One of the things I do for my clients is help them connect to their customers, validate a market need and refine their product to meet that need. The only way to do this is by communicating with those customers, whether it is through a survey, interviews, or personal visits. I emphasized the need to communicate with your customers last week in the post “Top five benefits to startups who talk to customers.”
Today I’d like to focus in on a very specific question you should be asking your customers, “How would you feel if you could no longer use [your product name]?” This is a question that you should ask every customer according to Sean Ellis, and I agree. Sean specializes in customer development and provides similar services to what I offer some of my clients. I have found his blog to have excellent advice.
He asks that question with the following options:
How would you feel if you could no longer use [product]?
- Very disappointed
- Somewhat disappointed
- Not disappointed (it isn’t really that useful)
- N/A – I no longer use [product]
His assertion is that if 50% of your customers answer this question “Very disappointed” that you are well on your way to having a “must have” product. This is a very interesting assertion as it is a fairly simple litmus test. That said, I think Sean is right on the mark when he advocates asking these type of questions of your customers and working toward a product your customers cannot live without.
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Seems like a simple mantra, but it is amazing how often it doesn’t happen. Here’s a quick test. How many people on your leadership team, say director level and above, have communicated with a customer or prospect this week? If your answer is zero then you ought to be worried.
Every VC, or venture angel has heard it. Maybe you’ve even said it. In answer to the question “who’s your competition?” The simple answer comes back:
Yesterday I posted the results from my 
It seems so simple, and yet so few startups really take the time to do it well. The most basic and fundamental step for any new company, or an old company introducing a new product for that matter, to take is to intimately understand the pain of their customers. Too often early stage companies and product initiatives get caught up in the uniqueness and sophistication of their technology. Developing unique technology with a sustainable competitive advantage is very important, but it is secondary to developing technology that your customers critically need and will pay for. Take a moment and see how you answer the following questions:
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