Step-by-Step Instructions

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In this chapter, you will find tips and exercises to help you feel confident, and have fun, during your interviews. You'll develop these skills by integrating part of the interviewing process into your everyday conversations with friends, family and colleagues.

Bonus: in doing so, you'll not only become a better interviewer, you'll develop more empathetic, and active listening skills. You'll start projecting a sense of sincerity, and helpfulness, to those around you - a fantastic skill to have if you want to build your network, and eventually grow your team.

Problems it Solves

1. No More Nervous Interviews

Most of us, myself included, become nervous when we think about interviewing someone. You'll be juggling a lot of balls at once:

• You'll have a specific set of questions to ask
• An objective to achieve
• You'll need to listen extremely well
• Taking notes
• All the while, making the other person feel comfortable, and validated
• And that person is a potential customer!

This is a recipe for nervousness, no matter who you are.

But, by going through these exercises and practicing your interview skills, you can turn that nest of nerves into a casual conversation that is enjoyable to both you and the person you are speaking with.

2. Get Your Validation Faster

Having a conversation with a potential customer is very different than having an effective interview. Here, you will learn techniques to make the most of your time so you need to do fewer interviews to get your validation.

3. Better Networking

These techniques will make you a better networker. The same interview techniques you will learn to use with your customers are also extremely useful techniques to use with your peers to grow your network.

Of course you know, the better networker you are, the faster your own resources will grow and the farther your reach when you bring your solution to market.

Interview Techniques

1. Getting Comfortable

This is about creating an environment where you feel comfortable, and where you are able to make your interviewee feel comfortable.

What you're about to do is different. Most people are not used to truly being heard.

You are about to ask someone to tell you about their experiences and challenges, which is a far cry from what most of us are used to. Instead of the expected sales pitch, your interviewee will be engaging in some personal exploration, which can make someone feel guarded at first. Your job is to bring down that guard.

Tip #1: Smile

To help them see your genuine interest in their story and their difficulties, the most important thing is to remember to, simply, smile. This will remind you that you're having a good time (or convince yourself you're having a good time), and send a message to the interviewee that this is a friendly conversation.

Tip #2: Small Talk is OK

Many of us like to dive right into the meat of the discussion, but again, this is a very different type of conversation. Small talk will help you create a friendly environment and show your interviewee that you are truly interested in them, not just their business.

In our previous chapter there were some suggestions for this:

• Ask about the weather in their area
• Look up local sports teams and comment on the latest game
• Ask about local food delicacies
• If you've ever been to their area, share your experience

During this part of the conversation, remember to smile and keep it light. Even if you're on the phone, the person will be able to hear your smile and your friendliness.

Tip #3: Laughter is good

Find something to get you both laughing. This may mean making a joke about yourself or something that came up in the small talk - just don't joke about the person you're interviewing! Anything that can elicit laughter will send you towards a comfortable place.

2. Empathizing

It is important to recognize that this conversation is not a cultural norm. Outside of a therapist's office, it's abnormal to have a two-person conversation, where one person is talking about their problems and the other is listening to them.

You will have to do some work to convince your interviewee that you're just there to listen.

You can do this easily by empathizing. A good empathizer finds ways to validate the other's experience, recognize the other's feelings, connect with their own experiences, and find value and positivity in another's struggles. This sounds like:

• "That makes total sense."
• "I can see why that would be frustrating."
• "I've been there and it really presented a challenge for me, too."
• "I really admire the way you took that on despite the challenges."

Another way to help someone open up and feel safe is to show your gratitude for sharing. This is done simply through positive feedback that sounds like:

• "That's a great insight. Thank you for that."
• "I've never thought of it that way. Thanks for that."
• "I'm really grateful for that information."
• "I'm so glad I talked to you because..."

Empathizing with and showing gratitude towards your interviewee will make the conversation much more open and productive.

That said, it's crucial that you don't overdo it on this front - you must...

3. Be Genuine

If you are not genuine, your attempts at empathy will backfire.

Humans have finely tuned bullsh*t detectors, especially in the business space. If you over-do it with your positivity and validation, you may end up getting the opposite effect that you intended.

Make sure whatever comes out of your mouth is true to your heart and your experience.

To find the right balance, instead of programming myself to "empathize", "be grateful" and "be genuine", I simply remind myself of a couple of things before each interview:

1. "I'm asking this person to share their problems with me. I want them to feel safe to do so." The truth of this statement automatically evokes my empathy.
2. "This person is helping me find my path to Victory." As soon as I recognize this, gratitude automatically starts flowing.

Just keeping these two sentiments in mind while I'm having a conversation with someone will ensure I'm not only empathetic and grateful, it will ensure I'm doing so in a genuine way.

