lean startup circle boston - april 28, 2011

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How to recruit and interview potential customers Elizabeth Yin Co-founder of LaunchBit Lean Startup Circle Boston April 28, 2011 ckr.com ThisParticularGreg

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How to find and interview customers. Presentation from Lean Startup Circle meetup.

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Page 1: 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

Page 2: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

Agenda

• Introduction• Finding customers

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

• Requesting interviews

• Interviewing customers• Analyzing interviews• Q & A

Page 3: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

About Elizabeth and Jennifer

Page 4: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

Shiny Orb

Page 5: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

DressMob

Page 6: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

Finding Customers

Flickr.com epSos.de

Page 7: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

Talk to a range of customers

?

Page 8: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

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”

Page 9: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

Finding Customers:“Spray and Pray”

Flickr.com Shaylor

Page 10: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

Spray and pray strategy

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

types

Page 11: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

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

Page 12: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

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

Page 13: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

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)

Page 14: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

LaunchBit sample survey

Multiple choice questions to learn demographics

Email address to follow up

Info about the interviews $20 for 25 min

Page 15: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

Finding Customers:In-person Channels

Flickr.com wili_hybrid

Page 16: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

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

Page 17: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

Meetups

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

Page 18: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

Finding Customers:Targeted Channels

Flickr.com wili_hybrid

Page 19: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

Targeted strategy

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

– Buyer vs. User• Aim high

Page 20: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

LinkedIn

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

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

Page 21: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

Alumni networks

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

Page 22: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

Google contact information

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

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

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

Page 23: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

Targeted Channels: Requesting Interviews

Flickr.com GenBug

Page 24: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

Write a concise email

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

Page 25: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

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!

Page 26: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

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. 

Page 27: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

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.

Page 28: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

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?

Page 29: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

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

Page 30: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

Interviewing People

Flickr.com Steve Rhodes

Page 31: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

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?

Page 32: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

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?

Page 33: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

Ending the interview

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

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

Page 34: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

Analyzing Interviews

Flickr.com Biking Nikon OGG

Page 35: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

Organize your interviews

maybemight

not sureNO

Page 36: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

About LaunchBit

http://classroom.launchbit.com

http://guide.launchbit.com

Page 37: Lean startup circle Boston  - April 28, 2011

Questions?

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