Customer Interviews

The fastest way to avoid building the wrong thing is to talk to people before you build it. Not to pitch them — to understand their problem.

Rules that keep you honest

• Ask about the past, not the future. “The last time this happened, what did you do?” beats “Would you use this?”
• Do not mention your idea until the end, if at all. The moment you pitch, people start being nice instead of honest.
• Shut up and listen. Aim for them talking 80% of the time.
• Ask why, then why again. The first answer is rarely the real one.
• No leading questions. If they can guess the answer you want, you have ruined the interview.

Who to talk to in Central Alberta

Your existing network first, then one step out. Local business owners are remarkably generous with their time if you are genuinely curious and not pitching. Chamber events, your meetups, your suppliers and your neighbours are all fair game.

What good looks like

After ten conversations you should be able to finish these sentences without guessing: “The person who has this problem is ___”, “It costs them ___”, and “Today they solve it by ___”. If you cannot, you need more interviews, not more product.

Do this next in Central Alberta

• Red Deer Start Here — find people willing to talk
• Community Futures Central Alberta — coaching on turning interviews into a plan

Take the next step

Reading is cheap; doing one small thing and talking it through with someone is what moves it forward. Come to a meetup and bring whatever you are stuck on. No pitch, no sign-up, no sales — peers over beers.