My advice: talk to 20 customers over the next 2 weeks

I had a conversation with a new start up yesterday that is innovating in the recruiting industry.  I asked them how many of the customers that will pay them money they had spoken to in developing their product. I can't remember whether the answer was one or none but I know it was not enough.  They then told me that the main motivator for buying decisions was cost reduction. There was no way they could know this -- it may have been right, but they couldn't know it because they hadn't spoken to enough customers. My advice was simple -- spend the next 2 weeks and talk to 20 customers. Leave your pre-conceived notions at home and focus on understanding their perspective on their job and suppliers. Listen. Take notes. At the end of the process -- thinkin again about the product and business you are building.

Comments

[Derek Johnson]

How about instead of doing this just once, make it a habit. At Tatango, we call every single new customer when they create an account and follow up regularly to see how everything is working. It's amazing how much you learn when you listen to your customers.

- Derek