Thanks for checking out Behind the FOCUS!
I’m proud to announce FOCUS has it’s own site now, and has moved to: https://customerdevlabs.com/focus
Thanks for checking out Behind the FOCUS!
I’m proud to announce FOCUS has it’s own site now, and has moved to: https://customerdevlabs.com/focus
Hi Justin,
Great information and worksheets….very helpful!
How do YOU ask for interviews in person? (cold, on the subway etc.)
Great question Yosef. In this past my intro has gone something like…
I’ve found some people are fascinated to meet someone who knows how to write apps, so use that to your advantage. Also remember to bring either a prop (e.g. an iPad, some flowers, etc.) if it’ll help you feel more comfortable as someone who is trustworthy.
What have you tried so far? How’s it going for you?
Thanks,
Justin
Hey Justin,
I’m loving your course so far and am now just about to send out messages for interview requests. Looking that the script you showed in the Exercise 8: How to Ask for Interviews video, you have this line:
“I’m not looking to sell anything, but since you seem to be looking for new things to do in town, I’d love to get your opinion on our product so we don’t build the wrong thing.”
I like the first part of the sentence where you assuring them that you’re not selling them anything. But my question is really about the second part of the sentence. I don’t actually have a product built (I’m market testing first) so I’m technically just wanting to talk to them about their problem.
It seems that in Exercise 9 you’re approaching the actual interview from that “tell me about your problem angle”, so I wonder…. could this line be rewritten to better set expectations of what we’re going to do on the call? Or are doing this intentionally because you get a higher response rate?
Thanks for you help!
Super thoughtful question Scott, I appreciate you asking it!
First I’ll say, please, experiment with the script and let me know what you find. It’s very possible you’ll find a better way to phrase the email that produces great results. When you do, please let us know!
Second, I hear you, it’s weird to ask for feedback on the product when it hasn’t been built. I’ve used that line because in the past because it’s easier for people to understand what I’m asking for, but I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to phrasing it…
Let us know what you try and how it goes!
Thanks,
Justin
Ok, I’ll give that and a few other variants a shot and see how it goes. Thanks for your guidance!
Hi Justin, I am thoroughly enjoying your videos. As a suggestion (I am your early adopter :), would you be able to outline a flowchart in the overall process where does Product-Market fit in the larger startup process and then how does the Product Market fit (not just the cycle), fit into a flow chart.
Thanks Rohit – great suggestion! I’ll take a note and see if this is something we can do for v1.
In the meantime, I see finding Product-Market Fit as the first two phases of the Customer Development model: http://steveblank.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/customer-development-diagram.jpg
It falls right after the founder(s) Declare their Victory, and right before they start their scaling efforts (you scale once you know you’ve found PMF).
Does that make sense or were you looking for something else? Thanks again, I can tell you this feedback will definitely be shaping the books.
Cheers,
Justin