2
Stage 2 of 8
Researcher
"I Am Exploring"
What's Happening
They've moved from passive consumption to active investigation. Now they're comparing approaches, evaluating different perspectives, and building a mental model of the solution space.
- • Returning to specific topics repeatedly
- • Comparing different vendors/approaches
- • Downloading detailed resources (guides, comparisons)
- • Asking questions in communities or forums
What You Should Do
- ✓ Provide comparison content and decision frameworks
- ✓ Offer deeper educational resources
- ✓ Be available but not pushy — let them research
- ✓ Answer questions in communities
- ✗ Don't add them to aggressive sales sequences
- ✗ Don't assume a guide download means buying intent
Signals That Indicate This Stage
Deep engagement
Multiple pages per visit
Resource downloads
Guides, templates, tools
Repeat visits
Coming back to specific topics
Community activity
Asking questions, seeking advice
Transition to Hand-Raiser
When they actively request a conversation — submitting a contact form, replying to an email, booking a consultation — they've become a Hand-Raiser. They're done researching alone.
Quick Facts
- Typical Duration
- Days to months
- Engagement Style
- Active, self-directed
- Your Role
- Resource provider
- Success Metric
- Depth of engagement
Examples
- SaaS: Downloads comparison guide, reads pricing page multiple times
- Services: Watches case study videos, reads methodology docs
- Mfg: Requests technical specs, asks questions in forum
Ready to move beyond Researcher?
Track your journey from Researcher to Champion. Your Value Path makes progress visible.