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Customer Development Interviews

entrepreneurship · medium · 45 minutes per interview, 2-3 weeks for a full round

What is Customer Development Interviews?

Steve Blank's methodology for getting out of the building and talking to real customers before writing code. Structured interviews uncover actual pain points, existing solutions, and willingness to pay. The foundation of the entire lean startup movement.

Is there evidence for it?

EVIDENCEstrong

How do you do Customer Development Interviews?

  1. 1.Identify your target customer segment and find 15-20 people to interview (LinkedIn, communities, warm intros)
  2. 2.Prepare open-ended questions: What's the hardest part about [problem]? How do you solve it today? What have you tried?
  3. 3.Never pitch your solution — only listen and probe deeper with 'Tell me more about that'
  4. 4.After each batch of 5 interviews, look for patterns in language, pain intensity, and current spending
  5. 5.Use insights to refine your value proposition and test whether the problem is worth solving

How long does it take?

45 minutes per interview, 2-3 weeks for a full round.

Is it hard to start?

medium.

Source: Steve Blank — The Four Steps to the Epiphany (2005)
customer-discovery · validation · interviews · startup · product
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