a single source, nothing corroborates it

Take feedback only from people who just decided

The two groups worth interviewing are buyers within days of paying and customers who have just cancelled, because both have made a decision with money and can still explain what drove it. Discount strangers on social media and prospects who keep saying they will buy, and expect the customers you deliberately chose not to serve to arrive anyway, complain publicly and leave. Hold the line rather than rebuilding for them.

The method

1. 01

   Restrict your feedback interviews to two groups: buyers within days of purchase, and customers who just cancelled.

2. 02

   Accept product feedback only from people who have paid, and specifically from those who just bought or just cancelled; discount strangers on social media and prospects who keep saying they will buy.

3. 03

   Seek feedback from the two groups who have just made a decision with money - new buyers and people who just cancelled.

4. 04

   Expect the customers you chose not to serve to buy anyway and then punish you with public complaints, low satisfaction scores, poor review-site ratings and cancellations, and hold the line rather than rebuilding for them.

5. 05

   Interview the trial users who did not convert, because the reason is often a feature you already have and they never thought to ask about.

What it returned

• Justin quotes Jason Fried on these being the only two groups who can give you real feedback.

• Jason Fried's rule, expanded by Dan Shipper: a fresh buyer can still tell you what emotional event sent them looking and which part is useful, and someone who just cancelled can name exactly what the product failed to do.

• Jason Fried's rule, as relayed to Dan Shipper.

• Follow-up interviews revealed people abandoning the trial over a supposed missing capability that Storemapper actually shipped

Sources

• The hidden reasons why people are using your softwareJustin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · How to discover Jobs to be Done · undated
• When you're building a product, whose opinion should you listen to?Justin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · 2. Only take product feedback from people paying for your product · undated
• Ultimate validationJustin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · How do you validate your idea? · undated
• What makes a strategy greatJason Cohen · longform.asmartbear.com · Decisive · 2023-08-13
• Storemapper: Bootstrapped to $50,000/year in 2 years (with live metrics) - Tyler TringasTyler Tringas · tylertringas.com · Automate common on-boarding support requests (worked) · 2014-08-23