Ask a customer to describe the last time the problem happened. You will learn more from the sequence of a real decision than from a general opinion about whether your product sounds useful.
Customer interviews should improve your understanding of the buyer’s situation. They are not a presentation with a few questions attached.
Recruit around the question
Choose participants who can speak to the decision you are studying. Recent buyers can explain why they purchased. Lost prospects can explain what stopped them. Active users can describe how the product fits into their work.
These groups answer different questions. Do not combine their comments into one undifferentiated summary of “what customers want.”
Start with the ideal customer profile template if the relevant segment is still unclear.
Use a recent event as the spine
Try this sequence, adapting the wording to the product:
- When did you last deal with this problem?
- What happened that made it worth addressing?
- What did you do first?
- Which alternatives did you consider, including doing nothing?
- Who else was involved?
- What made the decision difficult?
- What happened after you chose an approach?
Follow the interesting parts. If someone says an approval took weeks, ask what the approval required and who owned it. If they mention an alternative you had not considered, understand the job it was doing.
Ask permission before recording, and be clear about how the conversation will be used.
Avoid turning uncertainty into agreement
“Would you use a product that saves time?” invites an easy yes. “What did the delay prevent you from doing?” exposes the consequence.
A participant may sincerely like an idea without having the budget, authority, urgency, or willingness to change behavior. Keep those separate in your notes.
Do not argue with an answer that challenges the pitch. That is often the most useful part of the interview.
Make the synthesis traceable
Record the observation, supporting example, participant context, and implication. Label an interpretation as an interpretation. One strong quote can suggest a hypothesis; it does not establish how common the problem is.
Compare interviews for recurring situations and meaningful differences. Then choose a next action: change a qualification question, test a message, simplify onboarding, or recruit a missing customer segment for further research.
The output should change a decision. A folder full of transcripts is raw material. A clear explanation of who struggles, when, why, and what they do about it is something the team can build and sell against.
Co-founder and CEO of Stackmatix, startup advisor, and former Head of Sales at MightyHive. Connect with Matt on LinkedIn ↗ · More about Matt →