template

Customer Interview Script

10 proven questions to validate your idea with real customers

Takeaway

Ten questions. Five conversations. Write their words. That is the whole product.

Copy the questions into a doc. Record with permission or type like a court reporter. Do not 'improve' the script with leading questions. The Mom Test lesson is the why; this is the list.

What the template covers

The template isn't available to download yet. This is what it will cover.

10 open-ended discovery questions
Follow-up question framework
Interview note-taking template
Data synthesis worksheet
Insight extraction guide

The ten questions (use these)

These are already in the template preview. Here they are as a working list you can run today.

Q1. Tell me about the last time you experienced [problem]. Walk me through what happened.
Q2. How are you solving it now? What do you like and hate about that?
Q3. If you had a magic wand, what would 'solved' look like next Tuesday?
Q4. How much time or money does this cost you in a normal month?
Q5. What is the hardest part?
Q6. Why is that hard? (Ask 'why' until they hit a feeling or a dollar.)
Q7. What else have you tried? What failed?
Q8. How often does this show up?
Q9. Who else do you know who has this?
Q10. Only after stories: would you pay [price] for [specific outcome]? What would make that an easy yes?

Follow-ups that are allowed

'What happened next?' 'How did you decide?' 'Who else was in the room?' 'What did you pay?' Hypotheticals ('would you ever…') are not follow-ups. They are wishes.

After five calls

Cluster phrases. If the clusters disagree, you have two buyers — pick one. If they rhyme, you have copy and a problem statement. That is the insight worksheet. You do not need a paid 'synthesis OS.'

This week

1. Run two
Book them before you reread this page. Use Q1 first. Do not demo.

Preview

Sample Interview Questions

Q1: Tell me about the last time you experienced [problem]. Walk me through what happened. Q2: How are you currently solving this problem? What do you like/dislike about your current solution? Q3: If you had a magic wand and could solve this perfectly, what would that look like? Q4: How much time/money does this problem cost you each month? Q5: What is the hardest part about [problem]? Q6: Why is that hard? (The '5 Whys' technique) Q7: Have you tried other solutions? What failed? Q8: How often do you face this problem? Q9: Who else do you know has this problem? Q10: Would you be willing to pay [price] for [solution]?

Educational exit-planning material. Not legal, financial, tax, or investment advice. Talk to real buyers. When the stakes are formation, contracts, or money you cannot lose, talk to a licensed professional — not a webpage.

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The ten questions (use these)

These are already in the template preview. Here they are as a working list you can run today.

Q1. Tell me about the last time you experienced [problem]. Walk me through what happened.

Q2. How are you solving it now? What do you like and hate about that?

Q3. If you had a magic wand, what would 'solved' look like next Tuesday?

Q4. How much time or money does this cost you in a normal month?

Q5. What is the hardest part?

Q6. Why is that hard? (Ask 'why' until they hit a feeling or a dollar.)

Q7. What else have you tried? What failed?

Q8. How often does this show up?

Q9. Who else do you know who has this?

Q10. Only after stories: would you pay [price] for [specific outcome]? What would make that an easy yes?

Preview

Sample Interview Questions