Hi there -
Here is this week’s “1 principle, 2 strategies, and 3 actionable tactics” for running lean…
1 Universal Principle
“Don’t ask customers about their problems. Do this instead.”
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I recently revived my YouTube channel and posted a video this week with a spiky point of view: “Don’t start with an MVP.” In case you missed it, I’ve linked it at the end of today’s issue.
Today’s issue takes on another spiky perspective: “Don’t ask customers about their problems.” This may seem counter to one of my core mindsets: “Love the problem, not your solution,” but it isn’t.
While starting with problems is simple, implementing them is challenging for many reasons. “Problem” is a red flag word that can
- bias/lead the conversation,
- put your customer on the defensive,
- clam up your customer.
I’ll dive into some of these issues today, alongside some tactics for overcoming them.
2 Underlying Strategies at Play
I. The Problem Spotlight Effect.
When you ask customers to comment directly on a specific problem, you remove them from their real-world context, which is filled with many other competing problems (direct and indirect).
This inherently biases the conversation and over-emphasizes your chosen problem, potentially leading to false-positive problem validation.
You realize this weeks or months later when you ask them to buy your solution, only to realize it’s not an immediate priority.
II. Problem insights require deep introspection.
Every successful startup has an underlying insight or secret that only the founder saw at the start. Getting to these secrets starts with getting to the root causes of problems.
Your customers can typically rattle off surface-level symptoms or undesired effects, but they are too busy firefighting or relying on workarounds to get to root causes.
Steve Jobs summed it best:
“It’s not the customer’s job to know (or tell you) what they want.”
It’s your job to figure that out.
The best way to gain these insights is to use a “backdoor approach” rather than directly ask your customers about a specific problem.
3 Actionable Tactics
I. Spotlight a specific (recent) situation.
Instead of spotlighting a specific problem, spotlight a specific recent situation where they might have encountered the problem.
For instance, if you were conducting interviews about a ridesharing idea, don’t ask people what the problem is with taxis. Instead, ask them when they last hired a taxi.
II. Walk the timeline backward.
Have them tell you exactly what happened:
- Where were they?
- Where were they going?
- What time of day it was?
- How did they order the taxi?
- What happened next?
- … then after that?
Notice that nowhere in here are we inquiring about problems.
III. Look for struggles, pet peeves, and workarounds, not problems.
That said, be on the lookout for struggles, pet peeves, and workarounds. When you find one, slow down the timeline and dig deeper.
Examples:
- You said you ordered the taxi the day before; why so far in advance?
- How did you feel when the taxi didn’t arrive on time?
- Weird smell?
Most big problems worth solving don’t start out looking like big problems. They start as little struggling moments, pet peeves, or workarounds.
Chase those.
That's all for today. See you next week.
Ash
Author of Running Lean and creator of Lean Canvas
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P.S.
Here’s the YouTube Video: