve already mentally transitioned from being a buyer to a customer.

11. Evaluating multiple competitors: if you know they’re also evaluating competitors, there’s a chance they are interested in buying. When your buyer asks about competitors early on, your odds of winning the deal are 49% higher than when competitors aren’t mentioned.

Asking questions buying signal examples

12. Asking about pricing and term length: When buyers ask about pricing and term length, they check to see if it fits within their budget. This is a great buying sign because it shows they’re actively buying. This can also mean they’re planning for negotiation later in the sales process or confirming pricing, term length, and contract terms.

13. Asking about the post-sale experience: If a buyer asks about your post-sale experience, specifically what implementation or services look like, it means you’ve satisfied their buying requirements and they’re planning. They are figuring out what the customer experience will look like.  And are planning for what resources will be needed. Recommend introducing them to your customer success manager to walk through the post-sale process.

14. Asks about discounts: If they ask about discounts, they plan their budgets accordingly. Discount conversations also depend on where they are in the sales process. For example, if they’re asking before a demo, they likely want to find the cheapest solution. However, if they’re asking post-demo, then it’s likely because they need to meet a set budget.

15. Asking questions during a demo: When a buyer has a lot of questions during a sales presentation or a demo, it likely means they’re curious. This can come from having a pre-determined list of questions they need answers for. Or, your product addresses their needs, and they’re asking questions to find out more details.

Prospect requests buying signal examples

16. Asking for customer references: Similar to case studies, an interested buyer needs more confidence and reassurance that they’re making the best decision. This is a good buying sign that indicates strong interest. Buyers will want to hear from your customers about their post-sale experience, implementation, and benefits from your solution. Typically there aren’t any surprise questions during a customer reference call. Buyers merely want to confirm that everything you shared is accurate.

17. Asking for a free trial: When a buyer asks for a free trial, they want to see firsthand how your solution works. This is a good buying sign because it shows they’re interested in your product but need to validate if your product demo matches their experience.

18. Sharing their budget: When buyers openly share their budget, they don’t want to waste yours or their time. If your solution is too expensive, then they’ll look elsewhere. However, if your solution fits within budget, they’ll be keen to explore your solution further. Since they already have a set budget, they are more likely to purchase a solution.

19. Personally motivated: When buyers want to solve a personal pain point, they are more motivated to buy a solution. For example, they will be more likely to buy if a product or service can help them achieve a team or personal goal.

20. Interested in reading case studies or research reports: An interested buyer will look for social proof to validate their buying decision. This will come in the form of reviewing case studies, reviews, and testimonials. This is a great buying sign because they’ve identified a solution and need more confidence. Recommend case studies that are relevant to their industry or use case.

Prospect interaction buying signs examples

21. Forwards your emails internally: If you’re using email tracking tools, you can see if your email is being forwarded to others in the organization. This is a good buying sign because your main buyer is likely forwarding your emails to other stakeholders and decision-makers in the buying committee. Ensure your emails are detailed and contain relevant information.

22. Consumes website content: When a prospect engages with your website content, such as webinars, eBooks, blogs, or case studies, it shows they’re interested in learning more or need more in-depth information. Use marketing automation software to track buyer engagement on your website and reach out.

23. Checking out review websites: When a prospect visits review websites like G2 or TrustRadius, they validate their buying decision. They are typically comparing solutions and reading about your customer’s experience. It is relevant to reach out if you’re tracking visitors to these review websites.

24. Engage in a community: If your buyers participate actively, they might ask their peers about product recommendations. They’re getting input from peers that have used other solutions.

25. Opens your email frequently: Buyers don’t spend a lot of facetime with sales reps. If a buyer frequently emails you, it could be a buying sign as they need to gather more information. Track your email open and reply rates to see how frequently they engage with your emails. Frequent email engagement indicates that they’re interested in continuing the conversation.

26. Speaks with website chatbot: When a buyer engages with a website chatbot, they want immediate answers. More specifically, they want information your website may not contain, such as pricing, post-sale experience, product documentation, etc. This is a good sign that they’re doing a buying evaluation. Have a sales rep, such as an SDR, ready to engage on a chatbot to schedule a sales intro call.

Company initiative buying signal examples

27. New leadership joins: If new leadership joins a company, change will likely happen soon. New leadership will want to make an immediate impact within their first 90 days. This is a great time to reach out as they’ll likely want to explore new ideas and buy relevant solutions to help them achieve their goals.

