LaunchWeekend. How to conduct problem interviews and reach Customer-Problem fit.

1. LAUNCH YOUR BUSINESS BY APPLYING LEAN,
EFFECTUATION AND STARTUP SCIENCE

2. INTRODUCTION
FRIDAY 18:00 TO 18:30

3. WHO WE ARE?

4. WHAT IS LAUNCHWEEKEND?
A workshop to help you start a
successful company
Very
Unlikely
Very
Likely
Even
chance

5. HOW?
Help you find a plan that will work
Average plan Awesome plan

6. NETWORKING GAME: HALF BAKED.COM
1. Entrepreneurs count off into team of 5
2. Audience selects 30 random words to use for a name
3. Each team selects 2 words to use for a name (example. Blank-blank.
com)
4. Each team has 5 minutes to create a business plan
5. The business plan should consist of:
• A tagline
• A product or service (your solution)
• A business model (How do you make money)
• A go-to-market strategy (How do you get customers)
6. Each team has 2 mins to pitch their plan

7. HOW?
Help you find a plan that will work
Average plan Awesome plan

8. WHAT’S WRONG WITH MY PLAN?

9. WHAT’S WRONG WITH MY PLAN?

10. WHAT’S WRONG WITH MY PLAN?

11. WHAT’S WRONG WITH MY PLAN?

12. WHAT’S WRONG WITH MY PLAN?
33% 66%
Source: Bhide (2000)
No!
Yes!

13. 97%
entrepreneurs that attend our training significantly
changed their business model, for the better.

14. WHAT IS A GREAT PLAN?
The only thing that matters is product/market fit
- Marc Andreessen

15. You can always feel product-market fit
when it’s happening.
- Marc Andreessen
• The customers are buying the product just as fast as you can make it –
• or usage is growing just as fast as you can add more servers.
• Money from customers is piling up in your company checking account.

19. You can always feel when product-market
isn’t happening.
- Marc Andreessen
• The customers aren't quite getting value out of the product,
• word of mouth isn't spreading,
• usage isn't growing that fast,
• press reviews are kind of "blah",
• the sales cycle takes too long,
• and lots of deals never close..

22. HOW DO YOU ENSURE YOUR PLAN WILL WORK?
vs.

23. THE OBJECTIVE FOR THE WORKSHOP
1. Customers with problem!
2. Attract customers to buy!
3. Customers keep buying!
4. Cost effective marketing
?

24. KAUFMANN PROVE IT VIDEO

25. Lean Startup is about discovery!!!
Be a little crazy. Try different ideas. Experiment.
Optimisation Discovery

26. OBJECTIVE
1 No. customers interviewed/surveyed/pitched
2 No. of experiments
3 Amount of learning

27. THE LAUNCH CANVAS
FIND A CUSTOMER
PROBLEM
PLAN
INTERVIEWS
CUSTOMERS
WILL BUY
CUSTOMERS
WILL KEEP BUYING
PLAN
PITCHES

28. HOW TO GET A PRODUCT-MARKET FIT? (AKA THE WEEKEND PLAN)
1. Customers with big problem!
2. Customers will buy!
3. Customers will keep buying!
4. Cost effective marketing
?

29. CUSTOMER-PROBLEM FIT
You have found a customer segment that
has a problem they will pay to have solved

30. SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES
BIG PROBLEM SIMPLE SOLUTION

31. SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES
CD PLAYER
JUMPS &
MISSION TO
CARRY CDS!
BIG PROBLEM SIMPLE SOLUTION

32. SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES
OVERSEAS
CALLS ARE
EXPENSIVE!
BIG PROBLEM SIMPLE SOLUTION

33. SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES
IT IS A
HEADACHE
GETTING A
TAXI!
BIG PROBLEM SIMPLE SOLUTION

34. SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES
PIZZA TOOK
FOREVER TO
ARRIVE!
BIG PROBLEM SIMPLE SOLUTION

35. ARE CUSTOMER INTERVIEWS USEFUL???

36. WARNING!!!
EXAMPLE: PUMODO. NOT FIND A BIG PROBLEM!!!

37. HOW DO YOU FIND CUSTOMERS PROBLEMS?
BIG PROBLEM PROBLEM INTERVIEWS
PROBLEM SURVEYS

38. STEP 1:
PLAN
YOUR
EXPERIMENT

39. CUSTOMER ASSUMPTION
• Be as specific as possible
• Target customers easy to reach
Describe
customer
segment

40. PROBLEM ASSUMPTION
Describe
customer
problem

41. EXPERIMENT
Describe
experiment

42. EXCITEMENT METRIC & BEHAVIOUR
Metric
i.e. 7 / 10
Behavior
i.e. Built a solution

43. STEP 2:
RUN
YOUR
EXPERIMENT

44. STEP 3:
RECORD
RESULTS
& INSIGHTS

45. RESULT & DECISION
Metric
i.e. 7 / 10
Decision
i.e. Pivot, proceed
or iterate

46. INSIGHT & LEARNINGS
Write up any
new insights

48. Campus
parkers
Can’t find
parking
Interview
customers
100 /200
Have
problem
150 /200
PIVOT
Event
parking is a
bigger pain
Event
Parkers
Can’t find
parking
Interview
customers
7 /10
Searched
for
10 / 10
PROCEED
Home
Owners
Extra
space for
parking
Interviews
20 / 30
Will
Partner
20 / 30
PIVOT
Homes
hard to
scale

49. Mass
Market
Problem
buying
consumables
Interview
customers
15/20
Searched
0/20
Searched
PIVOT
Problem
with
delivery
Mass
Market
Missed
deliveries
Interviews
7/10
Have
problem
3/10
Have
problem
ITERATE
Online
shoppers
that are
corporate
employees
Courier
Company
Missed
deliveries
Interviews
3/5 Have
problem
4/5
Have
searched
PROCEED
Large cost
to courier
companies

50. PLAN PROBLEM EXPERIMENT (10 MINS)
What if I already have a
product or solution?

51. HOW TO CONDUCT A PROBLEM INTERVIEW
INTRODUCE
INDICATORS
INTERVIEW
INTRODUCTIONS
Reminder: 4Is

52. HOW TO CONDUCT A PROBLEM INTERVIEW
INTRODUCE yourself
i.e. My name is [name] I am doing market research for a startup and want
to solve your problems and make your life better.
Check customer INDICATORS
i.e. Ask questions to test if they are in your target market.
Conduct INTERVIEW
i.e. Ask Problem, Competition and Spend questions
Ask for INTRODUCTIONS
i.e. Ask for introductions to friends and colleagues.
Reminder: 4Is

53. WHAT QUESTIONS TO ASK? (PCS)
PROBLEM
COMPETITION
SWITCH/SPEND
SOLUTION

54. WHAT QUESTIONS TO ASK? (PCS)
PROBLEM
What problems did you encounter when
(describe goal or task they are trying to achieve)?
COMPETITION
How do you currently solve the problem? Likes? Dislikes?
SPEND
Have you spent any money or time trying to solve (describe problem)?

55. PROBLEM INTERVIEW DEMONSTRATION
PROBLEM:
What problems did you encounter when
(describe the goal or task they are trying to achieve)?
COMPETITION:
How do you currently solve the problem?
Likes? Dislikes?
SPEND:
Have you spent any money or time trying to solve
(repeat back the problem discovered with the first question)?

56. PROBLEM INTERVIEW PRACTICE
PROBLEM:
What problems did you encounter when
(describe the goal or task they are trying to achieve)?
COMPETITION:
How do you currently solve the problem?
Likes? Dislikes?
SPEND:
Have you spent any money or time trying to solve
(repeat back the problem discovered with the first question)?

57. CREATE INTERVIEW SCRIPT:
Introduction
script
Problem
question
Competition
question
Spend
question

58. CREATE CUSTOMER INTERVIEW PLAN:
Put together a plan to speak to at least 20 customers tomorrow
morning:
1. Friends and family (Facebook, Linkedin, Email, Cell phone)
2. Shopping malls
3. Bored people (Waiting in lines, Gautrain, Bus stops, Taxi ranks)
4. Cold calling (LinkedIn, Facebook, Google)
5. Lead Generation (Landing Page, OLX, GumTree, Google Ads,
Facebook Ads)
6. Public spaces (Events, Parks, conferences)

59. SESSION TO DO LIST
• Write problem interview script
• Practice a problem interview
• Create a plan to talk to customers tomorrow morning