# Customer Interview Script (Mom Test style)

Based on the three rules from Rob Fitzpatrick's book *The Mom Test*:
1. Talk about **their life**, not your idea.
2. Ask about **specifics in the past**, not opinions about the future.
3. **Talk less, listen more.**

Why: people are polite. "Would you use this?" gets a "yes" that means nothing. "When did this last happen and what did you do?" gets facts you can build and sell on.

**Length:** 15 to 20 minutes. **Who:** people from your Hot and Warm leads, launch-day commenters, new users. **Goal per call:** learn one thing you didn't know, and leave with a clear next step (or a clear "not a fit").

---

## How to ask (DM or email)

> Hi [name], saw your post about [problem]. I'm researching how [audience] handle this (I'm building something in the space, but this isn't a sales call). Could I ask you 5 questions for 15 minutes this week? Happy to share what I learn from the other conversations.

Lower friction version: offer to do it by text in the DM thread.

---

## The script

### 1. Open (1 minute)
> Thanks for this. I'm trying to understand how [audience] deal with [problem area]. No pitch; I'll only mention what I'm building at the end if you want. I'll take notes, is that OK?

### 2. Context (3 minutes)
- "Walk me through how you [do the task] today, from the start."
- "Who else is involved?"
- "How often does this come up?"

### 3. The last time (5 minutes): the most important part
- "Tell me about the **last time** [problem] happened. What exactly happened?"
- "What did you do about it?"
- "How long did that take?" / "What did it cost you?" (time, money, a client, stress)
- "What was the most annoying part?"

### 4. What they've tried (4 minutes)
- "Have you looked for a solution? Where did you look?"
- "What have you tried? Why did you stop using it?" (gold: churn reasons from competitors)
- "Are you paying for anything related to this today? How much?"
- "If you could wave a wand, what would be different?" (listen for outcomes, ignore feature requests)

### 5. Priority (2 minutes)
- "Where does this rank among the problems you're dealing with this month?"
- "What would happen if you never fixed it?"

### 6. Close (2 minutes)
- "Who else do you know who deals with this? Could you introduce me?"
- "Can I follow up when I have something for you to try?"
- Only now, if they ask: show the product in 2 minutes. Then: "Would you try it this week?" Watch for a **commitment** (time, money, intro), not a compliment.

---

## Questions to never ask

| Bad (opinion, future, leading) | Better (fact, past) |
|---|---|
| "Would you use an app that does X?" | "When did you last deal with X? What did you do?" |
| "How much would you pay for this?" | "What do you pay for anything related today?" |
| "Do you think this is a good idea?" | "What's the hardest part of [task]?" |
| "Would this feature be useful?" | "Why did you stop using [tool you tried]?" |

---

## Signals to write down

**Strong buying signals**
- They already pay for a workaround or a competitor.
- They built their own workaround (a spreadsheet, a Zapier chain, a script).
- They searched for a solution recently.
- They give you a commitment: time for a second call, an intro, a pre-payment, data to test with.

**Weak or false signals**
- "That's cool." "I'd totally use that." "Let me know when it's ready."
- Feature requests without a story behind them.
- Problems that happen once a year.

---

## After the call (5 minutes)

Fill this in the tracker's notes for that lead:

```
Interview: [date], [role], [company size]
Last time it happened: [what, when]
What they did: [workaround]
Cost: [time/money/clients]
Already paying for: [tool, $]
Exact words worth stealing: "[quote]"
Commitment given: [none / second call / intro / trial / paid]
Fit: [Hot / Warm / Not a fit] because [reason]
```

After 5 interviews, look for the same "exact words" showing up twice. Put them in your headline and your queries.