This document outlines tips and best practices for effective customer interviewing. It discusses the importance of interviewing customers regularly to learn from them and validate assumptions. It provides exercises where participants conduct mock interviews in different roles to learn techniques like asking open-ended questions, observing body language, and using silence. The document emphasizes practicing interview skills and emphasizes that the goal is to learn from customers rather than sell to or quiz them.

1. Adrian Howard (@adrianh) Effective Customer
Interviewing
#agileotb

2. Hello!

3. You don’t have to
copy the slides
http://slideshare.net/adrianh

4. Ask questions!

5. Pardon?

6. I ♥ feedback

8. Swear jar is running…

9. Chatham House Rule

10. “When a meeting, or part thereof, is
held under the Chatham House Rule,
participants are free to use the
information received, but neither the
identity nor the affiliation of the
speaker(s), nor that of any other
participant, may be revealed”

11. Who are you?

12. Stand up!
(no — not that kind of standup)

13. A–B–C

14. A = Speaker
B = Interviewer
C = Observer

15. Speakers:
Shut your eyes…

16. Interviewers:
Talk with the speaker about
their best restaurant experience.

17. Interviewers:
Do not take notes

18. Observers:
Watch what happens.
Write observations down.

19. 🕑
2 minutes

20. Reflection

21. Tip:
Drink

22. B = Speaker
C = Interviewer
A = Observer

23. Speakers:
Shut your eyes…

24. Interviewers:
Talk with the speaker about
their best vacation experience.

25. Interviewers:
… and one more thing …

26. Interviewers:
After the first question – you
cannot speak again. Shhhhh!

27. Interviewers:
Do not take notes

28. Observers:
Watch what happens.
Write observations down.

29. 🕑
2 minutes

30. Reflection

31. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Christopher_Macsurak_Fran_Lebowitz.jpg
– Fran Lebowitz
“The opposite of talking isn't listening
The opposite of talking is waiting”

32. Tip:
Use silence

33. Tip:
Pay attention to
body language

34. C = Speaker
A = Interviewer
B = Observer

35. Speakers:
Shut your eyes…

36. Interviewers:
Talk with the speaker about how
they decorate & furnish their home.

37. Interviewers:
… and one more thing …

38. Interviewers:
After the 1st
question you only ask
“Can you tell me more about X?”

39. Interviewers:
(where X is something the speaker
has previously mentioned)

40. Interviewers:
Do not take notes

41. Observers:
Watch what happens.
Write observations down.

42. 🕑
4 minutes

43. Reflection

44. – Arthur Bloch
“Every clarification
breeds new questions”

45. Tip:
Reflect back what
the speaker said

46. … and relax …

47. Why do we interview?

48. “If I had asked my customers
what they wanted they would
have said a faster horse”

49. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Henry_ford_1919.jpg

50. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Henry_ford_1919.jpg
“If there is any one
secret of success, it
lies in the ability to
get the other person's
point of view and see
things from that
person's angle as well
as from your own”

51. What is an interview?

52. An interview is not a… quiz
survey
negotiation
pitch
date
conversation

53. Rapport & Empathy

54. Learn from your customer

55. (in)validate our assumptions

56. Who do you interview?

57. https://www.flickr.com/photos/artfulone/14206229674/sizes/l

58. https://www.flickr.com/photos/joncandy/5561310462

59. Tip:
Bribes

60. Tip:
Look for bored people

61. Go where your customers are

62. Tip:
Don’t look scary

63. Tip:
Go with somebody

64. Use your organisation

65. Tip:
Sales, Marketing & Support

66. Use social media

67. Intercept recruiting

68. Recruiters

69. How many?

70. –Bill Vaughan
“We learn something
every day, and lots of
times it's that what
we learned the day
before was wrong.”

71. Don’t just use interviews
for validation

72. buildlearn
measure
productdata
ideas

73. buildlearn
measure
productdata
ideas

74. buildlearn
measure
productdata
ideas

75. More interviewing tips…

76. Tip:
Be polite

77. Tip:
Ask open questions

78. Tip:
Avoid leading questions

79. Tip:
Avoid fortuneteller questions

80. Exercise time!

81. Today you found a startup!

82. Startup A
Exploring exciting ways to create
a great experience eating out

83. Startup B
Helping people have the
vacation of their dreams

84. Startup C
Democratising professional
interior decoration

85. What do you want
to find out?

86. 🕑
Individually write down topics.
One topic per post-it.

87. 🕑
Group them as a team.
Then label groups.

88. Reflection

89. A = Speaker
B = Interviewer
C = Observer

90. Interviewers
Gather info on your startup.
Think about the list of topics.

91. Interviewers & Observers
Try and note down the things
the speaker tells you

92. 🕑
5 minutes

93. Tip:
• Silence & body language
• Reflect back
• Ask open questions
• Do not ask leading & fortuneteller questions

94. Reflection

95. Tip:
Observations vs Insights

96. Tip:
Interview in pairs

97. Tip:
Consider recording

98. B = Speaker
C = Interviewer
A = Observer

99. Tip:
• Silence & body language
• Reflect back
• Ask open questions
• Do not ask leading & fortuneteller questions
• Observations vs Insights

100. C = Speaker
A = Interviewer
B = Observer

101. Tip:
• Silence & body language
• Reflect back
• Ask open questions
• Do not ask leading & fortuneteller questions
• Observations vs Insights

102. Analysis & Synthesis

106. http://memegenerator.net/instance/54379154

107. You should interview
your customers regularly

108. You should interview
your customers regularly

109. You should interview
your customers regularly

110. You should interview
your customers regularly

111. You should interview
your customers regularly

112. You should interview
your customers regularly

113. STALK
before you
TALK
before you
SELL
before you
BUILD

114. Practice, practice, practice

115. Do retrospectives

118. DO LESS
TOGETHER
MORE OFTEN
to do
MORE
Adrian Howard (@adrianh)
quietstars.com

119. Want more?
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quietstars.com
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