The Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you

There you go. Now you know everything I do about how to learn from conversations. Combine this process with The Mom Test, Keeping it Casual, and Advancement for maximum learning in minimum time.

With your team, review your notes and key customer quotes If relevant, transfer notes into permanent storage Update your beliefs and plans Decide on the next 3 big questions

If a question could be answered via desk research, do that first During the conversation: Frame the conversation Keep it casual Ask good questions which pass The Mom Test Deflect compliments, anchor fluff, and dig beneath signals Take good notes If relevant, press for commitment and next steps After a batch of conversations:

The process before a batch of conversations: If you haven’t yet, choose a focused, findable segment With your team, decide your big 3 learning goals If relevant, decide on ideal next steps and commitments If conversations are the right tool, figure out who to talk to Create a series of best guesses about what the person cares about

Warning signs that you’re just going through the motions: You’re talking more than they are They are complimenting you or your idea You told them about your idea and don’t have next steps You don’t have notes You haven’t looked through your notes with your team You got an unexpected answer and it didn’t change your idea You weren’t scared of any of

Someone saying “that’s a problem” can be interpreted totally differently depending on whether they are neutral or outraged. Any strong emotion is worth writing down. For example, depending on your industry, you might also choose to make symbols for lust, envy or laughter. Capture the big emotions and remember to dig into them when they come up.

When possible, write down exact quotes. Wrap them in quotation marks so you know it’s verbatim. You can later use them in your marketing language, fundraising decks, and to resolve arguments with skeptical teammates. Other times the details aren’t so relevant and you can just jot down the gist.

also like to talk about the meta-level of the conversation itself: which questions worked and which didn’t? How can we do better next time? Were there any important signals or questions we missed? This stuff is more craft than science: you have to actively practice it to get better.

REVIEWING After a conversation, just review your notes with your team and update your beliefs and big three questions as appropriate.