A 21-Tweet book summary of ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ ๐ผ๐บ ๐ง๐ฒ๐๐, by @robfitz. 
1/21
Talking to customers can be harmful if not done correctly.
You could end up wasting years of your life and tons of cash working on the wrong thing.
Talking to customers can be harmful if not done correctly.
You could end up wasting years of your life and tons of cash working on the wrong thing.
2/21
Never ask anyone if your business is a good idea.
People will lie to you to protect your feelings.
The Mom Test is a simple set of rules for crafting good customer questions that even your mom can't lie to you about.
Never ask anyone if your business is a good idea.
People will lie to you to protect your feelings.
The Mom Test is a simple set of rules for crafting good customer questions that even your mom can't lie to you about.
3/21
The 3 Rules:
1. Talk about their life instead of your idea.
2. Ask about specific behaviors in the past, instead of generic opinions about the future.
3. Talk less. Listen More.
The 3 Rules:
1. Talk about their life instead of your idea.
2. Ask about specific behaviors in the past, instead of generic opinions about the future.
3. Talk less. Listen More.
4/21
By talking to people about their lives, you'll find out about things they actually care about.
Avoid talking about your idea completely.
If you must, bring it up at the end of the conversation after you have learned what you needed to.
By talking to people about their lives, you'll find out about things they actually care about.
Avoid talking about your idea completely.
If you must, bring it up at the end of the conversation after you have learned what you needed to.
5/21
Successful customer conversations are those which give you concrete facts about a customer's life and worldview.
Bad questions
- Do you think it's a good idea?
- Would you buy a product that did X?
- How much would you pay for X?
Successful customer conversations are those which give you concrete facts about a customer's life and worldview.
Bad questions
- Do you think it's a good idea?
- Would you buy a product that did X?
- How much would you pay for X?
6/21
Good questions
- Why do you bother?
- What are the implications of that?
- Talk me through the last time that happened.
- What else have you tried?
- How are you dealing with it now?
- Who else should I talk to?
- Is there anything else I should have asked?
Good questions
- Why do you bother?
- What are the implications of that?
- Talk me through the last time that happened.
- What else have you tried?
- How are you dealing with it now?
- Who else should I talk to?
- Is there anything else I should have asked?
7/21
While using the mom test, you aren't allowed to tell people what their problem is.
In return, they aren't allowed to tell you what to build.
While using the mom test, you aren't allowed to tell people what their problem is.
In return, they aren't allowed to tell you what to build.
8/21
During conversations, watch out for bad data that comes in 3 forms:
1. Compliments
2. Fluff
3. Ideas
During conversations, watch out for bad data that comes in 3 forms:
1. Compliments
2. Fluff
3. Ideas
9/21
1. Compliments:
When people compliment your idea, they're mostly lying to protect your feeling or be supportive.
You want facts and commitments, not compliments.
The best way to avoid compliments is to never mention your idea.
1. Compliments:
When people compliment your idea, they're mostly lying to protect your feeling or be supportive.
You want facts and commitments, not compliments.
The best way to avoid compliments is to never mention your idea.
10/21
2. Fluff:
There are 3 types of fluff
- Generic claims ("I usually", "I always", "I never")
- Future tense promises ("I would", "I will")
- Hypothetical Maybes ("I might, "I could")
2. Fluff:
There are 3 types of fluff
- Generic claims ("I usually", "I always", "I never")
- Future tense promises ("I would", "I will")
- Hypothetical Maybes ("I might, "I could")
11/21
3. Ideas:
Anyone will say your idea is great if you're annoying enough about it.
When users give you ideas for a product, don't rush to add them to your to-do list of features.
Instead, find out what they want to achieve with the feature they are requesting.
3. Ideas:
Anyone will say your idea is great if you're annoying enough about it.
When users give you ideas for a product, don't rush to add them to your to-do list of features.
Instead, find out what they want to achieve with the feature they are requesting.
12/21
Every time you talk to someone, you should be asking at least one question that could destroy your currently imagined business.
The worst thing you can do is to ignore bad news while searching for a little bit of validation to celebrate.
Your goal is to learn. Not sell.
Every time you talk to someone, you should be asking at least one question that could destroy your currently imagined business.
The worst thing you can do is to ignore bad news while searching for a little bit of validation to celebrate.
Your goal is to learn. Not sell.
13/21
When you hear a lukewarm response, don't up your pitch.
Dig deeper to find out why their response is lukewarm.
When you hear a lukewarm response, don't up your pitch.
Dig deeper to find out why their response is lukewarm.
14/21
Find out if a problem matters enough for a person to take action on it.
Don't obsess over unimportant nuances.
Everybody has problems they know about but don't care about enough to fix.
Find out if a problem matters enough for a person to take action on it.
Don't obsess over unimportant nuances.
Everybody has problems they know about but don't care about enough to fix.
15/21
Use your meetings to find insights that the internet can't give you.
Maintain a list of the 3 most important things you want to learn from any given type of person.
-Customers
-Investors
-Industry Experts
This will make it easier to ask questions that pass The Mom Test.
Use your meetings to find insights that the internet can't give you.
Maintain a list of the 3 most important things you want to learn from any given type of person.
-Customers
-Investors
-Industry Experts
This will make it easier to ask questions that pass The Mom Test.
16/21
Try to keep customer meetings as casual as possible.
If it feels like they're doing you a favor by talking to you, it's probably too formal.
Keep conversations short. If not - customers will give you answers they think you want to hear, just so you let them go.
Try to keep customer meetings as casual as possible.
If it feels like they're doing you a favor by talking to you, it's probably too formal.
Keep conversations short. If not - customers will give you answers they think you want to hear, just so you let them go.
17/21
Once you've learned what you needed to learn from your customers, you can show them your idea or product.
If they compliment your product, ask for a commitment.
The worst kind of 'customers' are the ones who are friendly, but are never going to buy.
Stay away from them.
Once you've learned what you needed to learn from your customers, you can show them your idea or product.
If they compliment your product, ask for a commitment.
The worst kind of 'customers' are the ones who are friendly, but are never going to buy.
Stay away from them.
18/21
Hunt for customers who literally scream out "This is the worst part of my life and I will pay you right now to fix it."
- They have the problem
- They know they have the problem
- They have the budget to solve the problem
- They already have a makeshift solution
Hunt for customers who literally scream out "This is the worst part of my life and I will pay you right now to fix it."
- They have the problem
- They know they have the problem
- They have the budget to solve the problem
- They already have a makeshift solution
19/21
Go to places where your target customers are and keep having conversations until you stop hearing new stuff.
However, if you're not finding consistent problems and goals, you don't have a specific enough customer segment.
Good customer segments are a who-where pair.
Go to places where your target customers are and keep having conversations until you stop hearing new stuff.
However, if you're not finding consistent problems and goals, you don't have a specific enough customer segment.
Good customer segments are a who-where pair.
20/21
Everyone in your team who is involved in taking big decisions needs to be involved with customer conversations at some point.
Always take notes, review them and share them with the team.
The goal is to ensure that the learnings aren't just in your head.
Everyone in your team who is involved in taking big decisions needs to be involved with customer conversations at some point.
Always take notes, review them and share them with the team.
The goal is to ensure that the learnings aren't just in your head.
21/21
Ultimately, you're trying to find out ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ people do, and ๐๐ต๐ they do it that way.
Do it quickly, and once you've figured it out - get down to building your company.
Ultimately, you're trying to find out ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ people do, and ๐๐ต๐ they do it that way.
Do it quickly, and once you've figured it out - get down to building your company.
That's it!
This is the second of 21 books that I'll be summarizing in 21 tweets each in 2021.
If you enjoyed the summary, I'd be grateful if you retweeted the first tweet so it reaches more people.
This is the second of 21 books that I'll be summarizing in 21 tweets each in 2021.
If you enjoyed the summary, I'd be grateful if you retweeted the first tweet so it reaches more people.
https://twitter.com/LouisPereira23/status/1363566976237502468?s=20
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