6 questions to get inside your customer's head

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I’ve run dozens of customer interviews over the years.

I’ve blurted out hundreds of questions, trialling and testing to figure out which ones lead to insights I can use.

I’ve scoured the web looking for gold nuggets from top marketers and customer experts. On my travels I spoke to Customer Researcher Hannah Shamji. She’s interviewed over 1,000 customers and started out as a practicing psychotherapist. She’s a world leader in understanding customers.

In our conversation, Hannah made a counterintuitive point about interviews that’s stuck with me:

Don’t ask customers ‘Why?’ in a customer interview.

Hannah said:

“I tend to stay away from ‘Why?’ altogether. If you ask someone why they did something, they will totally have an answer. That answer will feed their own ego, it will feed their image of themselves and who they want you to think they are. We all do this.”

Thing is, ‘Why?’ triggers rationalisation; it causes the respondent to justify. Their ego will step in to project an ideal image to you.

Instead of why, Hannah recommends sticking to concrete decisions, actions and facts. Ask ‘What?’ & ‘How?’ questions. That’s where you’ll find the truth.

Here are 6 simple questions guaranteed to produce insights you can use.

These 6 questions will give you:

• A compelling story that resonates with your ICP

• Insights into customers' REAL objections

• Language to use in your messaging

• Customers' favourite Features

• A smashing testimonial

Q1: What happened the day you realised you need a solution like [your product/ service]?

Use this question to cut straight to the customer’s need behind the need.

Q2: What problem were you hoping to solve?

This question will highlight your customer’s most important pain point.

Hint: Find the exact language they use to describe the problem. Then use this language everywhere in your messaging & content.

Q3: What were you afraid of before buying?

Now you’ll hear the biggest objection in the back of their mind before the sale.

Hint: Create content that talks directly to this objection so you can pre-empt it for future prospects.

Q4: What’s your favourite part of what I do?

Here you’re tapping into a specific Feature that resonates.

Hint: This Feature is gold for your ideal customer - talk about it. A lot.

Q5: What’s changed the most since we started working together?

Et voila: here’s your testimonial.

Hint: After the interview, ask for the client’s permission to publish a testimonial & quote them. If they decline, refer to them by job title & industry instead of identifying them by name.

Q6: How would you describe what I do to someone else in your position?

This answer is how you should describe your service.

Remember: The best content isn’t written, it’s found. 

Use your customers’ exact language wherever you can. This is how you’ll stick inside their head, and speak directly to other prospects like them.

Want to get inside your customers’ heads?

Check out my free Client Interview Playbook as a starting point for:

• lots more questions to unearth gold nuggets

• a bulletproof email template to request an interview

• 3 steps to ‘set the table’ for a successful client interview

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