How to find and interview customers. Presentation from Lean Startup Circle meetup.

1. How to recruit and interview potential customers Elizabeth Yin Co-founder of LaunchBit Lean Startup Circle Boston April 28, 2011 Flickr.com ThisParticularGreg

2. Agenda Introduction Finding customers “Spray and pray” In-person channels “Targeted” channels Requesting interviews Interviewing customers Analyzing interviews Q & A

3. About Elizabeth and Jennifer

4. Shiny Orb

5. DressMob

6. Finding Customers Flickr.com epSos.de

7. Talk to a range of customers ?

8. 7 ways to find interviewees “Spray and pray” channels Craigslist Online Groups In-person channels Malls & Coffee Shops Meetups “Targeted” channels LinkedIn Alumni Networks “Google Searches”

9. Finding Customers:“Spray and Pray” Flickr.com Shaylor

10. Spray and pray strategy Reach out to large numbers of people Filter through surveys Whittle down to your handful of customer types

11. Craigslist Cindy Alvarez Great for consumer products/services Post in the volunteer or gigs sections “Looking for beta testers” not “Looking to learn about…” Ask people to email you to take a survey beforehand Be very specific about time & compensation upfront $20 for 30 min works well Post in other locations and use Skype / phone to get more people http://www.slideshare.net/cindyalvarez/user-testing-tactics

12. Online groups Join Google/Yahoo/Facebook/NING, etc.. Groups for specific interests Read the TOS beforehand Be friendly – respond to other posts before making a request You can reach out to specific people on Facebook

13. Vetting people Write a quick survey Google forms, Wufoo, Survey Monkey Take no more than 5 minutes Ask questions to find your customer types Clearly message next steps (interview details and compensation, if any)

14. LaunchBitsample survey Info about the interviews $20 for 25 min Multiple choice questions to learn demographics Email address to follow up

15. Finding Customers:In-person Channels Flickr.com wili_hybrid

16. Malls & coffee shops Good for general consumer applications Don’t be sketchy! $5 gift certificates @ Starbucks Be specific about how much time you’ll need

17. Meetups TONS of in-person groups… Meetup.com Eventbrite events Yelp events

18. Finding Customers:Targeted Channels Flickr.com wili_hybrid

19. Targeted strategy Reach out to specific people Find ideal people you want to interview Particularly good for B2B Buyer vs. User Aim high

20. LinkedIn LinkedIn Groups Reach people you’re not connected to at all Via friends, friends-of-friends Email first before sending LinkedIn request

21. Alumni networks Alumni online directories Alumni group lists Can search for people by company

22. Google contact information Find the person you want to speak with Try typing [name] “email” [name] “@domain.com” firstname@domain.com Firstname_lastname@domain.com Etc.. Find email addresses of others at the company and replicate format

23. Targeted Channels: Requesting Interviews Flickr.com GenBug

24. Write a concise email Catchy subject Smart phone readable (3 lines) Strong call to action

25. Email subject lines Build rapport through mutual friends [ABC] recommended speaking with you Connect through vanity Your article in the WSJ? Your talk at [abc]? Your blog article? Connect through praise Loved your article!

26. Email body – 1st line Build rapport immediately Praise, thanks, vanity Establish commonalities E.g. I had a blast at your ABC conference on XYZ topic -- thank you. I'm a fellow ABC alum and found you in the ABC directory.

27. Email body – 2nd line What you’re doing and why this is interesting This is the hardest line to write E.g. I’m doing some research for a project on [abc] and am trying to learn how [def] works. E.g. I’m prototyping some ideas around [abc] and think I can increase your sales.

28. Email body – 3rd line Call to action Who/What/When/Where/Why vs. Yes/No Think about what you want to achieve Reasonable ask E.g. I would like to get your quick thoughts on this – what is the best way to speak by phone for 10 min E.g. I would like to speak with someone at your company about this – who is the best person to speak with about this for 10 min?

29. Follow ups No response Email again within the week Response Set up a time/date to talk (Skype/phone/in-person) Send mocks/slides the day before explaining that you’ll walk through them on the call PDF all slides No more than 5 slides

30. Interviewing People Flickr.com Steve Rhodes

31. Ask behavioral questions first What are the most frustrating aspects of ABC? May I ask you why ABC is frustrating? What is the process you go through today to do ABC? If you had a magic wand to help you with ABC, what would it do? How much would you expect this magic wand to cost?

32. Ask solution questions later Would you use it? So, you said ZYX of ABC was frustrating, what if the product looked like this? Do you have any friends whom you think could benefit from this? How much would you expect this to cost, if anything? We’d love to learn from your friend, mind making an intro?

33. Ending the interview Stick to your time Thank them (deal with compensation if any) Ask to follow up Ask for friend referrals

34. Analyzing Interviews Flickr.com Biking Nikon OGG

35. Organize your interviews maybe no might not sure

36. About LaunchBit http://classroom.launchbit.com http://guide.launchbit.com

37. Questions? More questions? hello@launchbit.com Feedback index cards LaunchBit mailing list signup sheet Blog: blog.launchbit.com Twitter: @launchbit www.launchbit.com