This post is part of my summary of The Mom Test, a practical book for better customer conversations.
Questions are tools
In the context of customer conversations, every question we ask carries the very real possibility of biasing the person we’re talking to and rendering the whole exercise pointless.
It happens more than you’d ever imagine.
Bad customer conversations aren’t just useless. Worse, they convince you that you’re on the right path.
I give you an example.
My #1 mistake in evaluating business ideas
Let's say I've been planning a t-shirt line. Simple e-commerce play.
People will always need t-shirts, so it's more about channel fit and customer development. In other words, it's more Product than Market Risk.
Before this book, while networking and sharing ideas I'd lead with "I have this idea, what do you think about it??"
No. Mistake. Stop.
For Rob, this is "compliment chasing."
Good humans will tell you good things, the things you want to hear and believe. This is where Mom will lie about that horrible business idea.
What's the unbiased way to go about this?
With questions that obey The Mom Test
Good questions that obey The Mom Test
Those were added to the questions bible, still to be published..
Some examples given by Rob:
How do they currently solve X?
How much does it cost them to do so? And how much time does it take?
Talk me through the last time that happened.
Why do you bother?
What else have you tried?
How are you dealing with it now?
Where does the money come from?
Back to our example:
What was the last piece of clothing you got in your wardrobe?
Oh, a t-shirt? Why did you bother getting yet another one?
How often do you get new items?
Walk me through your shopping experience.
Easy as 1, 2, 3
No more leading with the idea, feature, or business model.
It's about asking to understand how the plan fits their lifestyle.
Trust the market
First, as experimenters, we know that only the market can tell if your idea is good. Everything else is just opinion.
Eight to 10 customer interviews that’s just, like…