The difference between “interested” and “ready to buy”

Read Time: 3 minutes

Hey Entrepreneurs,

Let’s talk about something that’s quietly killing a lot of your B2B pipelines because it’s been coming up a lot.

Interest vs. Intent.

We get excited when someone “shows interest,” only to be confused and frustrated when the deal never closes. We leave the meeting feeling like we crushed it… but months later, there’s no signature. No follow-up. Just a ghost.

Here’s why:
Interest is not intent. And the sooner you learn to separate the two, the faster your deals will move.

What’s the difference?

Interest = curiosity or excitement.
Someone likes your post, checks out your website, or tells you “this looks cool.” That’s fine, it’s the top of the funnel.

Intent = movement toward a decision.
They ask about pricing, budget, implementation. They communicate urgency. They loop in other stakeholders.

Here’s when we start to shoot ourselves in the foot.

• We interpret product compliments and excitement as deal progress

• We assume every potential prospect expressing “interest” is a hot lead

• We chase follow-ups with people who were never buyers in the first place

In my ten years of selling you better believe I’ve had my shares of falling in the these traps. But if you don’t learn how to spot real buying signals, you’ll spend a lot of time chasing ghosts.

Here’s how your potential buyers are grouped:

• Problem-Aware: The prospect recognizes a pain point but hasn't defined solutions yet.

• Solution-Aware: The prospect is exploring different approaches to solve their challenge.

• Decision-Ready: Evaluating specific vendors before making final choice.

Our job is to deliver messaging that matches buyers where they are NOT where we want them to be.

This is why qualifying early matters

You don’t just want to know what problem your buyer has.
You need to know why it matters now.

Ask questions that push them to connect pain to urgency:

• What’s the cost of doing nothing?

• What happens in three months if this challenge persists?

• Why is this a priority now, and not later?

If they can’t answer those questions… they’re probably not ready to buy. And that’s not a bad thing, but you need to know early, not after five follow-ups and a polished proposal.

Why this matters for you:

1. It saves time.
If you keep chasing interest, your pipeline will always feel “busy” but never move.

2. It improves conversion.
When you prioritize real buying signals, your close rate goes up and you spend time with people who are actually ready.

3. It forces better qualification.
No more “hoping they’ll respond.” If you focus on intent, you can guide prospects toward real next steps.

Final takeaway:

Interest is a feeling. Intent is a plan.

If your sales pipeline is full of “good conversations” but light on signed contracts, you’re probably confusing the two.

As a founder, one of the best things you can do is get honest about who’s actually ready to buy and build your motion around those people.

If you’re not sure what signals you should be tracking or how to adjust your qualification strategy, I’ve opened up time for Sales Motion Audits this month. Let’s take a look at your sales process together.

→ You Can Book Your Audit On My Calendar HERE 

Upcoming Events + Founder Wins

Last month we ran a powerful B2B Sales Academy.

Founders walked away with a clearer process, unlocked urgency in their deals, and closed new business within days of applying what they learned.

Here’s what they said:

Another founder shared how the training shifted how they approached sales completely:

What’s Next?

We’ll be sharing details soon on:

• The next B2B Sales Academy cohort focused on Prospecting!

• Our Sales Multiplier Program (for founders who want 3x their monthly revenue)

• New sales playbook content coming to the TrueSeed Growth Hub on YouTube

If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me a note. I’ll share more information on the prospecting academy next week. Talk soon!

Seth
Founder, TrueSeed