The Rules for Customer Interviews

LIFFFT's Whiteboard Wednesday videos on Customer Development.
Talking to your customers is the bread and butter of customer development. The knowledge you gain from these conversations should be the basis for every decision you make about your product. But there are some common traps that are easy to fall into during these interviews.
Today, Zac is going to explore The Rules for Customer Interviews. Break them at your own risk!
The Rules:
1) No pitching.
2) No "ice cream questions"
3) Pull, don't push.
4) "N of 1" is not proof.
5) Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior.
6) Ideal self vs Actual self
7) Stories are better than statements
To download the accompanying handout for this video, check out www.liffft.com/documents/Cust...

[@salmansalahuddin4870]

Short Summary
1) No Pitching
2) Don't ask questions that offer something to the user
3) Never push any information/your opinions onto the user
4) Unusual answers by a single person are not enough to come to a conclusion
5) No hypothetical questions
6) Don't ask questions that makes the interviewee give ideal answers
7) Aim for stories not statements

[@MrCdinic]

Please correct: 'Customer development is all about validating your assumptions....' this is not true. This mindset contributes to the massive 90% failure rate we have in the startup industry. CustDev is all about 'Invalidating' you're asumptions to avoid confirmation bias. If you try to validate something, you will. It's easy, even when it's the wrong thing to build.

[@ananthvankipuram4012]

Sage advice also disseminated by Rob Fitzpatrick in his mom test book

[@rikvandenreijen]

How did this video not get more views? Great tips! Thanks guys.

[@nataliekostina128]

Guys, you`re so amazing! Thank you so much for this videos!

[@redpixierose]

Looking good, you guys. I'm totally stealing this for a workshop pre-Startup Weekend Sheffield

[@santiherrero5912]

Excellent video, very helpful. Thank you very much from Venezuela

[@Psych2go]

How did companies like Buzzfeed go about doing customer discovery to grow as big as they are today?

[@madphill]

Very well done!

[@fredsargenesis]

I was surprised to hear such unconventional good advices from a team of youngsters... Really good and interesting.

[@sophymcnamara7126]

Great vid, thank you!

[@calvinfuhriman449]

I enjoyed the burp at 6:47. lol.

[@erykobzejta821]

I wonder if it was the meatball sandwich or the starbucks muffin

[@Greatblakhoosh]

@@erykobzejta821 definitely the meatball sandwich

[@LukeAvedon]

Good stuff!

[@erykobzejta821]

I feel seeing a full customer interview would really help me see how to utilize Customer Interviews properly (within Steve Blank's methodology)... can anyone point me to any good resources?

[@FaJeCliP]

Hi! Really great video! What are the best books on the subject of costumer interviews?

[@Synneeriksen96]

HAH I feel attacked by the diet question :´) but this was really usefull!

[@AmericasComic]

*WHERE CAN I BUY THIS DOG SHAMPOO!!!!!*

[@aboidrees]

someone belch at the end of the video 06:46 😂😂😂😂

[@ViaanseboyMike]

Did someone behind the camera burped at 06:48? 😆