Stop creating your product and start talking to people

I've seen it far too often: entrepreneurs create a product then sit back, waiting for people to buy. Spoiler alert—this approach never works.

I like to call it the "build it and they will come" fallacy, and it's just not realistic.

Some big-name entrepreneurs seem to pull this off, but it’s because they've spent years building a community of eager buyers. They have email lists, LinkedIn followings, Instagram fans who are all ready to pounce on their new product the moment it's released.

For the rest of us who don't have massive audiences, it's a different story. We have to build our community of eager buyers from scratch. But here’s where entrepreneurs get it wrong again. They turn to marketing and Meta ads to promote products and services no one actually wants.

Using paid advertising or marketing is a mistake. Entrepreneurs don’t learn the pain points and positive results that matter to their customers through this channel.

It feels dreadful to stop and realize we’re making a mistake. I want to offer a solution to this dreadful feeling: Interview people!

$0 market research

To ensure we avoid this fallacy, we need to stop thinking about our product and start thinking about our customers in greater depth. We need to ask them real questions about their journey.

Take my second business as an example. I was coaching entrepreneurs to help them build a personal brand. I know branding inside and out, and can help entrepreneurs leverage it to attract hundreds of customers.

One challenge I faced was not knowing what led people to seek my service. What the tipping point was that led them to say, “Yes, I want Ian’s help!”

My marketing efforts kept falling short because I was unable to capture potential clients who were at the right stage of their journey to seek out my services. I didn’t understand their pain points or the specific outcomes they sought. My marketing led to zero customers.

This hurt.

It seemed like my business didn't matter to the people I wanted to serve, but the reality was that I wasn't reaching the right audience. To connect with my potential clients on a personal level, I interviewed them and learned to speak their language.

I advise my clients—and practice this myself—to interview at least 10 to 15 people every six months. I know it’s hard to stop creating (or improving) a product and talk to people about it. It’s hard getting negative feedback.

But any serial entrepreneur will tell you the importance of conducting market research. Customer interviews are a free research tool. It just requires an investment of your time.

Create your plan

The outcome we want from interviews is to create (or improve) a product people will buy the moment it’s released. This goal means we need to ask the right questions, have the right communication strategy and be methodical about our approach.

So, let’s get started.

Step 1: identify who you'll speak to

First off, figure out who you're going to interview.

Your interviewees should resemble your target audience. They don't have to be exact replicas of your ideal customer but should be in the same professional field.

When I say professional field, I mean you’re targeting people who could have the same need. For example, I focused on early-stage entrepreneurs for my brand consulting business.

Early-stage entrepreneurs are an enormous group of people. Coaches, consultants, product makers, YouTube creators will all fall under this title.

So, I drilled down a bit farther. I decided to speak to service-based entrepreneurs like coaches and consultants. “Coaches and consultants” was my professional field.

Entrepreneurs often think they have to find people who have specific demographics, but these data points really aren’t useful to marketers anymore (only useful under specific circumstances (which doesn’t include yours)). Here are some questions to help you find people to interview:

• What do they do?
• What is their title?
• What do they visibly need? Is their website, profile or product launch lacking in your opinion?

Step 2: create your list

Now that you have an idea of who you will interview, start looking at various channels to make a list of people to interview.You can find people who resemble your target customer in:

• LinkedIn connections
• Instagram or TikTok followers
• Lists of friends
• Lists of colleagues
• Online discussion forums like Reddit
• Your real-life communities

Aim for at least 10 names. Ten gives you more helpful data to work with because patterns start showing up in the responses. Any number less than 10 doesn't provide enough information.

Of course, the more interviewees, the more data. In a perfect world, I would want to interview 50 people. Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of excess time, so aim for 10 people, keeping in mind that these initial contacts can also refer you to other ideal customers to interview.

Step 3: define your learning goals

Now, think about what you want to learn from these interviews.

I wanted to learn why personal branding might be important, so I asked questions like, “How do you feel when you hear the term ‘personal branding’?”

More broadly, I wanted to understand their decision-making when it came to acting on their personal brand. Is there confusion or overwhelm?

My other learning goals were:

1. What is confusing and/or challenging about building a brand as an entrepreneur?
2. At what point does branding become a priority?

Other topics could include industry challenges, their thoughts on your industry as a whole and whether what you’re selling aligns with their business goals. The goal isn't to promote your product or service but to gather information that you might not even be aware of.

