I gave this talk at the Lean Startup Machine bootcamp in April in NYC. Great audience, great engagement - sadly I was felled by allergies and missed the rest of the weekend! Nevertheless, thanks to those who asked great questions and gave great feedback.

1. HOW TO TALK TO REAL PEOPLE ABOUT
ABSTRACT STUFF
Lean Startup Machine, April 27, 2012 @farrahbostic, The Difference Engine

3. LET’S JUST BUILD IT.

4. “I’M THE EXPERT.”

5. “THEY’LL NEVER SEE THE MAGIC IN THIS.”

6. “THE USER HAS BEEN TRAINED TO...”

8. LISTENING IS HARD.

9. NOT “WHO SHOULD YOU ASK?”
WHO SHOULD YOU LISTEN TO.

10. IT’S EASY TO FALL INTO THE USUAL TRAPS
The veil has been lifted on ‘segments’ and ‘targeting’ and
‘market research.’
You’ve heard these terms - and you’re pretty sure you know
what they mean.
And you might even think that because people get paid to
think about this stuff all the time, that they’re legit.

11. SEGMENTS
Segments are distinct subsets of your customer base.
But you don’t have a customer base yet.
So you have to imagine customers.
And then try to find real people that are like your imaginary
customers.

12. BE SPECIFIC.
It’s tempting to segment by ‘customers v. prospects’.
All you have tonight are prospects.
You might have some idea that it’s
‘early adopters v. mass market’ or ‘avid v. casual users’...
(but that’s just code for, “we don’t know”)
“I don't write to the
crowd. I try to write from
Instead, imagine a specific person. one human being to another
Then imagine 4 or 5 more specific people. human being in the second
person singular.”
- David ogilvY

13. MAKE A LIST OF ATTRIBUTES...
What’s their job title? What gets in their way?
What kind of company do they work at? What keeps them up at night?
What industry are they in? What costs them time or money?
What would earn them a bonus? How do they solve this problem today?
How do they define themselves? How eager are they to solve the
problem?
What are they trying to do?
How much decision-making power do
they have?
http://www.cindyalvarez.com/lean/the-who-and-why-of-your-target-customer

14. YOU DON’T WANT TO TALK TO EVERYONE.
There isn’t time for all that.

15. NARROW IT DOWN TO ATTRIBUTES THAT MATTER
Some won’t matter at all.
Some attributes will matter because:
This kind of person is willing and able to experiment
This kind of person is able to make decisions without approval
This kind of person is willing to invest money in a solution
This kind of person is aware there is a problem
This kind of person doesn’t have an alternative solution
This kind of person is losing money or customers
because of the problem
http://www.cindyalvarez.com/lean/the-who-and-why-of-your-target-customer

16. “BUT IT’S EASIER TO JUST PUSH A SURVEY.”

17. GET OUT OF THE BUILDING.

18. DO WHAT, NOW?
Talk to people.
Not a lot. 5-10 (but you’ll need to make a list of 50 before you
start sending emails & making phone calls)
Not in a “facility” or a neutral environment - try to go to their
place/office/where they would buy or use stuff like you want
to make.
Not the perfect ‘respondent.’

19. BE NICE AND LISTEN.
http://giffconstable.com/2010/07/12-tips-for-early-customer-development-interviews/

20. DON’T WASTE TIME REPEATING YOURSELF.
After 3 people, prioritize your top 3 issues or questions.
After 5 people, start asking new questions.
This isn’t about approval, or getting them to say they ‘like’ it.
It’s about learning what to do next.

21. WHAT SHOULD YOU ASK?
How is your customer currently dealing with this task/problem?
What do they like about their current solution/process?
Is there some other solution/process you’ve tried in the past that was better or worse?
What do they wish they could do that currently isn’t possible or practical?
If they could do [answer to the above question], how would that make their lives better?
Who is involved with this solution/process? How long does it take?
What is their state of mind when doing this task? How busy/hurried/stressed/bored/frustrated?
What are they doing immediately before and after their current solution/process?
How much time or money would they be willing to invest in a solution that made their lives easier?
http://www.cindyalvarez.com/communication/customer-development-interviews-how-to-what-you-should-be-learning

22. WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THAT INFORMATION?
Be honest:
Are these really your customers?
Is their problem really painful, or their desire really strong?
Does it even exist?
Are they really making decisions the way you thought?
What do you need to change?

23. THIS ISN’T (USUALLY) THE TIME FOR PIVOTS.
Talk to your team.
Do you need to seek other customers that are a better fit?
Do you need to rethink
your positioning?
What would you have to
change to create value?
Is it possible to give people
what they want?
Do you need to do
something else?
* You shouldn’t pivot before you’ve even iterated, duh.

24. THEN WHAT? “It isn’t iterative if you
only do it once.”
DO IT AGAIN. - one of the
madebymany guys

25. THEN WHAT? “It isn’t iterative if you
only do it once.”
DO IT AGAIN. - one of the
madebymany guys
Learn

26. THEN WHAT? “It isn’t iterative if you
only do it once.”
DO IT AGAIN. - one of the
madebymany guys
Learn
Build

27. THEN WHAT? “It isn’t iterative if you
only do it once.”
DO IT AGAIN. - one of the
madebymany guys
Learn
Measure
Build