Value-First Data Ep. 4: Hand Raiser Stage - The Loop in Evaluation Mode

Casey Hawkins and Klemen Hrovat take on the stage everyone wants to talk about: the Hand Raiser — the moment someone signals real intent to buy. Their central caution is that teams routinely misfire here, either failing to recognize a hand raise, recognizing it but not knowing what to do, or burying it under a 47-step qualification process. A recurring theme: not every form submission is a hand raise, and real hand raises often happen outside forms entirely (a LinkedIn DM, a direct ask). They argue lead scoring belongs on researchers, while hand raisers should be scored on ICP fit to prioritize where to spend sales effort. Practical moves include simplifying website forms, being present where your audience actually raises hands, and building workflows that track hand raisers from every source, assign the right scores, and trigger timely, personalized response.