Learning the language of Customer Development conversations that lead to actionable facts.

1. How To Speak
CustDev
A Founder Centric Module

2. One day...
One day...
A customer wakes up, turns on their
computer, logs in to their email using a new
program they use and love.
Their free trial is over. The site asks them to
pay. They say no.
Why?
www.foundercentric.com

3. Image by wstryder

4. Image by wstryder

5. 2 stages of learning
Learn
Confirm

6. 2 stages of learning
Observe
Experiment

7. 2 stages of learning
Collect
Analyse

8. Do we
understand
them?
Does anyone
care at all?

9. Do we
understand
them?
Are we building
the right
product?
Does anyone
care at all?
Will anyone
pay for it?

12. “The best designers carefully
move from exploration to
refinement, making sure they
spend enough time exploring
before locking themselves into
a design approach.”
Jared Spool

13. Question
How much of what
you believe about
your customers is
wrong?

14. C
ER
EX
aka. How To Be Wrong
aka. How To Bring Yourself The Bad News
Sooner
E
IS
Cust Dev
Compass

15. Always Know
Your Big 3.

17. Tweetable Text
How do authors pre-build their customer list?
How do authors test copy and learn about their
readers?
How do authors prioritise their time when
writing?

18. Leancamp
What awareness channels can we partner with?
What do people learn at Leancamp that they
apply?
What do famous thought-leaders get out of
conferences?

19. Establishing
Credibility

20. Credibility
Setup
“I’m researching
how teachers
deal with...”

21. Lying
bastards.
Everyone will tell you what you want to hear,
especially if you want to hear it.

22. Dear son,
You are the best and
your idea is awesome.
You should do it - I will
buy one.
Your Mom

23. Getting
actionable
facts.

24. Pricing, tricks,
advisors, politics,
introductions
Only available in pre-product conversations!

25. Rule Of Thumb
Talk about their
life, not your
idea.

26. Softball
Questions
Get them comfortable talking.

27. Softball Questions
How’s it going
with... ?

28. Signals
?
Job
Obstacle
Goal
Current
Solution
:(
:|
:)
Person
Excited
Remiss
Upset
Decision
Trigger
#
Measurement
Interest
Trigger

29. Recording
The Right
Stuff.
Their words - not yours!
One phrase per card.
Pair up. One interviewer, one notetaker.

30. Anchor
Questions
To explore a signal.

31. Anchor
Question
Interesting. Tell
me more about
that.

32. Anchor
Question
Can you help me
understand... ?

33. Rule Of Thumb
Direct the conversation
to specific, past
events, not general,
current or future.

34. Deflection
Questions
To bring the conversation back to actionable
information.

35. Question
I’d love to tell you more,
but it’ll help if I can
understand you better
first. What where you
saying about... ?

36. The Mom
Test
Past, Facts, Specifics

37. Question
Arsenal
Softball, Anchor, Deflection

38. Good or bad questions?

39. ❝Would you buy a
product which
solved this problem?
❞

40. ❝Would you buy a
product which
solved this problem?
❞

41. ❝How do you
currently deal with
this problem?
❞

42. ❝How do you
currently deal with
this problem?
❞

43. ❝How have you
dealt with this
problem?
❞

44. ❝
When does this
problem pop up?
❞

45. ❝
When does this
problem pop up?
❞

46. ❝When’s the last
time that
happened?
❞

47. ❝What makes this
time-consuming or
go off-track?
❞

48. ❝What makes this
time-consuming or
go off-track?
❞

49. ❝Has this ever been more
time-consuming than
normal or gone off-track?
❞

50. ❝
Please show
me how you...
❞

51. ❝
Please show
me how you...
❞

52. ❝
Please tell me how
you ...
❞

53. ❝
Please tell me how
you ...
❞

54. ❝Talk me through the
last time you had
this problem.
❞

55. ❝Talk me through the
last time you had
this problem.
❞

56. ❝
What did you try
to do about it?
❞

57. ❝
What did you try
to do about it?
❞

58. ❝
How much would
you pay for this?
❞

59. ❝
How much would
you pay for this?
❞

60. ❝How much money
does this problem
cost you?
❞

61. ❝How much money
does this problem
cost you?
❞

62. ❝How much money
has this problem
cost you?
❞

63. ❝
What’s your
budget?
❞

64. ❝
What’s your
budget?
❞

65. ❝
Can I ask
why?
❞

66. ❝
Can I ask
why?
❞

67. ❝What would need to happen
before you could really start
using it?
❞

68. ❝What would need to happen
before you could really start
using it?
❞

69. ❝Ever had any problems or
delays getting something like
this going?
❞

70. ❝
Who else should I
talk to?
❞

71. ❝
Who else should I
talk to?
❞

72. Compliments Are
Not Signals.

73. ❝
Sounds great. I
love it!
❞

74. ❝
Sounds great. I
love it!
❞

75. ❝Brilliant -- let me
know when it
launches!
❞

76. ❝Brilliant -- let me
know when it
launches!
❞

77. Compliment?
Stalling tactic?
They don’t care. :(

78. ❝There are a couple
people I can intro you to,
when you’re ready.
❞

79. ❝There are a couple
people I can intro you to,
when you’re ready.
❞

80. Partial commitment?

81. Validate by going for
full commitment.

82. ❝
I would definitely
buy that!
❞

83. !
R
E
G
N
A
D
❝
I would definitely
buy that!
❞
Your Mom

84. Rule Of Thumb
Advancement to
the next step is a
signal you are ready
to Confirm.

85. Advancement
Permission to contact again
Clear next meeting
Introductions
Commitment to run a trial
Pre-purchase

86. Facts
Commitment

87. 2 stages of learning
Collect
Analyse

88. 2 stages of learning
Learn
Confirm

89. Thx!
Salim Virani @saintsal
salim@foundercentric.com