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Discovery · Understand the problem
How to Talk to Potential Customers
Have useful talks with people, without selling to them or pushing them toward the answer you want.
- Workbook
- 8 pages
- Google Docs · Word · PDF
Making this yourself would take about 8 hours: working out the steps, writing the examples and setting it up in Google, Microsoft and PDF. It's done for you.
The voice in this video is George's, made with AI.
What it's for
You're about to talk to people who may have the problem, and you want those talks to teach you something. Use it before your first conversation.
Pairs well with
- Customer Conversation Notes (write up each talk)
- Conversation Tracker (keep track of who you talked to and when)
What you'll leave with
- A natural opening and three questions you can actually use.
- A simple way to turn vague answers into real examples.
- A quick way to tell a strong answer from a weak one.
- A five-minute look back after each talk, and one habit to get better at.
- An Interview Card you can take into every talk.
Look inside
How to use it
Work through the steps in order. Each one has a worked example and space to write your own answer.
- Decide What You Want to LearnWrite what you hope to find out, and leave room to be surprised.
- Open the ConversationPractice saying just enough to start, then letting their real experience lead.
- Turn Vague Answers Into Real ExamplesLearn the follow-up questions that get to "the last time it happened."
- Tell Strong Answers From Weak OnesSee which answers deserve weight, with an example conversation.
- Recover From Awkward MomentsRead what to do when it goes quiet or drifts into your idea.
- Debrief in Five MinutesRight after each talk, write what they said or did first, and what you think it means second.
- Tools That Help HereSee the free tools that help.
- Do It With AIUse the prompts to sharpen your questions before you ask them.
- Your Interview CardCopy this page and take it into every conversation.
Tips
- Don't pitch. You're learning what happens now, not asking if they'd buy.
- Don't keep rewording a question until they agree with you. Ask, listen, ask for more detail, write it down.
- Practice your opening on a friend first.
Three formats, one purchase
- Google DocsMake a copy in your Google Drive and type straight into it.
- Microsoft WordDownload and fill it in on your computer.
- PDFPrint it and fill it in with a pen.
Discovery pack
Also in the Discovery pack
5 documents in all
Is This a Real Problem?
Use what real people told you to decide if the problem is worth your time.
About 7 hours to make yourself
Customer Conversation Notes
Write down what people really said, and compare it across conversations.
About 7 hours to make yourself
How to Use AI to Create a Customer Avatar
Turn your real customer notes into an honest one-page profile.
About 10 hours to make yourself
Conversation Tracker
Keep track of who to talk to, when, and what you heard.
About 6 hours to make yourself
Ready to start?
Pay once, keep it, and download it as often as you like.