I used to open customer calls with a five-minute explanation of what I was building. Then I'd ask whether the person liked the idea. They would say “yeah, totally,” and I'd leave with a warm feeling and no useful information.
The fix was not a better pitch. I needed to listen to the person's recent experience before I showed up with my theory.
Make the invitation easy to understand
Tell people why you're asking, how long the conversation will take, and whether you're selling anything. “I'm researching how independent consultants handle client follow-up. Could I ask about your current process for 20 minutes? I'm not going to pitch you.” is a straightforward invitation.
If you offer a gift card or thank-you, make it modest and clear. Never make payment conditional on a positive opinion. Ask permission before recording. If you plan to share a quote, explain that separately and let the person review how it will appear.
Recruit people who have experienced the problem, not only friends who want to support you. Friends can be useful, but their kindness may make it harder to hear a no. A targeted community, existing customer referral, or local professional group can bring more relevant context.
Ask about a recent moment
Start with a specific event: “Tell me about the last time you had to remind a client about an invoice.” Then use calm follow-ups: “What happened next?” “What did you try?” “Who else was involved?” “How often does this come up?”
Avoid questions that invite a guess about your future product. “Would you use an app that does this?” asks someone to predict behavior without a cost. Ask what they do today and what they already pay in time or money. If they have a workaround, ask why they chose it and what they wish were different.
Listen for the workarounds
Workarounds are clues. A spreadsheet, calendar reminder, sticky note, VA, saved email, or screenshot might show that the problem matters enough to solve—but not necessarily that another app is the answer. Ask what makes the workaround useful and what breaks when it gets busy.
Pay attention to concrete details: number of steps, deadlines, people involved, mistakes, frequency, and consequences. “It's annoying” is less actionable than “I spend an hour every Friday copying three lists because the latest version is in a different inbox.”
Take notes on the customer's words, not your interpretation. You can add a separate section for your hypothesis after the call. Keeping those apart helps you notice when the evidence does not support the story you wanted to hear.
Resist the urge to defend the idea
If someone says they already solved it, ask how. If they say the problem is rare, ask when it last came up. If they say your idea seems cool, ask what they would do next if you stopped working on it. Stay curious even when the answer hurts a little.
Don't ask for roadmap approval. The interview is not a vote. You're trying to understand context well enough to decide what to test. A product idea can be wrong and still lead you to a more valuable problem.
End with a useful next step
Ask whether you can follow up if you build a small test, and what outcome they would want to see. If they offer an introduction, thank them and let them make the connection. Don't sneakily add the person to a marketing list.
After the call, write a short summary the same day: the job, the last example, current workaround, friction, exact phrases, and your next question. Review several summaries together before changing the product. One vivid conversation can be memorable without representing everyone.
A low-pressure question list
- Tell me about the last time this happened.
- What did you try first?
- What was the hardest part of getting it done?
- How often does that situation come up?
- What happens if you leave it alone?
- What would you want me to show you next time?
Good customer research feels less like persuading someone and more like understanding a Tuesday they already lived through. Bring a question, listen for the work, and let the evidence be allowed to change your mind.
Ask for a story, not a verdict
“Would you use this?” invites a polite yes and gives you almost nothing to build from. Ask the person to walk you through the last time the problem came up: what happened first, which tools they opened, who else was involved, and what they did when the usual process failed. Concrete memories reveal frequency and stakes better than guesses about a hypothetical product.
Listen for workarounds. A spreadsheet with six tabs, a reminder sent to a coworker, or a second copy of the same data may point to a real cost. Ask what happens if they leave the problem alone for a week. If the answer is “nothing,” your product may not be urgent for this audience.
End by checking your understanding and asking whether you can follow up if you test a solution. Don't turn the call into a stealth pitch. If the person asks to see the product, show it after you have heard their current workflow. Curiosity builds better discovery than a rehearsed feature tour.
asking what they did last time is so much better than 'would you use this'
how do you recruit ppl if you dont have an audience yet?