HackFwd Build 0.9- Berlin March 2012
In the beginning of the talk, Rob explains that while developing software application and products has actually become a lot much faster, speaking to individuals and getting feedback from them has not. The value of doing early client advancement is thus only highlighted.
Rob shares his knowings from his earlier startups. The secret to getting excellent feedback is staying tuned to strong psychological signals. Try to find both favorable and negative emotions around the problem you wish to fix – or whatever issue the other person talks about in relation to your interview – and explore them further.
You can’t contract out client advancement, states Rob. It requires to be done by the founder, especially in the early days, and this includes doing sales. If you get another person in between yourself and the consumers, you risk not getting the bad news and undiluted feedback from your clients. Likewise, early on in a startup’s life a commission-based salesperson might not be a great idea at all, since they may derail you from your vision, not because they ‘d be bad at what they do however particularly if they do their job well. Early scaling is the # 1 killer of early-stage startups, and working with a sales representative prematurely is a sign of this.
Rob’s customer development “Mom test” is a terrific example of how to ask excellent questions: even if you asked your mom about, she would offer you an honest response. See the video for the entire story, discover the patterns of customer development, and why you must constantly have your leading 3 customer advancement questions prepared.
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