Interviews with customers help determine the goal group and learn vital information about their shopping habits and behavior. However, you’ll want to know the right techniques to get the most out of your interviews. Thanks to this, your start-up will prosper.
The value of customer interviews
Customer interviews are priceless because the company that knows the customer best has an immediate advantage over the competition. You may think you already have a product or service that people need, but the market is not that easy. This mentality only leads you to understanding the customer’s attitude. You also need to know their behavior. Consumers they often do not behave consistently with their attitudes and you need to notice the difference.
Talking to potential customers and establishing direct interaction lets you rigorously examine the nuances of their behavior and create a more accurate goal group. You can use these interviews to gauge interest in your product and brand, or simply use the feedback to unravel a service issue.
Customer interviews are comprehensive ways to assemble relevant information about potential buyers. With this in mind, here are some suggestions and techniques to help you get the most out of your interviews.
1. Know who you are talking to
No two interlocutors are the same. To accurately interpret her answers, you’ll want to know what sort of person you are talking to. You should look for 4 kinds of people:
- Supporters: People who have already purchased your product or service and were satisfied with the experience.
- Angry users: People who made a purchase from your company and were unhappy with the experience.
- Lost users: People who have purchased from you in the past but have not returned for unknown reasons.
- Non-users: People who don’t know your brand but may have an interest in your offer.
Most startups’ interview base will consist mostly of non-users. You should use this factor to your advantage. Growing corporations often find it harder to estimate the size of their market and rely heavily on established connections. Startups can determine the size of your market and potential obstacles talking to non-users.
How are you able to contact these people? Browse social media. Go to conferences. Find the platforms your market uses and start with basic interactions. Don’t rush in – just join the conversation and discover potential interlocutors.
2. Collect relevant data
We all know the difference between quantifiable and eligible data, but you’ll want to get more detailed information. You should collect 4 kinds of data from your interviews:
- Identification data: Gather information about interviewees’ demographics, including age, gender, ethnicity, and occupation. This allows build a detailed profile of the goal group through market segmentation.
- Engagement data: Determine how customers interact with your brand. Ask open-ended questions and present positive scenarios, then record their responses to know the customer experience from their perspective. There are people responds more often in positive contexts. This style of data typically comes from analytics tools, but can still be obtained in person by asking the right questions.
- Behavioral data: This style of data is much like engagement data, but focuses more on product purchases quite than your company’s overall service. Ask participants about their shopping habits. Find out what they appear for in a product and what makes them return to buy other brands.
- Posture data: This is the most qualitative style of data and is best suited for interviews. Let the interlocutors share their stories and personal experiences. Since you may mostly be interviewing non-users, ask them about their experiences with competitors. You can gain invaluable insight into your market and the things that can set your company apart.
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3. Use different interview structures
Use different interview structures to gather a big selection of feedback from your group of participants. Don’t use the same query template all the time. You should include the following kinds of interviews:
- Built: This survey-based interview style focuses on a number of participant responses and transforms them into organized data sets. Structured interviews are often quick and hassle-free, allowing multiple interviews to be conducted in succession. However, they are limited in scope and the data could also be accurate but not detailed enough to attract conclusions.
- Semi-structured: This guided conversation between each parties allows the interview to vary direction depending on the participant’s behavior. You still write questions in advance, but you may present them otherwise for each participant and thus collect reliable qualitative data. However, comparing responses becomes harder when interviews branch out in different directions.
- Unstructured: It is a normal conversation about a specific topic, but without a clear format or guidelines. This relaxed atmosphere is the handiest method to gather real information from participants. However, the interviewer must work twice as hard to maintain the conversation on track and establish rapport in a timely manner.
Startups should use all three interview structures accommodate all personalities. Some people need to be done with the interview and prefer a easy, structured approach. Others are desirous to talk and have great stories to share, so a semi-structured or unstructured interview will be higher for them. You have to adapt your process to make sure they are comfortable and willing to offer honest feedback.
4. Talk in pairs
One-on-one conversations with strangers are inherently tense. Panel interviews may also put undue pressure on the participant because they could feel singled out. Interviews in pairs are the golden mean.
The second interviewer relieves the tension between you and the participant, and you may perform various tasks during the conversations. One person asks questions, the other writes down the answers. This dynamic allows the interviewer to proceed the conversation and read the participant’s reactions without rushing or pausing.
Non-verbal communication is equally vital like the words you say. You have to listen to facial expressions, body language, and other elements that may indicate the customer’s true attitude or behavior. The two-person interview style lets you notice these items and record all the relevant information without missing a beat.
5. Avoid “do you think” questions.
Many corporations inadvertently turn job interviews into sales pitches. One method to make this error is to ask “do you think” questions. You should avoid the following questions during job interviews:
- “What do you think about our breakthrough product or service?”
- “Do you think our product is too expensive?”
- “Do you think this product will be relevant in X years?”
- “Do you think this product will help you in your everyday life?”
These questions put the interviewer in a difficult situation and put pressure on him to provide a positive answer about your company. If you would like honest feedback, ask them authentic questions. Use this information as a guide on the best way to tailor your product to their needs. There are people 91% more more likely to purchase from the company when it adapts to their requirements with special offers.
6. Ask for details
Don’t be afraid Asks the interlocutor for details at any time when you get a generalized answer to a query. For example, if a participant says, “Yes, I’ve had this problem before,” push him to offer more details. Ask them when, where and why the problem occurred and what your company can do to unravel it.
Asking follow-up questions when answers are unclear is a great method to make the most of your interlocutors’ silence. If you do not get them to provide you specific answers, they will not offer you them. You have to make every effort to know your customers and overcome the obstacles facing your startup.
7. Finish strong
At the end of every job interview, you must end with two questions:
- “What didn’t I ask?” or “What is one question I should ask you?”
- “Who else do you suggest for an interview?”
Startups conducting their first interviews can easily miss something or simply ask the flawed questions. They also need to search out participants by any means possible. These questions address each issues, giving the interviewer a likelihood so as to add information and refer you to other potential clients.
You must also follow up with each interviewee by sending them a friendly email thanking them for participating. This small gesture of gratitude can change a person’s entire attitude towards your company. This is also one other opportunity to ask a final query or make clear the person’s statement. The longer you stay in contact with potential customers, the more they are more more likely to buy from you.
Take your startup to a latest level
One of the biggest obstacles for a startup is finding an audience and creating a customer base. Talking to customers may give your company direct insight into the minds and behaviors of potential buyers. This invaluable information will help you identify what must be modified. This might be an overarching issue, resembling your company’s online shopping experience, or a minor detail, resembling a logo or color scheme. You won’t know until you ask.