customer development: how to find customers to interview = 14 best ways
DESCRIPTION
From my cust dev video course: http://bit.ly/1bQW22WTRANSCRIPT
How to Find Customers to InterviewMike Fishbein, www.mfishbein.com
Why
You might have the best new product idea in the world, but until you find customers, it’s not actually a business.
If you can’t find customers before you have a product, what will you do when you have a product?
WhoWho is most strongly affected by the problem you’re solving?
Who would absolutely LOVE this product/service?
Create a profile
Name someone specifically
How
Go where they go, online and offline
Most not scalable, sustainable, profitable
Test your riskiest assumption first
LinkedIn Groups
Roles, industries, interests, etc.
People you know “Hi [their name],
Hope all is well! I'm looking for feedback on a potential product to help with [problem or process]. Given your experience, it would be great to get your feedback.
I don't have a product to sell (yet)...I’m just trying to determine if it's a problem worth solving in the first place.
Could I buy you a coffee next week to ask you a few questions and get your feedback?
Thanks,
[your name]”
ReferralsYour network
People you’ve interviewed
“Do you know anyone else who might have this problem that you would feel comfortable introducing me to so I could conduct a similar interview?”
Find people on Facebook or Linkedin and asked shared connections
Cold Outreach
Get specificFind their contact information“Hi [their name],
I’m Mike [link to page with my bio]. I'm looking for feedback on a potential product to help with [problem or process]. I came across your LinkedIn profile and it looks like you have a lot of experience with [problem or process], so I was hoping to get your feedback.
I don't have a product to sell (yet)...I’m just trying to determine if it's a problem worth solving in the first place.
Could I ask you a few questions and get your feedback over a fifteen minute phone call?
Thanks,
[your name]”
Meetup.com
Go to eventsReach out to organizersPost on message board
Conferences and Events
Especially if enterprise
Craigslist
Respond to postsCreate posts
Hashtags, phrases
Search
Groups
Ads
Blog
Create relevant and valuable content
Can be sustainable customer acquisition
Can be your MVP
Offline Paper Handouts
Coffee shops, gyms, streets, etc
Kickstarter
Large user base
Validation and $
Hit the streets
Neighborhoods
Stores
Events
Quora
Reviews
Relevant questionsReach out
To Learn More About Cust Dev...
Video CourseUdemy (http://bit.ly/1bQW22W)
My Book Amazon (http://amzn.to/1cusVFt)
Questions?www.twitter.com/mfishbein
Good luck validating!