How to run a customer development interview.
to personal and career success.
If you have the right temperament, I strongly advise you to set up multiple spoken customer development interviews. They can be on the phone or in a real-world location.
It is very powerful to directly talk to people. You can read between the lines and get to the bottom of the issues being discussed.
It's a great way to iterate and learn.
That said, people will accidentally lie to you because they don't want to hurt your feelings. See the Mom Test video at the bottom for more info.
If you are using email cold outreach, interview scheduling should be part of that process, as shown in this example here:
Hey Steve,
I read your blog "I Do Not Have an Age, I Have a Version Number". Wow, I have never thought about age like that! Thank you for that new way of looking at things.
Anyway, I see you are a CTO and manage a team of developers. With that in mind, I had a question for you.
I am researching the idea of building a tool to help company owners and managers keep their staff more happy! If you had a few minutes to chat about it, I would love to get your feedback on this idea and also chat about possible features.
I am free to chat at any of these times:
- Tue 1st Nov: 10am-2pm
- Wed 2nd Nov: 10am-2pm
Can you fit a 30 min slot anywhere in there?
If yes, please reply and I'll send you a google invite.
Many Thanks,
Justin Vincent
If you are reaching out after they join your mailing list, send something like this:
Hey Steve,
Thanks so much for signing up to my GetHappy.io wait list.
Would you be interested in being part of the focus group for that product?
If so, I would love to ask you a few questions and get your insight by phone.
I am free to chat at any of these times:
- Tue 1st Nov: 10am-2pm
- Wed 2nd Nov: 10am-2pm
Can you fit a 30 min slot anywhere in there?
If yes, please reply and I'll send you a google invite.
Many Thanks,
Justin Vincent
Scheduling interviews by Slack or on Forums is pretty self explanatory. Just ask the user if they are up for a spoken interview during the course of general discussions.
For real-world interviews, pick a casual spot like a coffee shop, or actually meet at their office if your product might be used there. This might help you get a better feel for the market.
Here is a light template you can use for any customer interview, be it by phone or in-person.
When the meeting starts, make an effort to make your prospect feel comfortable. Be your most relaxed and upbeat self at this point.
- Thank your prospect for taking time out of their day
- Ask if they mind if you record audio or take notes. (Be aware that being recorded makes some people uncomfortable, so use your best judgment based on who you are talking to when determining whether or not to record.)
- Swap names & bios
- Tell a quick fun story about yourself or your journey (to disarm them)
Briefly explain what space you are in and what you're trying to learn. Then proceed and ask them to explain how they go about their process.
- Clearly ask how they get from point A to point B
- Listen carefully to pain signals
- Try to validate your pain hypothesis
Questions
- What's the most painful part of this process?
- What part of this process takes the most time?
- What part of this process costs the most money?
Use your leading questions to start to better understand a pain point in the process.
Questions
- Why does this process take so much time/cost so much money?
- How are you solving this now?
- Are you happy with this solution?
- How much time/money would it save to have this fixed?
- What would this do to your bottom line?
- If you could wave a magic wand to solve your problems, what software would pop into existence? How would it make things better?
Tell them about your hypothesis and solution idea.
- Tell the pain hypothesis story you have developed.
Questions
- Does this resonate with you?
- Would this solve the problems you have described?
- Mind if I follow up later with mockups?
- Work out core themes that were discussed
- For a quick refresher on how to do that, view this lesson about niches
- Note any themes that were repeats from other interviews
- Adjust product hypothesis based on repeating themes and problems
People will accidentally lie to you because they don't want to hurt your feelings. The Mom Test can help you deal with that issue.