Here are a few recommended learning goals—fill in the blanks!

1. How do they feel and what do they think when they hear…
2. What is confusing or challenging about…
3. How important do they think [INSERT TOPIC] is…
4. Why do they think [INSERT TOPIC} is important…
5. What are the core challenges…
6. What are the solutions they desire…

Step 4: formulate hypotheses and assumptions

The next step before formulating a list of interview questions is to define what we think we know. Write down what you think is true about how your customers feel and act within your industry and then try to disprove it. This helps avoid confirmation bias.

When I was building my business, I thought entrepreneurs were confused by branding. So, my hypothesis and assumptions were:

Hypothesis: entrepreneurs are confused about WHY they should focus on branding, which stops them from acting.

• Assumption 1: Entrepreneurs are confused and overwhelmed by the prospect of branding or brand building.
• Assumption 2: Entrepreneurs don’t understand the long-term benefits and the importance of a personal brand.

Your hypothesis could be as simple as, "I believe my customers find [INSERT TOPIC] confusing." The questions you ask in your interview should try and disprove this assumption.

Step 5: develop a communication strategy

Craft a strategy on how you'll describe these interviews to people.

It’s easier to ask someone for an interview if you already have the message written out. Rob Fitzpatrick in The Mom Test recommends being honest and transparent about the gaps in your knowledge. “The Mom Test” taught me a great deal about customer interviews and how to learn unbiased information.

The method outlined in this book advocates that no entrepreneur should ever ask anyone if their business, product or service is a good idea. Everyone will be overly nice or critical and both are lies. Fitzpatrick tells us it’s not the interviewees’ responsibility to tell us the truth.

To invite people to interviews, Fitzpatrick recommends using this framework:

• Vision: Explain why you're doing these interviews.
• Framing: Frame interviews as a way to provide value and create meaningful products.
• Weakness: Be honest about what perspective you're lacking.
• Pedestal: Highlight why their input is crucial.
• Ask: Finally, ask them for an interview.

Here is what this framework looks like in practice.

Vision: I'm working to make personal branding less confusing.

Framing: I want to ensure I'm creating something truly valuable.

Weakness: I lack an entrepreneur's perspective on branding challenges.

Pedestal: Your entrepreneurial experience would be valuable in filling this gap.

Ask: "Can we schedule a 30-minute interview next week?"

Once you have your framework filled out, put it into a paragraph. It should look like this:

I’m trying to make personal branding less confusing and easier for entrepreneurs to tackle. I’ve only ever come at it from a designer perspective, and I’m having a tough time understanding it from an entrepreneur’s perspective. I see you as an entrepreneur who could shed a light on this topic. I’m working on a couple products, and I want to ensure I’m creating and building things that’ll actually help. But this is in no way a sales meeting—I’m trying to understand this discipline more, and I could just really use some of your thoughts. Do you have 30 minutes in the next couple weeks to chat with me?

Step 6: provide value during the call

Write down some ideas on how you can help these people during the interview itself. If they mention a challenge you can solve, offer advice before moving on to the next question. This makes the interview more conversational and valuable for them.

When I did this process for my own business, 10 out of the 15 people I interviewed told me the call was incredibly helpful to them. All I did was ask questions and provide a few tips. The act of asking questions provides clarity. So, we need to realize these interviews can help them as much as our business.

Step 7: plan next steps and commitments

I made a mistake at the end of my first interview. I said “bye.” I lacked a strategy on how to continue building the relationship.

Arguably, the most important piece of this interview plan is what you say at the end of the interview. You never know– this customer could become a beta tester, a customer or a business partner.

In other words, you must know your call-to-action. What you want the interviewee to do after you’ve finished asking questions.

I've listed some common calls-to-action to help you think ahead about how you’ll continue engaging with the people you interview.

• Invite them to refer others for interviews.
• Schedule another meeting to discuss possible solutions.
• Offer early-access to your product or service.
• Offer a small discount to a current product or service.
• Invite them to your email list, to provide more value and build a relationship.

Define your list of questions

First things first, it's crucial not to focus on your product in an interview. The interview is not there to serve as a marketing opportunity. It’s purpose is to help you gather data, so you can be more helpful.

Discussing your product or services will bias the interviewee’s responses—they'll either try to be nice or overly critical, neither of which helps you.

Go back to your learning goals and truly understand what you want to learn. Even if you have zero ideas for a product, understanding your audience's pains will help you create something valuable later.