4. Let them Lead

Obviously this conversation is about discovering your customer's problems, so it's important you don't let your rapport building run wild and get you talking more than you listen.

For example, if you've had an experience that is similar to what they've shared, you might comment that you've had a similar experience. However, do not embellish on what they've said. This might lead them down a path that was not a priority for them, which will skew your data.

For example:

Interviewee says: "...and I was in a car crash last month which has made things tougher."

You might say: "I imagine that was really hard. I was in an accident myself last year."

You should not say: "I know that can be hard. I was in an accident myself last year and dealing with the insurance company was a nightmare!"

Above all else, be sure to let them lead the conversation so that at the end of the day you know what is most important to them.

5. Note Taking

Tip #1: Record the interview

With so many things to think about during an interview, recording the interview can alleviate some of the stress of note-taking.

To do so, ask your interviewee if you can record your conversation. Let them know that as soon as you have a chance to transcribe the notes you will erase the recording for confidentiality purposes.

Is it ok if I record our conversation so that I can remember your comments and my team can hear what you had to say? As soon as it's been transcribed, I will destroy this recording.

If they agree, just put your smart phone on voice memo, hit record, and place it between the two of you. If you're doing a Skype interview, there are tools that can record those calls as well - just be sure to always get permission.

Important: Be sure to test your recording capabilities with a friend before interviewing a customer. You don't want all that hard work to get lost!

Tip #2: Get a partner

Even better than a recorder is a partner who can take notes during the interview for you.

Your partner is a second set of ear and eyes to absorb more of both what is said, what is not said (the nonverbal communication) during the interview. Your partner may be able to pick up on more of the emotional cues that you'll be able to.

Of course, if you forget a question or miss an opportunity to dive deeper into what someone has said, your partner can also chime in to catch those moments.

Tip #3: Keywords

At first, it'll be tempting to write down everything your customer says word for word, and that's fine. Eventually, you will learn to listen for specific keywords that align with things other customers have told you, and the objectives of the interview script.

In the interview script itself, you will see hints of what to "Listen for" in the right-hand column.

Eventually, you will find it most useful to write down the specific words they use to describe their problem, the emotions they are feeling, and any jargon they use. If they are giving you some background information that does not answer any of the questions on the script, it may not be as important to record.

Practice Makes Easy

While you're waiting for your customers to respond to your requests for interviews, have some conversations with some friends or colleagues - who are not your customers - to do a few practice interviews. This way, you'll get used to...

• asking these specific questions
• focusing on your interviewee instead of yourself
• note taking while still staying engaged in the conversation

...without the pressure of losing a customer if you make a mistake!

Take out your 7 Days to Easy Interviews worksheet. Over the next 7 days you are going to practice your interviewing skills.

Step 1

Write down a date - one week from now - by which you will complete 10 "inter-sations" (a combination of interview and conversation), with people in your life who are not potential customers. These interviews are to help you feel comfortable and competent for the real deal.

These practice interviews should feel like a regular conversation, but with some variations that will get your interviewee talking about the challenges they are facing in their role or life.

Your success criteria for these inter-sations are the following:

Success Criteria #1: Ask 5 questions before answering any.

Your goal is to be the one asking the questions, to learn about them, before answering any questions they ask of you. This is easily accomplished if you use the questions from the interview script:

• What are you working on?
• What does success look like for that?
• What's the biggest challenge in making that success happen?
• Why is that a challenge?
• What are you thinking about for solving that problem?

You'll find that you can easily talk to someone for 15-20 minutes before they even realize they've been talking about themselves for that long. Meanwhile, you've learned a ton about them.

Most of us, subconsciously, love talking about ourselves and enjoy those who listen. The more you ask about them about themselves, the stronger the bond you'll create between the two of you.

Success Criteria #2: Discover a problem your interviewee is taking action to solve.

Once you find the problems that are on their mind, you can ask them more about any steps or action they are taking to try to solve that problem. You may find that they are deep into a search for a solution, or that they aren't really pursuing a solution at all.

Keep diving into problems until you identify one they are trying to solve. This is building up your ability to determine what solutions this person is an Early Adopter for - a critical skill for finding yours!

Success Criteria #3: Identify 2 emotions your interviewee is feeling about the problem.

This is your opportunity to develop the ability to listen for emotions - a crucial skill for developing your marketing copy/message going forward.

For example, you may hear the problem is "stressful" or "frustrating."

If they do not offer any feeling words right off the bat, you might ask: "Why is it a challenge that...?"

Asking "why?" will elicit the emotions you are looking for.

