Customer discovery is the iterative discovery process between entrepreneurs and customers to validate an idea or to understand a problem area better. Gathering feedback through customer interviews is a critical step often either not done correctly or not done at all. Help these 10 simple tips help you in your customer discovery journey

1. How to talk to customers
My top 10 tips

2. 1. Starting position
Before you start, have a few starting
assumptions. Try to phase them as
“falsable statement” (e.g. “Tigers have the
largest roar on land ”) and prove if its true
or false and learn why.

3. 2. Stop pitching.
That’s right - you are not conducting a ”pitch”
rather you are conducting an interview to
validate and learn. Your in a fact searching for
answers, not selling.

4. 3. Problem first.
Before you talk about your idea with
customers, make sure you get a boarder view.
At least initially, try to focus on “the why”
and, the problems they are facing rather than
your proposed solution, this way you can
discover other opportunities you’d never
consider.

5. 4. Script it.
Create a script to ensure
consistency and repeatability
in the delivery of your
engagement. This will also
help not bias your approach.
Be open to refine it as you go.
I often use my first few
interviews as a way to “draft
up” my script.

6. 5. Extreme users.
Be picky about who you talk to.
Conducting interviews can be costly. It
takes time to find, book, attend and have
the session so you want to make it worth
your while. Typically I look for those that
feel the pain the most. I often called these
the "extreme users" coined from the guys
at IDEO.

7. 6. Validate learning
During the interview you are trying to determine
whether the problem exist? How do they solve it
today? How big of a problem is it? You also want to
know who else has this problem or who else you can
talk to?

8. 7. Partner up!
Have someone with you.
Typically one asks the
questions, while the other
notes down the key points
as well as list any
questions.
I often suggest
at the end, ask
your
partner
if
they have
any
questions.

9. 9. Silent
moments.
During your
interview, don't try to "fill
in those silence moments"
with more questions.
After you ask a
question, be silent and
just listen.

10. 9. Be consistent.
Remember to use a constant tone and
mannerism. You don't want to bias the
results by introducing your approval on
certain answers or disinterest in others.

11. 10. Record quickly.
After you have done your interviews (and you
starting to get repeated answers from your
customers); that's when you know you have
reached a point to stop. Record your
thoughts, insight, ideas, pain points or
observations straight after.

12. www.frankichamaki.com