28. Former customer joins a new company: When a former customer joins a new company, they will want to make an immediate impact. They were hired due to their track record, experience, and achievements in their past company. Since they’ve had experience with your solution, they will be more inclined to purchase it again at their new company.

29. Launch a new product: When a company launches a new product, it shows that they’ve likely interested a lot of resources towards it and want to make it successful. This is a good buying signal and a relevant opportunity to connect. If your solution can support their product launch, they will more likely converse with you.

30. Signs up for a free trial: When a buyer signs up for a free trial on your website, they are likely comparing solutions or want firsthand experience. Although a free trial is a low-friction investment, it often shows a buying sign if their experience is positive. Connect with your tree trial users to understand what they’re looking for and share how you can help.

31. Connects with the company on LinkedIn: Although it is not a strong buying sign, social media engagement can show that they’re interested in your company’s content. They may not be in buying mode but may take a meeting with you since they’re familiar with your company. Don’t expect an immediate sale. Instead, you should play the long game and share educational content with them until they’re ready to buy.

32. Recent funding: When a company announces a funding round, it shows they’re focused on hitting new growth targets. This means they’ll have resources, headcount, and budget to allocate to new initiatives. If your solution can help, it’s a good buying sign to use in your reach-out.

33. Recruiting many employees: When a company is on a hiring spree, they likely have growth plans to hit. Review their job posts to learn more about the job responsibilities. If there are any projects or responsibilities that you can help with, then it’s a good signal.

Negative signals that show a buyer is uninterested

Now that you’ve learned countless ways buyers signal if they’re interested in buying, let’s dive into negative signals.

Negative buying signals are the opposite; they indicate a buyer is interested. Sometimes, they might just be researching or window shopping for different products.

Identifying uninterested buyers is important before they clog your sales pipeline and forecast.

Here are five common negative buying signals:

1. Reluctant to schedule time to learn more: If the buyer is hesitant to schedule time or is asking to meet months out, they are not serious buyers. They don’t have a budget, resources, or a plan to implement a new solution. They are likely just researching new solutions. When this happens, you can ask through an email:

“It looks like this has fallen off the priority list. Would it make sense to reach back out in 6 months?”

This will release the pressure off their shoulders of disappointing you. It gives the ball in their court to call off the buying process, which helps you get this deal out of your forecast.

2. Going dark after meeting: If buyers don’t respond to your emails or calls, they likely lose interest. They couldn’t see a need for your product or decided not to buy anything. When this happens, you can send a last-ditch email and see if they respond.

“We haven’t been able to connect for a while. Typically when this happens, it means you’ve paused your purchasing decision. Can you let me know if this is the case so I can close your file?”

3. Reluctance to talk about their needs, challenges, or goals: If buyers are reluctant to share details about their current status, needs, or challenges, they likely don’t have any pain points to solve. They’re holding information close to their chest because they hide details from you. Either they just want a price to get a competitor to reduce their price, or they’re simply researching. When this happens, you can say during a call:

“It sounds like there aren’t any real challenges we can solve here. Do you mind if I raise a fear I have? My biggest fear is that we continue your buying process and ultimately realize that we simply can’t help you. Would it be okay for you to let me know before that happens?”

4. Hesitant to identify or introduce the decision-making: If you’re selling a complex solution, you’ll need to involve other decision-makers and stakeholders. But, if your main contact is hesitant to bring new stakeholders, that is a negative sign. It often means they are just researching or not confident you are providing the right solution. In this case, you can ask:

• Who else should be involved during your evaluation process?
• Who would feel left out if they weren’t involved in our next conversation?

In this scenario, you’ll need to sales multi-thread to find other contacts within the account.

5. Telling you they’re just doing research: If a buyer says they’re just researching, then they likely aren’t actively doing an evaluation. Of course, they could be researching early on to make a buying decision later. So, it’s important to understand their context. You can ask them questions such as:

• When are you planning to implement a solution?
• Where are you in your evaluation process?

Final thoughts – are your buyers ready to buy?

As a salesperson, one of the most important things you can do is learn to read buying signals.

These cues indicate whether a customer is interested and is likely to buy. By learning to read these signals, you can adjust your sales pitch accordingly and close more deals.

Not all buying signals are created equal.

Some, like body language cues, can be difficult to interpret. That’s why it’s important to pay attention to the context of the interaction and look for multiple signals before making any assumptions.

By understanding how to use buying signals to your advantage, you can improve your chances of converting leads into customers.