The 7-question customer interview: learn instead of reassuring yourself

A badly run customer interview mostly reassures you: the customer is polite, says it's good, and you leave happy with nothing new. A good interview is about past facts, not opinions.

Before the interview

Twenty minutes, on video or by phone. Say you're there to learn, not to sell. And talk as little as possible.

The 7 questions

1. 1"What was happening right before you tried us?" The real trigger of the purchase.
2. 2"What had you tried before?" Your real competitors, often a spreadsheet or nothing at all.
3. 3"What almost made you give up?" The objections to address on your homepage.
4. 4"What concrete result did you get?" With a number if possible: that's your future testimonial.
5. 5"What do you use most, and least?" What has value, what gets in the way.
6. 6"If the product disappeared tomorrow, what would you do?" It measures your real place in their week.
7. 7"Who would you tell about it?" Your next customer, described by your current one.

During the interview

• Ask for examples: "When was the last time that happened?"
• Let silences sit. The most useful sentence often comes right after.
• Write down the customer's exact words: they're the words of your next sales page.

Afterwards

Reread your notes within the hour. Write down one thing to change. After five interviews, the same answers come back: that's the sign you've understood.

The number to track

Interviews per month. Two a month is enough to never lose touch with what makes your customers pay.