Marketers: Stop making excuses, get out and talk to customers.
It’s not uncommon to hear about some marketers shying away from customer interviews. They’re nervous, they’re shy, they feel they’ll look stupid.
“Why would they want to speak with me, when they’ve been used to speaking with the CEO?”
“I don’t need to speak with customers, I know what they want”
Uh-oh, red flag alert.
A few years ago, I worked in a startup that was looking to scale. To save time, the management team made assumptions about the customer: what their motivations were, how long it would take them to make a sale, what we’d need to do to increase the average sale.
These assumptions were then used as the basis for copy on landing pages, pricing strategy, advertising channels. Decisions were made based on gut instinct. They were confident that, because they’d got the business to a point it was billing £XXX, they were best placed to guide things.
It was hardly surprising then, that after a few months, things weren't converting. Response rates dropped off, existing customers were being neglected.
It turns out, a lot of money was spent confirming what wasn’t important to our customers.
You have to be comfortable with talking to customers.
I remember my first customer interview; it was scary. I went red, I over-prepared, it just wasn’t natural. I was so worried about it going well, I didn’t really get the info needed to feedback.
The source of this anxiety was twofold:
One: I didn’t quite understand what the aim of the call was in relation to what stage the business was operating. How do I know if I’m asking the right questions?
Two: I thought I’d sound daft, unprofessional… stupid. They were used to speaking with the CEO. They’re super busy. Why would they help little ol’ me in marketing?!
The marketers and founders who actually get out, leave their comfort zone and talk to customers really are the ones who’ll be successful.
And, if you’re the marketer who is shying away from having these conversations and who are reluctant to speak with a customer - sorry, but it’s time to get over it.
Interviewing customers is a skill you’re going to need if you ever want to be any good at your job.
Okay, rant over.
How do I start interviewing customers, then? You need the right mindset going in.
Different stages of startup growth require different customer interview questions.
For example: the first stage in a startup is customer discovery.
Here, the aim is to turn the founder’s idea into facts you can do something with. What you’re looking to uncover is whether there really is a need / problem that a business could solve. The questions you’ll ask in this particular phase will be very different to those you’d ask in the validation phase.
Things you need to know before starting a customer interview.
You’ve got to be strong. There’s a chance that you’re going to have to tell your boss there’s a chance there’s no need / problem worth solving.
You’ve got to be naturally inquisitive, happy to see where the customer interviews take you. You may need to challenge assumptions that an established team has been working on already.
Why this is important:
A company may make up a problem. They don’t realise they’re doing it. They’ll tell a good story. Problem is, if potential customers fail to identify with the problem and won’t consider paying for solve it, then it ain’t going to work.
Just because your founding team is experienced in market [x], it doesn’t necessarily make them an expert. Your aim is to prove or disprove a lot of the assumptions into cold, hard facts.
Ways to feel more confident when starting with customer development:
I get it’s easy for me to say, ‘hey! It’s a mindset thing!’. You want ways to prepare and build that confidence. Here’s a list of things that helped (and continues to help me).
Segment your customers
Draw up a list of customers, potential customers, trial customers who didn’t renew, customers you think definitely are not a fit. You’ll get insights into different segments as well as what’s important at various stages of the buying cycle.Pick people who’ll enjoy talking to you, and have tried to fix the thing your startup is going to potentially solve
These are your early adopters; the biggest supporters of your business idea. They’re the ones who actively have the problem you’re looking to solve, and have probably tried to fix it themselves. These people are usually invested in your business and the founders’ vision, and may love the chance to share their ideas on the subject. You’re never an inconvenience to these people. They want you to do well.Frame the interview so they know what to expect
I tend to send an email with the questions I am looking to ask. This gives your interviewee time to think about their answers. I also state at the beginning what it is I am looking to get from the interview, that everything is private and how long the call will be.
There are many other tips, such as how to warm up the conversation, ask open questions and how to use the insights you collect. Feel free to add your own below.
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