The main talking point to focus on is the tipping point leading them to seek help and how they get help. Later, you can use the answers in your marketing to generate higher engagement!

Here are example questions to get you started:

1. What made you start your journey in this particular area?
2. What are your biggest challenges right now?
3. Why do you think this is a challenge for you? This follow-up question digs deeper into their pain point.
4. What solutions are you currently considering? This gives insight into how much they're willing to spend and who your competitors are.
5. What’s your process for dealing with this challenge? If they don't have a process, ask why not—this can reveal gaps your product could fill.
6. Have you actively searched for resources to improve this area? Knowing where they seek information can help you position yourself.
7. How do you feel when you hear [insert topic or concept]? This helps gauge their feelings and thoughts about key concepts related to your field.

What’s the next best step or action you're going to take? This allows them to reflect on what they've learned during the interview and strengthens your relationship with them.

Every question is open-ended. There shouldn’t be easy “yes” or “no” questions. You want to learn about them and help them learn from you.

Also, remember to let the conversation flow naturally. A list of questions helps a lot, but you also want to pause on questions they’re excited to answer. If they’re excited about something, feel free to ask follow up questions.

By providing value upfront, you’re making the acceptance of your connection easier and providing value to them in return for that connection.

Ian Efford

Ask your customers to an interview

I have spent a year messaging entrepreneurs on LinkedIn. I message entrepreneurs to build client relationships, make friends and ask for interviews.

I know the types of messages that get a response and the types that are ignored.

Crafting these messages has become second nature to me—almost like muscle memory. I tweak each one slightly based on the person's profile, but the core message remains the same.

And guess what? It works! About 60% of my connection requests get accepted.

It’s crucial to outline why you're connecting and how you can help the people you’re reaching out to. The first step I take is to always offer a free resource they can easily consume.

For instance, you might say something like, "Hey Shruthi! I share content about helping solopreneurs create online funnels that attract customers within 30 days. If you find this content helpful, let’s connect!"

By providing value upfront, you’re making the acceptance of your connection easier and providing value to them in return for that connection. Once they message you back, it’s time to start building a relationship. Let’s break down the two steps I use to ask invite people to interview:

• Elicit deep talk: Start with something meaningful from their profile or content. Avoid small talk like, "What's the weather like?" Instead, dive into a topic you're both passionate about. For example, if they posted about handling burnout, mention how you found their insights inspiring and ask a related question.
• Make the ask: Once you’ve exchanged a few messages, you can make your interview ask. Use the text you drafted earlier in step five.

Remember, every person is different, so let your messages flow naturally rather than sticking to a script.

If they don’t seem engaged or aren’t answering quickly, they probably think a pitch is coming. Tell them you’re not pitching anything, but you want to learn from them. In other words, make the ask faster.

If they seem very engaged, discuss their journey over chat for a little while longer. Ask high-level questions like, "What's your big win this week?" Share your own experiences too—this helps build rapport.

Final tips on interviewing

Now it’s time for you to get out there and start interviewing, but before I let you go, I've got three golden tips to share.

Interviews are not promotional

Never treat these interviews as promotional. The worst thing you can do is pitch your product during these chats. You might not know the interviewee well enough to trust their feedback.

Remember, the goal is to learn about their challenges, aspirations, goals and frustrations—not sell your product.

Your product discussions can come later. For now, focus on understanding their journey so you can create solutions that genuinely address their needs.

Go with the flow

Have your list of questions ready on a tablet, notepad or a second monitor. But don’t read them off like a robot. When they answer a question, stay on it for a little longer. Explore their challenges and frustrations.

One way to do this is to ask them to unpack their frustrations—why do they feel a certain way? Empathize with them and dig deep for those golden nuggets of insight. Communicating in this way builds trust and makes the conversation feel more natural and less like an interrogation.

Finally–and where relevant–share your own experiences. This mutual sharing strengthens the relationship.

Conduct interviews every six months

Make these interviews a regular thing.

Don’t think you're done after 10 to 15 interviews. Businesses should always be evolving in response to your customers’ changing needs. Make it a habit to interview your audience every six months or even every quarter, if needed. This continuous stream of data helps you improve existing products or create new ones your customers want.

Don't just add features because everyone else is doing it; make sure they're features your customers need.

Now get out there! Interview your customers regularly, let the conversation flow naturally, and always aim to learn from them rather than pitch to them.

Your business (and your customers) will thank you for it.