Customer interview questions

    A good interview does not validate your idea — it uncovers how the customer actually lives with the problem. These questions are ordered by stage. Keep them open during the call, and always ask about the last time it happened.

    Opening — get them talking about their world

    • Walk me through the last time you dealt with this. What happened first?
    • How often does that come up in a normal week?
    • Who else is involved when it happens?
    • What does a good week look like versus a bad one?

    The problem — find the cost, not the complaint

    • What does it cost you when this goes wrong — time, money, or something else?
    • What have you already tried to fix it?
    • Why did that not stick?
    • If nothing changed for the next year, what happens?

    Current behaviour — what they actually do

    • What do you use today, including spreadsheets and messages?
    • Show me how you did it last time, if you can.
    • What do you do when the normal way fails?
    • What are you paying for right now that touches this?

    Decision and money — who says yes

    • If you wanted to buy something for this, who else has to agree?
    • What would need to be true for you to switch?
    • What is this worth to you compared with what you spend today?
    • When did you last buy something like this, and what triggered it?

    Closing — commitment, not compliments

    • Who else should I talk to about this?
    • Would you be willing to try an early version and tell me it is bad?
    • Can I come back to you in two weeks with what I have built?

    Questions you should not ask

    • Would you use this? — hypothetical answers are free and worthless.
    • Do you like the idea? — you will get politeness, not information.
    • How much would you pay? — people cannot price something they have not needed yet.
    • Any question that describes your solution before they describe their problem.

    More context in how to talk to customers and in how to validate a business idea.

    Frequently asked questions

    How many customer interviews do I need?

    Five to ten per segment is usually enough to see a pattern. If the first three contradict your hypothesis, you have already learned the important thing.

    How long should an interview be?

    Twenty to thirty minutes. You should be speaking less than 20% of the time — if you speak more, you are selling, not learning.

    Can I send these questions as a survey?

    You can, but you lose the best part: the pauses, the concrete examples, and the follow-up questions that come out of what they just said.

    Rehearse the conversation first

    Practise these questions against an AI customer that adapts to your answers in Sales Roleplay, and get a read on how well you listened.