Author: Rob Fitzpatrick. Entrepreneur 10+ Years. Ran bootstrapped and VC companies (including YC backed). Programmer turned to Sales.
Recommendation: It's a concise book full of useful information. Highly recommend reading and reviewing customer questions you normally ask. Very easy for entrepreneur to fall into bad habits (pitch company mode, pointed questions).
Good Mom Test Questions
The Mom Test:
Question | Good or Bad? | Why? |
---|---|---|
Do you think it's a good idea? | Bad | Too opinionated. Only market knows this answer. |
Would you buy a product which did X? | Bad | People say yes, but don't pay. |
How much would you pay for X? | Bad | If it was important enough, they'd already be paying for a fix. Most likely not important. Question feels rigorous but fails in real-life. |
Why do you bother? | Good | Goes from perceived problem (what you think) to real issue. |
Talk Me Through Last Time That Happened | Good | Concrete |
What Else Have You Tried? | Good | Tells you if problem is important enough they want a fix they would pay for. |
Would you pay X for a product that did Y | Bad | Based in fantasy land with your future app (the one that solves everything and markets itself) |
How Are You Dealing With It Now | Good | Concrete, clear evidence of real problem or not. |
Ignore Compliments
Ignore Fluff
Ignore Ideas
Example: Customer wanted analytics dashboard.
Tactical
Learn to Love Bad News
Do Not Zoom
Elephant [In the Room] Questions
Risk
Prepare 3 Questions to Ask
Push for advancement up each sales pipeline. Had meeting with a client? What's next? Is there a clear advancement to a customer will pay scenario?
Crazy Customers
Bringing them to you:
Getting warm intros:
Framing the Meeting