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You're ready to interview customers, but you want some help figuring out...

What Should you Ask?

This interview script generator will get you started, including...

A well-tested 5-question interview script, customized for your interviews.

Hints about what to listen for during your interviews.

6 bonus questions you can ask to fill in any blanks.

Here's an example:

Use this template...

As a starting point. Add & edit questions as necessary.

As a place to store the notes from your interviews.

To share with your teammates so you're all asking the same questions.

Let's Create your Script

Fill out each of the fields below then click Generate Script.

For more information on conducting interviews, check out my blog post, which also includes the video lesson below.

Checking this out. Pretty nice.

But I don't fully understand how you are expecting us to use the "Interation #n" under each question, though?

Good question Mike.

The idea is to loop the script multiple times with each customer, ideally illiciting 3 of the problems they're currently trying to solve. Each "column" in the script equals an interaction so you'd start with the first column and then once you've finished it, you'd start again in the 2nd column. Once you finish the 2nd column, you move on to the 3rd.

Not every question is meant to be repeated, so not every question has multiple columns.

Let me know if that helps or not. If not, I'll try to clarify further.

Thanks again for the question,
Justin

Thank you so much for such an helpful article. Brilliant

Hi, Justin. Thank you very much for this tool. It is very well done and very helpful. I am trying to use it to understand my customer but I have a couple of doubts on how to manage the following situation:

I am starting with very broad questions like "What's the biggest challenge you are facing as a coach?". People answer with issues that are not related at all with my solution.

Should I keep asking the next questions on the script ("When was the last time you tried to solve that problem?") to explore it deeper or should I move to iteration #2 so that I can narrow on the problem context I am trying to understand?

I understand that if the problem I have hypothesized is not top of mind maybe I don't have a problem important enough for customers to care. But sometimes people need more context to put things in perspective.

For instance for the first question above, I usually get "I need more clients". That's obviously more important than the context I am trying to explore. Detailing that feels like a waste of time.

Regards

Great question Caique - thanks for asking it. I know you're not the only person that runs into this problem.

The answer to your question can be found in the answer to another question:

- "What's more important to you: solving the problem the coaches you're talking to are trying to solve, or solving the problem you want to solve?"

In other words, are you more committed to serving coaches, or solving the problem you think coaches have? Either answer is fine, but the answer is important.

If it's more important that you solve the problem you want to solve, then you can actually skip to iteration #3 (the one where you ask them about the specific problem context you envision they are likely to encounter the problem you want to solve).

If when you jump to iteration #3 and you find they still aren't taking action to solve the problem you want to help them with, then you need to change who you're talking to so that the first challenge the mention is the one you want to solve. If after multiple attempts you determine those people simply don't exist, you are officially ahead of your time - and you best bet will be to pivot to another segment entirely, or solve the most interesting problem you heard during your interviews.

If on the other hand serving coaches and solving their real problems is more interesting to you than solving a specific problem, then, do the entire interview script.

The nice thing about the latter option is that you know there are Early Adopters for the problem, and clearly you know how to find them - the only question is are you passionate about solving their problems?

Fwiw, I highly recommend you do the "Declaring Victory" Exercise from FOCUS - you can do a digital version for free here: http://TheFocusFramework.com. It will help you understand why you're *really* starting a company, and in doing so will help answer the question above.

If you decide to pick up a copy of FOCUS, I recommend you jump right into exercise #4 of the first workbook - it's called where are your Early Adopters. It's going to help you figure out where/how to find coaches that are most likely going to cite the problem you want to solve as their biggest challenge (assuming those people actually exist).

Either way, wishing you all the best and keep us posted on your progress!

All the best,
Justin

Hi Justin... First of all I would like to commend you on this awesome video and also the fact that you take time to reply the comments. However, I am having a real big challenge preparing the questions. What I am trying to do is to develop partnerships between my organisation and another company and most of the time , the companies just ignore the proposals I drop in their office. So this time I really want to give them an offer they can't say no to and I think the best way is knowing what they want. I would really love if you respond. Thanks
Isabel

Thanks for the question Isabel. Something tells me the companies don't respond because these proposals aren't solving a problem a person within the company is actively trying to solve.

First thing I would recommend is shift your thinking away from partnerships between your "organization and another company" because ultimately, B2B partnerships are made between your org and a "person" at another company. Start thinking about the role of the person who is currently looking to solve the problem you want to help them solve. Find the person who is trying to solve a problem, and you'll find the person who will talk with you/read your proposal.

If you haven't already checked it out, the FOCUS Framework will be your friend here. In particular, the Customer Storming & Role-izing and the Adoption Behavior Curve will shine some light on your next steps.

Best of luck!
Justin

Hi Justin,

The hypothesised problem is "providing alternative design furniture at a resonable price". First it was and it still is a bit hard to fit the segment into a role - I don´t think they´ll call themselves furniture buyers.

Is it ok/does it give an useful anwer the question "What is the hardest part about buying furniture?" (I found it easier using the "BUYING or DOING" instead of "BEING".

Hi Alexandre, makes sense that would be a little awkward.

I'm okay with you trying a "doing" as opposed to "being" language, but be aware as soon as you make that switch, you're pointing your interviewee toward a set of problems that they may not be actively trying to solve. If you go this route, be sure to ask when the last time they tried to _solve_ any problem they mention. If it wasn't w/n the last 6 months, be wary, they probably aren't an early adopter for that problem (and thus you'll want to avoid solving it for them).

Justin

Very nice and easy to use guide! Are there any plans to do customerdevlabs in German? Did you ever get requests for this?

