4 builders who never spoke to each other

Ask what they already do, never what they would do

Interviews about hypothetical futures produce flattering nonsense, so ask about renewals, cancellations, past purchases and what the current workaround costs. Behaviour that has already happened is the only evidence in the room, and it names the thing you are really competing against.

The method

1. 01

   Interview prospects about their present behaviour, what they use now, how they found it, what else they tried, what persuaded them to try it, and drop any question phrased as would you.

2. 02

   Run customer discovery through purchase history rather than hypotheticals: which subscriptions they renew each year and why, what they bought recently and whether it delivered, what they switched away from and what triggered it, and what they cancelled.

3. 03

   Look for evidence that people are already searching for, trialling and buying things that do a similar job, and do not lead the witness toward your solution.

4. 04

   Ask customers about their existing behaviour rather than about your idea, because flattering questions manufacture prospects that never convert.

5. 05

   Ask how they handle the problem today, because that is the real thing you are selling against, whether it is a rival product, a substitute or a manual workaround.

What it returned

• Justin points readers to Rob Fitzpatrick's The Mom Test for the question set.

• Justin's rule of thumb: a real market pulls solutions towards itself, and if you are short of information it is because you have not had enough customer conversations.

• Tony Tong credits The Mom Test with exposing the business development habits that had been generating zombie leads for Mindreader.

• When Gusto asked how small businesses felt about their existing payroll provider, over half swore about it without being prompted, and two volunteered that they had turned the competitor's name into an obscene password.

Sources

• You can't change the customer's behaviorJustin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · What if your product isn't a brand new idea? · undated
• Not all products make good businessesJustin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · Not all products make good businesses · undated
• Is the Product-Market Fit survey accurate?Justin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · Customer conversations · undated
• The roadmap to Product/Market Fit (PMF)… maybeJason Cohen · longform.asmartbear.com · 3. Customer Fit: Find the ideal customers first. · 2023-12-24
• Managing Expectations: Making Good (on) Promises. – The Bootstrapped FounderArvid Kahl · thebootstrappedfounder.com · Wishful Thinking · 2022-04-28
• 🎯 Scientific Goal Setting 🤝 Negotiation Tips ⚡ Fast Startup Validation - Trends.vcTony Tong · trends.vc · 🌟 Founder of the Week · 2023-10-09
• How the most successful B2B startups came up with their original ideaTomer London · lennysnewsletter.com · What makes a great B2B startup idea · 2023-08-08
• 3 pillars to building a successful businessPreetam Nath · preetamnath.com · Pillar 2 · 2020-06-07