CUSTOMER

DISCOVERY
THE BASICS THAT GET YOU GOING

Based on ‘ The Customer Discovery’ video series by Steve Blank

WHAT TO TEST?
First the problem, then the solution
Hypotheses about:
• Customer archetype (detailed)
• What could be a good MVP?
• What are the needs?
• Insights in the BMC blocks

 Tons of interactions, fast-paced

DEATH BY POWERPOINT / DEMO
Powerpoint / demo:
• You talk, customer listens
• No information gathering
• Not 100%-fit  time loss for customer
• Time-intensive
DEATH BY POWERPOINT / DEMO
Instead:
• You listen, customer talks
• Gather lots of information

Flexible subjects (but prepare!)

Can be short
Customer archetype insights
DEATH BY POWERPOINT / DEMO
Demo / MVP / project description possible:
• In customer VALIDATION phase
• On customer request
• More feedback about product
• No ‘sell’-alarm triggered
TYPES OF QUESTIONS
Did I understand correctly that …
Would something like X help you with Y?
What question should I have asked you?
Open-ended
Walkthroughs / descriptions
Try not to bias
PRODUCT – MARKET FIT
= holy grail!

Dilating pupils
Changing attitude
Breathing
Intonation
Is this for sale? Can we use this already?
WAW, that would be great and help us a lot!
MULTIPLE PEOPLE INTERVIEWING
Decide the roles! Prepare!

Who is going to write?

Who is going to ask questions?
What is our goal?
Don’t interrupt!
Ask for extra input
Decide on signs
PUBLIC INTERVIEWS
Student doing research for school  works!
50% chance of success
1 – 2 questions / 3 minutes
May last longer, but don’t overstay!
Lots of short conversations
CUSTOMER EMPATHY
Empathize with the customer
Understand your customer
Don’t act like a know-it-all

• more insights
• better understandings
• respect from customer  more opportunities
THE OTHER 85%
Why are they different?
Why are there any outliers?
Other needs? Other business opportunities?
Spend equal amount on buy-in as buy-out

15%
UNDERSTAND THE SALES PROCESS
Who is your user?
Your buyer?
Your saboteur?
Your recommender?
B2B often complex sales process
Impacts business viability!
EXISTING VS NEW MARKETS
EXISTING MARKET NEW MARKET

Customers know what they More difficult customer

need discovery process
Competitors / alternatives More focus on customer
Comparison possible archetype than product

Feature requests / Deep knowledge of customer

improvements behavior needed
‘Day in the life’ and
walkthroughs
THE INTERVIEW

Pre- Analysis
Interview
planning & insights
PRE-PLANNING
Create a list of 100 names in your customer segment
Aim for middle management
No surveys! Only face-to-face, Skype, Hangout or calls
Be ‘aggressive’
PRE-PLANNING
Make appointment:
Call after 5 PM (no secretary)
‘Since you know this sector the best, we would like some
feedback from you’
Ask 20 minutes, get 30
Stress their importance to you
Namedropping (if VC / incubator)
Informal location
PRE-PLANNING
Preparation:
Do dry-runs
Design pass / fail tests
Think about open-ended questions
THE ACTUAL INTERVIEW
Introduce yourself
Set the expectations right (learning, no selling)
Stress that they are important to you
Let conversation flow
Take picture of company / person
THE ACTUAL INTERVIEW
Keep a relaxed tone
No business card
Record the interview (ask first)
Take notes
Listen and enjoy
BACK IN THE BUILDING
What is the meaning of this data?
Did the hypothesis fail / succeeded?
Communicate the learnings!
• Write a blog / report
• Talk to the team (narrative)
• Be open to ideas from within
• Keep communicating
WHEN ARE YOU DONE?
You see a pattern
It becomes predictable
You keep hearing the same thing

Hypothesis failed? => Pivot

Hypothesis succeeded? => Move to next hypothesis
Product-market fit? => Move to customer validation
PIVOTING
Not everything requires a pivot
Don’t pivot too quickly
Think about it for 72 hours
Start the process all over again (but keep the learnings)