If you can repeatedly achieve those first 3 success criteria, you'll be a fantastic interviewer. If you're up for a challenge and want to take your interviewing to the next level, try to achieve these bonus criteria:

Bonus Success Criteria #1: Ask why? 3 times.

The "why?" question is illuminating and can get to the core about what is driving someone's behavior. This does not mean asking "why?" three times in a row like a small child...that will get annoying quickly.

Rather, intersperse the "why?" question throughout and you will notice that the person will probably enjoy exploring their own motivations.

Bonus Success Criteria #2: After your conversation, follow-up with a potential solution to the problem.

This is strictly for after the conversation is over. During the conversation itself, your one and only goal is to understand their problems and motivations. However, after the conversation is over, try throwing out a possible solution to the problem they have been describing.

Possible solutions may include an article you've read recently, a website with resources, or even another person to talk to that would be helpful to them.

Notice their reception to your solution: you're likely to notice that they are very open to your ideas now that you've shown them you really understand the problems they are currently trying to solve.

Above all else, be helpful.

This is where your improving networking skills start to bear fruit. If you are able to be helpful, you will become a stellar networker overnight. If you gain a reputation for being helpful, folks are far more likely to introduce you to others in their network because they know that you are a valuable resource.

Step 2

Next, you are going to find a few places for you have some practice "inter-sations" so that you can learn to interview like a pro.

Pick a networking event. Write in the name and date of the event.

This does not have to be an event of your customers. This is just any ol' networking event where you can go to practice your interviewing skills. It just needs to be a gathering of professional type people.

If you need help finding one, check out Meetup.com and pick one...any one. Remember, it's more important that is happens this week so you can get the practice, than that they are the ideal people to interview.

During this networking event, you are going to find 3 people with whom you will have an "inter-sation". Your goal is to have 3 inter-sations where you meet the Success Criteria outlined above.

If you're just starting out, expect that you'll need to conduct 6 - 9 conversations, before you reach your Success Criteria on all 3.

Practice makes easy.

Once you've achieved your 3 successful inter-sations, come back to this worksheet and write down:

• The person's name
• The problem they are trying to solve
• The emotions they have around that problem

Remember, being a great networker is about being helpful. By helping someone solve their problem, they will know that if they introduce you to others, you will be helpful to them as well.

This is how you will build your team, and access to the resources you need.

Step 3

Pick a social event and write in the date.

At this event, your goal is to have 3 successful inter-sations with friends.

This event could be a cocktail party, a wedding, a church event, a kite flying festival - any event where you find your self hanging out and chatting with others. Everyone has a challenge they are working on right now. Figure out what it is and ask them about it!

Once you've completed 3 social inter-sations, again, write in the name of the person, the problem they are trying to solve, and the emotions associated with that problem.

Hint: be on the lookout for how this style of conversation changes the way you interact with your friends, and vice versa.

Step 4

Now pick 3 family members and have inter-sations with them.

You can choose your partner, your siblings, your cousins, your parents, etc. You'll find, almost everyone has thing they're struggling with.

You'll also notice that an inter-sation is a great way to connect and be closer with those you love. If you do it right, you are truly listening, you are connecting, you are empathizing. It feels good to be on the other end of that type of interaction.

Step 5

Get interviewed before your 7 days are up.

A great way to really understand the power of the inter-sation is to get interviewed yourself. Find another founder and schedule a time to be interviewed by them, using the same techniques.

Most people find that:

• It is enjoyable to have someone ask you about your problems
• It is fun to talk about your problems and gets you thinking about solutions
• You don't worry too much about the other person stumbling over their questions - it's just neat to be talking like this

Getting interviewed will give you a great perspective of what it will be like for your customers when you interview them.

Most founders find it a lot more enjoyable to be interviewed than they expect - turns out, your customers enjoy being interviewed too!

What's Next

Once you complete this exercise, you'll have been a part of 10 different, low risk interviews. When the real customer interviews come about, you'll feel more confident in:

• Getting comfortable, and making the conversation free-flowing
• Empathizing, helping people feel safe to open up and share
• Note taking to keep track of the information you collect and remember the important pieces of each interview

Of course, by practicing your inter-sation skills via this exercise, and your conversations going forward, you'll naturally:

• Reduce any anxiety you have around interviewing customers
• Get your validation faster by doing your interviews right
• Become a phenomenal networker because you will understand that networking is not about telling people about you and your product, it is about understanding and solving people's problems

Conduct your Interviews

You've already got a schedule for conducting your interviews, and now you've got the skills to conduct them - time to get out of the building, talk to your customers, and discover the problems your customers are Early Adopters for!

Once you've finished 5 interviews in one channel, you're ready for the 5 Interview Checkpoint. That exercise will help you check-in on your findings thus far, and make sure you're on the right track.