Talking to customers takes a lot of time and is super easy to screw up completely. Half the solution is in knowing what you're trying to achieve, and the other half is in asking good questions. In this presentation I talk about both. Plus, it features several pumpkins, a riddle, and a picture of my bank balance during my first startup.

1. How to actually do
customer
development
@robfitz
(and not waste your time)

2. Why bother
talking to
people?
(when we could be building!)
@robfitz

3. @robfitz

5. 2 stages of learning
1. 2.
Discovery Validation

6. 2 stages of learning
Learn Confirm

7. 2 stages of learning
“Ask” “Sell”

8. Do we
understand
this industry?

9. Do we
understand
this industry?
Does
anybody
care at all?

10. Do we Are we
understand building the
this industry?right product?
Does
anybody
care at all?

11. Do we Are we
understand building the
this industry?right product?
Does
anybody
Will they
care at all? pay for it?

12. ❝
Build something
people want!
Paul Graham
❞
@paulg

13. But it’s super easy
to screw up these
interviews
@robfitz

14. Anybody will say
your idea is great
if you annoy them
for long enough.
@robfitz

15. A man wakes up, turns
on the radio, goes
upstairs, turns on the
lights, and kills himself.
Why?
(Note: this slide, and several others, are accompanied by mini-workshops which I can’t really replicate
without being in the room. If you want to bring me in-house and hear the punchline, ping @robfitz)

16. (picture of wedding ring for
commitment)
1. best: take their money
2. okay: take their email with permission to
contact them
Image by wstryder

17. The mom test
1. Never ask their opinion, especially about your
idea
2. Ask about their life
3. Ask about specifics in the past
(“Talk me through the last time you...”)

18. (Note: This is another workshop slide. It is super fun. The suspense is killing you!)
Image by sleepyneko

19. Good or
bad
questions?
@robfitz

20. ❝
Do think it’s a
good idea?
❞
Us

21. ❝
Do think it’s a
good idea?
❞
Us

22. ❝Would you buy a
product which
solved this problem?
❞
Us

23. ❝Would you buy a
product which
solved this problem?
❞
Us

24. ❝How do you
currently deal with
this problem?
❞
Us

25. ❝How do you
currently deal with
this problem?
❞
Us

26. ❝Talk me through
the last time you
had this problem
❞
Us

27. ❝Talk me through
the last time you
had this problem
❞
Us

28. ❝
How much would
you pay for this?
❞
Us

29. ❝
How much would
you pay for this?
❞
Us

30. ❝How much money
does this problem
cost you?
❞
Us

31. ❝How much money
does this problem
cost you?
❞
Us

32. ❝
Is there a budget
for it?
❞
Us

33. ❝
Is there a budget
for it?
❞
Us

34. ❝
Who else should I
talk to?
❞
Us

35. ❝
Who else should I
talk to?
❞
Us

36. So, we just had
a meeting.
But did we
make progress?
@robfitz

37. So, we just had
a meeting.
But did we
make progress?
@robfitz

38. ❝
Sounds great. I
love it!
❞
Claudia

39. ❝
Sounds great. I
love it!
❞
Claudia

40. ❝Brilliant -- let me
know when it
launches!
❞
Jeremy

41. ❝Brilliant -- let me
know when it
launches!
❞
Jeremy

42. Compliment
+ Stalling tactic
They don’t care
@robfitz

43. ❝There are a couple
people I can intro you
to, when you’re ready.
❞
Jeremy

44. ❝There are a couple
people I can intro you
to, when you’re ready.
❞
Jeremy

45. Partial
commitment
(Is there a valid reason
he can’t connect you
now?)
@robfitz

46. ❝
I would definitely
buy that!
❞
Claudia

47. ❝
I would definitely
buy that!
❞
Claudia

48. DANGER!!!
(A promising signal,
but people can’t
predict their own
behaviour)
@robfitz

49. Opinions
are
worthless.
@robfitz

50. Real learning
≫ Concrete facts about customer’s lives
≫ Solid commitments
≫ Not opinions
≫ Not “would you...” questions

51. False positives
cause
heartbreak
:(
@robfitz

52. (picture of wedding ring for
commitment)
1. best: take their money
2. okay: take their email with permission to
contact them
Image by elsie

53. Commitment is the best
signal
1. Ideally, they give you money
2. And if not, the conversation needs to advance

54. Examples of advancement
1. Permission to contact again
2. Clear next meeting
3. Introduction to decision-maker
4. Commitment to run a trial
5. Pre-purchase

55. Compliments
are not
commitments
@robfitz

56. 3 rules for good
conversations
1. Ask open-ended questions
2. Which pass the mom test
3. And leave with a commitment

57. It helps to pre-plan
the questions
you’ll ask

58. Questions?
(next up is
practicalities)
@robfitz

59. Do interviews in teams of 2
One asks questions
The other writes down answers

60. Write down everything they
say

61. Use quick emotion symbols
≫ Emotions - happy, sad/frustrated, embarrassed
:) :( :|
≫ Workflow - problem, obstacle, workaround
! [] ~

62. Sales is
scary
(but can be learned)
@robfitz

63. Sales is scary
≫ You can learn it
> It’s a predictable process
> Having a framework helps
> Read “SPIN Selling” by Neil Rackham
≫ Focus on mastering your field
> Customers will love to talk to & learn from
you

64. Cust dev is
weird!
(so keep it quick &
casual)
@robfitz

65. Cust Dev is awkward
≫ Look for advisors, not customers
≫ Do cocktail custdev
≫ Organise & host industry meetups
≫ Personally email your first 1000 signups
≫ Speak at conferences
≫ Do free consulting or have office hours
≫ Write a book of industry interviews
≫ Write an industry blog
≫ Host user meetups & product previews

66. Advisors
≫ Earlyvangelists are ideal industry & customer
advisors
≫ Gives you a reason for talking to them before having
a finished product
≫ Reframes the conversation with you in control
≫ If they aren’t excited enough to join the advisory
board, they probably aren’t going to be your first
customer
≫ Secret weapon of customer development

67. Cocktail cust dev
≫ This ever happen?
> Meet a perfect customer
> Get their business card
> Can’t wait to learn from them
> Never see them again
≫ Keep the top 3 questions always in mind
> Ask one as soon as you meet someone relevant
≫ You learn, and they enjoy the interesting question

68. Learn Find out
about a whether
new people
industry or care at
customer. all.
@robfitz

69. Talking is useful if you...
≫ Form good questions
> Specifics
> About the customer
> Which pass the mom test
≫ Know what you need to ask
≫ Write it down

70. Boom chicka bow-wow
@robfitz
http://thestartuptoolkit.com
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