The Mom Test: how to talk to customers and learn if your business is a good idea when everybody is lying to you

A brilliant, down to Earth, cookbook for the initial product-discovery and development by Rob Fitzpatrick.

Tribal wisdom is not to ask you mother whether your product or business idea is a good one. She will not give you honest answer, because she loves you, they say. Which probably true, the question itself is wrong and you should not ask it anyone, as everyone will lie to you at least a little.

Rob’s recommendation boils down to:

• Talk about their life instead of your idea.
• Ask about specifics in the past instead of generics or opinions about the future.
• Talk less and listen more (more you’re talking, the worse you’re doing).

They own the problem, you own the solution.

Rob’s writing is concise, entertaining and straight to the point. The whole book has just 138 pages, which is soooo much refreshing¹.

First chapter covers Customer conversations. Which questions should you ask (and more importantly, which to avoid). Rob sets the scene with the opening combo – “Do you think it’s a good idea?” – Wrong, opinions are worthless.

He continues with data acquisition. As we say in machine-learning – garbage in, garbage out. Chapter 2 focuses on three main types of bad data – compliments, fluff (generics, hypothetical, and the future), and ideas. It you, the interviewer, who is responsible for driving the conversation, so make sure, you are not asking in a way, which eludes customer to provide you with a bad data.

• compliments – Keep a control of you switching to pitch mode!
• fluff – too generic questions, or eluding interviewee into way to hypothetical answers (“Would you ever…”)
• ideas – Write them down, but don’t rush to add them to your to-do list. Startups are about focusing and executing on a single, scalable idea rather than jumping on every good one which crosses your desk.

Next two chapters deal with substance vs form. You want to keep the interview casual, while not getting into trivialities. As with everything tangible, it should hurt a bit:

You should be terrified of at least one of the questions you’re asking in every conversation.

Rest of the books is, at the end of the day, about importance of execution and focus. Be honest with yourself:

If you don’t know what you’re trying to learn, you shouldn’t bother having the conversation.

Notes are useless if you don’t look at them.

Definitely a must read for anybody starting a new business.

Amazon link