Frank Rimalovski, New York University, @rimalovski
While most entrepreneurs understand that “getting out of the building” is a core tenet of the Lean Startup, many still struggle to effectively conduct the kinds of interviews and experiments that will lead to the insights they seek (and need). In this hands on workshop, you’ll be guided through the process of securing, conducting and synthesizing early customer discovery interviews.
Falcon Invoice Discounting: Unlock Your Business Potential
Talking to Humans: Success Starts with Understanding your Customers
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Talking to Humans:
The Art of Customer Discovery
Frank Rimalovski
Executive Director, NYU Entrepreneurial Institute
Instructor, NSF I-Corps
November 17, 2015
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Customer Development
Test assumptions
about customer
needs/problem &
develop MVPs
Seek validation that
people are
interested in your
product/ solution
Begins to build
demand & improve
efficiency of
customer
acquisition
Drive growth
aggressively
& execute
business model
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Your job is not to
validate your product…
Your job is not to
validate your product…
It’s to validate the
problem and how best to
solve it?
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Customer Discovery
Apply the scientific method to
business model development
Modify
hypothesis
Observe
phenomena
Formulate
hypothesis
Test
hypothesis via
rigorous
experiments
Establish
theory based
on repeated
validation of
results
PIVOT!
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Create Valid Hypotheses
Hypotheses must be falsifiable
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“Our product will spread
through word of mouth.”
“our viral coefficient over the
next 12 months will be >0.5”
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Create Valid Hypotheses
Hypotheses must be falsifiable
Be specific (quantifiable)
You must avoid validation
Inverse hypothesis cannot be
ridiculous
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“people want to save money”
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Talk to Humans!
GOTB: The #1
lesson of this talk
In person is best
You must gain
insight into your
customer & market
You are doing pattern recognition…
Must have sufficient data points to see
2B. Story
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Meet People You Don’t Know
People you know will be nice and tell you
what you want to hear
Those interviews are possibly harmful
People you don’t know have no
relationship to protect…Only they will tell
you the truth
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What do you want to learn?
Do not sell! No demos! No presos!
You are there to learn!
Get stories, not speculation
Ask open-ended questions
Learn about their problems and how they solve
them today
Ask why? Then why? They why again!
Create a guide (not a script)
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Finding Interview Subjects
At least one degree of separation
Learn to love LinkedIn
Make referrals happen
Get creative…recruiting hacks
Fish where the fish are…
…In the wild
Promise to be brief
Enterprise customers are people too!
Play the student/researcher card
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Ensuring Effective Interviews
Beware of confirmation bias
Do it in person, one at a time
Get subjects to tell a story
Look for solution hacks
Understand their priorities
Follow your nose & drill down
Listen and STFU!
Have someone take notes
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Pro Tips
Practice, practice, practice
NO email, focus groups or surveys
Don’t start with your dream customer
Being an entrepreneur means being aggressive
& persistent
Flatter subjects
Be transparent
Follow up/stay in touch
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Your Last >$100 Purchase
1. Write description of item on top of page
2. Find a partner next to you & swap pages
3. Create interview guide: ~5 questions
Explain what you bought and why?
What was the process from desire to acquisition?
What other options/alternatives did you consider?
How did you decide to buy it? Who/what did you consult?
How did you decide where to buy it?
4. 5 minute interview…take notes
5. Switch
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Documenting Interviews
Assign someone to take notes
Write down key a-ha’s as they happen
Note questions that worked & use them
again!
Take pictures or videos!
Capture key insights
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Gaining Insight
Facts are interesting…Insights are your goal
Be honest…Don’t be too quick to validate or too
slow to disprove your hypothesis
Find the hidden motivations
Ask why? And why? Then why again?
Don’t fear picking the wrong market
Depth of understanding always leads to insight
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Learning Is Paramount
The knowledge you gain in customer
discovery is critical to the success or failure
of your business
>Half of your assumptions are wrong
You must not try to validate what you already
think or want to be true
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Pro Tips v2
Focus on actual behavior, not speculative or
abstract feelings
If they’ve made an MVP…ask to see it!
Listen, don’t talk
Parrot back or misrepresent to confirm
Ask for introductions
Write up your notes ASAP
Avoid premature conclusions