lean startup circle boston - april 28, 2011

How to recruit and interview potential customersElizabeth YinCo-founder of LaunchBit

Lean Startup Circle BostonApril 28, 2011

Flickr.com ThisParticularGreg

Agenda

• Introduction• Finding customers

– “Spray and pray”– In-person channels– “Targeted” channels

• Requesting interviews

• Interviewing customers• Analyzing interviews• Q & A

About Elizabeth and Jennifer

Shiny Orb

DressMob

Finding Customers

Flickr.com epSos.de

Talk to a range of customers

?

7 ways to find interviewees

• “Spray and pray” channels– Craigslist– Online Groups

• In-person channels– Malls & Coffee Shops– Meetups

• “Targeted” channels– LinkedIn– Alumni Networks– “Google Searches”

Finding Customers:“Spray and Pray”

Flickr.com Shaylor

Spray and pray strategy

• Reach out to large numbers of people• Filter through surveys• Whittle down to your handful of customer

types

Craigslist

• Great for consumer products/services• Post in the volunteer or gigs sections• “Looking for beta testers” not “Looking to learn about…”• Ask people to email you to take a survey beforehand• Be very specific about time & compensation upfront• $20 for 30 min works well• Post in other locations and use Skype / phone to get

more people

Cindy Alvarez

http://www.slideshare.net/cindyalvarez/user-testing-tactics

Online groups

• Join Google/Yahoo/Facebook/NING, etc.. Groups for specific interests

• Read the TOS beforehand• Be friendly – respond to other posts before

making a request• You can reach out to specific people on

Facebook

Vetting people

• Write a quick survey– Google forms, Wufoo, Survey Monkey

• Take no more than 5 minutes• Ask questions to find your customer types• Clearly message next steps (interview

details and compensation, if any)

LaunchBit sample survey

Multiple choice questions to learn demographics

Email address to follow up

Info about the interviews $20 for 25 min

Finding Customers:In-person Channels

Flickr.com wili_hybrid

Malls & coffee shops

• Good for general consumer applications• Don’t be sketchy!• $5 gift certificates @ Starbucks• Be specific about how much time you’ll

need

Meetups

• TONS of in-person groups…– Meetup.com– Eventbrite events– Yelp events

Finding Customers:Targeted Channels

Flickr.com wili_hybrid

Targeted strategy

• Reach out to specific people• Find ideal people you want to interview• Particularly good for B2B

– Buyer vs. User• Aim high

LinkedIn

• LinkedIn Groups– Reach people you’re not connected to at all

• Via friends, friends-of-friends– Email first before sending LinkedIn request

Alumni networks

• Alumni online directories• Alumni group lists• Can search for people by company

Google contact information

• Find the person you want to speak with– Try typing

• [name] “email”• [name] “@domain.com” • firstname@domain.com• Firstname_lastname@domain.com• Etc..

• Find email addresses of others at the company and replicate format

Targeted Channels: Requesting Interviews

Flickr.com GenBug

Write a concise email

• Catchy subject• Smart phone readable (3 lines)• Strong call to action

Email subject lines

• Build rapport through mutual friends– [ABC] recommended speaking with you

• Connect through vanity– Your article in the WSJ?– Your talk at [abc]?– Your blog article?

• Connect through praise– Loved your article!

Email body – 1st line

• Build rapport immediately– Praise, thanks, vanity– Establish commonalities

• E.g. I had a blast at your ABC conference on XYZ topic -- thank you.

• I'm a fellow ABC alum and found you in the ABC directory. 

Email body – 2nd line

• What you’re doing and why this is interesting– This is the hardest line to write

• E.g. I’m doing some research for a project on [abc] and am trying to learn how [def] works.

• E.g. I’m prototyping some ideas around [abc] and think I can increase your sales.

Email body – 3rd line

• Call to action• Who/What/When/Where/Why vs. Yes/No• Think about what you want to achieve• Reasonable ask

• E.g. I would like to get your quick thoughts on this – what is the best way to speak by phone for 10 min

• E.g. I would like to speak with someone at your company about this – who is the best person to speak with about this for 10 min?

Follow ups

• No response– Email again within the week

• Response– Set up a time/date to talk (Skype/phone/in-

person)– Send mocks/slides the day before explaining

that you’ll walk through them on the call• PDF all slides• No more than 5 slides

Interviewing People

Flickr.com Steve Rhodes

Ask behavioral questions first

What are the most frustrating aspects of

ABC?

If you had a magic wand to help you with ABC, what

would it do?

What is the process you go through today

to do ABC?

How much would you expect this magic wand to

cost?

May I ask you why ABC is frustrating?

Ask solution questions later

Would you use it?

How much would you expect this to cost, if

anything?

Do you have any friends whom you think could benefit

from this?

We’d love to learn from your friend, mind making

an intro?

So, you said ZYX of ABC was frustrating, what if the

product looked like this?

Ending the interview

• Stick to your time• Thank them (deal with compensation if

any)• Ask to follow up• Ask for friend referrals

Analyzing Interviews

Flickr.com Biking Nikon OGG

Organize your interviews

maybemight

not sureNO

About LaunchBit

http://classroom.launchbit.com

http://guide.launchbit.com

Questions?

• More questions? hello@launchbit.com• Feedback index cards• LaunchBit mailing list signup sheet• Blog: blog.launchbit.com• Twitter: @launchbit• www.launchbit.com