Thanks for the question. Every once in a while I get a request for translating my content, but it's probably only once every couple months - not enough to make it worth the effort at this point.

Justin

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Customer Interview Script Generator - Customer Development Labs

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Updated] August 31, 2017Here's an example: Use this template... As a starting point. Add & edit questions as necessary. As a place to store the notes from your interviews. To share with your teammates so you're all asking the same questions. Let's Create your Script Fill out each of the fields below then ...

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You know the #1 Rule of Validating the Problem is...to not talk about your solution.

If that's the case, how and when, do you pitch your solution? Watch this video for a quick walk-through on how to sell, without pitching (i.e. how to nail a solution interview).

When do you Pitch your Product?

The answer, for me, is easy:

The perfect time to pitch your solution is...never.

Solving a customer's problems, especially in the early stages, is a collaborative effort.

You need feedback on your solution. You need to know when it's going to fail. You need to know who will use it, and who won't. You need to know how much they're willing to "pay" for it. That information won't be found "pitching" a solution.

Pitching is inherently a one-sided affair - it's a monologue, not a dialogue. We want a solution dialog.

Instead of pitching, try solution interviewing.

The Sales Pitch is Dead

In the B2B scenario, I replace traditional pitching with Solution Interviews.

Problem interviews validate problems. Solution interviews validate...

Solution interviews provide insight on:

Will the solution work?

Where are the solution's weaknesses?

Is your marketing copy right?

Is the price right?

Is she ready to buy?

The solution interview is where you move from "do my customers have a problem they're trying to solve" to "can I build a business solving this problem?"

Pitching is dead. Long live the Solution Interview!

The 3 P's of Solution Interviews

Note: watch the video for a full description of these phases.

1. Problem Reflection - This is a chance to recap the points from your Problem Interview and allow the customer to refocus on the problems that they need fixed. The problems reflected should of course be carefully selected from all the problems you discussed in the Problem Interview. They should be the problems that you know you have a solution for!

2. Proposing a solution - Your aim here is a discussion, a consultative approach as opposed to a one way, one-woman show! You are starting a conversation based on the common ground established in the Problem Interview and honestly asking for feedback on the potential solution/s you have come up with.

3. Progress - Once you have the problems recapped and you've discussed the potential solution, it's time to agree on the next steps. This will be your common "To Do" list featuring all the key moves to get you and your customer to A Problem Solved!

You will want to run the Solution Interview at a different time, post the Problem Interview. This will allow you the time to reflect on issues raised and identify the problems you can solve. The time to come up with the optimum solutions for the customer and put together a viable action plan. This type of approach will ensure you NEVER have to pitch again and as a result, eliminate the uncertainty of will they/won't they get back to me.

Monologue : Dialogue :: Sales Pitches : Solution Interviews

With a dialogue, you can identify any "glitches in the Matrix" there and then. It allows for more flexibility and also a more personal approach. You have already had contact and obtained agreement for future contact with the Problem Interview so the Solution Interview is all about trust and an honest delivery of an end to the customer's problems! Prepare to be the one who Saves the Day!

Customer Development Made Easy...

Summary

The Solution Interview is about building trust, to solve a problem.

Watch this video for a walk-through on selling without pitching and how to nail your solution interview. Solution Interviews are the ideal way to open up communication, offer potential solutions and gain the trust, and business, of your customers. Because you have taken the time to establish their problems, expressed in their own words, they now know you're not just proposing something "off the shelf", something for everyone.

Forget all about the art of Pitching, you want the art of Dialogue.

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The Sales Pitch is Dead. Long Live Solution Interviews!

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You know the #1 Rule of Validating the Problem is...to not talk about your solution. If that's the case, how and when, do you pitch your solution? Watch this video for a quick walk-through on how to sell, without pitching (i.e. how to nail a solution interview).

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Start talking about your value proposition with your customers and ask them if they would like to try your solution. Use the questions below as a guide. You can interview even people that are not interested in your solution, it is very important to understand why people don't want to use your product.

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Bad Examples of Customer Interview Questions

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Solution Interviews: When do you pitch your solution?

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How and when to pitch your solution after a customer development/discovery problem interview? More at: www.CustomerDevLabs.com

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StartitUp is the Ultimate Startup Guide with step-by-step action items based on the Lean Startup, Growth Hacking, and great tips from startup experts. StartitUp's goal is to help startups build, grow, and get funded.

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bol.com | Lean Customer Development (ebook) epub zonder kopieerbeveiliging (drm) , Cindy Alvarez ...

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Lean Customer Development (e-book). How do you develop products that people will actually use and buy? This practical guide shows you how to validate product and company ideas through customer development research-before you waste months and millions on a product or service that no one needs or w...

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Rob Fitzpatrick - How To Do (And What To Expect From) Early-Stage Customer Development & Sales

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HackFwd Build 0.9 - Berlin March 2012 In the beginning of the talk, Rob points out that while building software and products has become a lot faster, talking to people and getting feedback from them has not. The importance of doing early customer development is thus only underlined.

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bol.com | Running Lean, Ash Maurya | 9781449305178 | Boeken

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Running Lean (paperback). Are you an entrepreneur about to create a new web application? If you want to maximize your chances of building something customers want, this book demonstrates ways to apply and test techniques for customer development, Lean Startup, and bootstrapping. Learn how to iden...

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You're (probably) Interviewing the Wrong Customers

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Most founders interview the wrong customers. This video talks about to make sure you're interviewing the right ones.