Naming something "The Mom Test" in the current political environment is a choice.
Why?
The Mom Test – How to talk to customers
21–30 of 140 posts
Re: The Mom Test – How to talk to customers
#22Although not quite the same, this reminds me of a very simple trick many blind people are taught during training on how to navigate the city: Never ever ask "Is this line 4" if you want to know which tram just arrived. Ask "which line is this?" Simply because the first version will make many people answer "yeah yeah" without even looking. The second version forces them to actually answer your question with something…
Also if there is no PA on public transport vehicles that announces which line it is as it’s approaching the stop, and it’s a city, not a small town or village, it’s quite a shitty city to be living in. Consider moving elsewhere.
If they can’t get their accessibility shit right, no way they’re going to have working snow plows in winter. Also the underground canals are gonna be so clogged that a mildly heavy rain will create fucking lakes and rivers on the streets.
Re: The Mom Test – How to talk to customers
#23Heya, author here. Fun to see this.
I wrote the book after becoming hugely frustrated as an introverted technical founder trying to "talk to customers" but finding zero books about sales/interviews/etc that spoke to my context. That first company (yc s07) failed just as I started to figure it all out, but the casual approach proved useful (and comfortable) in my future businesses, so I wanted to document it for other folks like me.
If it's helpful for anyone, I've been answering reader questions with little youtube videos that touch on some of the common misunderstanding and sticking points.[1]
Also, back when covid started, I also did a short series (5x 5min videos) about adapting the approach to remote interviews.[2]
[1] Q&A: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvHabB7atz2uWPZN5m7z3...
[2] Remote: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvHabB7atz2tOjQs1OMzj...
Re: The Mom Test – How to talk to customers
#24Naming something "The Mom Test" in the current political environment is a choice.
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Re: The Mom Test – How to talk to customers
#25Rob's book is fantastic. I remember reading a very early version when it first came out. I'm very pleased to see that it has steadily become more popular over the years.
Another great new book on the same topic is Deploy Empathy by Michele Hansen. