Customer Discovery In the Time Of Pandemic

How do you get to talk to customers to do customer discovery when they cannot go out due to pandemic. 

Why talk to customers?

Talking to customers should be a very simple idea but it is one of the most difficult things if you want to have a genuine conversation with him. We inherently believe that we understand the customer's problem and we need to find the right solution to the problem. We know now that this is an illusion. To build a product that people want and will use, we need to validate the problem/need, then understand if the solution solves that problem. You also need to test out all the other hypothesis - pricing, demand creation, revenue, costs, etc.,   

The key principles of customer development are 

1. there are no facts inside the office, go out to the customer.
2. All you have are a series of hypothesis.
3. Test your hypothesis with a series of experiments with your potential customers.
4. In-person interviews are not the only way to test the hypothesis.

Why go out of the office physically?

One of the reasons for interviewing people in person is to engage in a dialogue that lets you be sure you understand the problem you are solving and measure customer's reactions to the minimum viable product that you present them. 

"if you can see the peoples' eyes widen and not checking their watch", you have a valuable meet. Not only that, but you can also see what's on their desks, awards on the walls, books on the shelves helping you find out more about his interests and behavior. 

Video conferencing is your friend:

Video programs(Google meet, Skype, Zoom, Webex, GotoMeeting) with a good resolution is a very good substitute for a face-to-face meeting and allows you to connect with more people in a short period. 

Previously you had to find out where the customer is to go and meet him but in pandemic times you are most likely to find him at home and they have more time in their hands than before. 

Getting a meeting n the midst of chaos.

Don't assume customers will be answering their work phones. Also, they may have a different email address. Don't use the standard email pitch.

One advantage is that you may be able to access real customers as they do not have gatekeepers around them. If you have a solution that's relevant to their business reach out to them.

Find out how their world has changed:

In addition to the standard customer discovery questions, you need to understand

• What were their needs/ problem pre-crisis days?
• What is it like now?
• Are there any regulatory changes? behavioral changes?
• What do you think it will be like when the recovery happens?
• Will the needs/problem be the same?

Presenting your Minimum viable Product online:

You build the MVP to validate the problem/solution. It is what you can show a potential customer that will get you the most learning, then to validate product and finally ret of the business model canvas. You can use wireframes, slides, screenshots, storyboards, mockups, and demos.

Remember you are presenting over the video, communicating a lot of information over a small screen 

• Keep the presentation short. Edit your presentation (video) to highlight your points, allow time for interruptions, questions, and allows you to jump to different parts of the demo as required.
• If normally the customer would hold, feel, use the product, make sure your demo does that. take time to zoom in.
• Split the screen so that you can see the customer's reaction also while presenting.
• practice, practice, practice. there is no shortcut to practice. Anticipate questions and be prepared.
• take permission for recording, if not have someone take notes.
• remember you are presenting a hypothesis, not selling.

Validate the rest of the business model:

Do not focus only on the product/solution. How to test the demand creation hypothesis? are there new ways of reaching customers? How to test distribution/ deployment? What are the temporary changes? what is permanent?

Your world has changed and so also your business model should:

If your business model is the same as it was before the crisis, then you are living in a dream world. All assumptions you had made would have changed. Competitors, regulations, distribution channels, and reimbursement environments would change. Ask questions not only about the product but every part of the business model.

Some discovery can't be done now:

Some discovery and validation can't be done right now. Most responses we get will be framed by the present situation. Consider putting the product on hold.

Customer Discovery In the Time Of the Covid-19 Virus

Steve Blank 7 Apr 2020