Definition
Timing is the sense of when a move will land and when it will fall flat. The same gesture — a confession, an invitation, a withdrawal — can be decisive at the right moment and counterproductive a day too early or too late. Greene treats timing as the quiet skill that separates the practiced seducer from the eager amateur.
It is less about the move itself than about reading the moment the move enters.
Why it matters
How it works
A person's receptiveness fluctuates — with mood, with the stage of a relationship, with what just happened. The strategist watches for the ripe moment: the point where curiosity is high, defenses are low, and a move will be felt as natural rather than forced. Acting before that point provokes resistance; acting after it lets the moment cool.
Greene's seductive process is, in part, a theory of timing — a claim that influence has phases and that each move belongs to one. Knowing which phase you occupy is most of the skill.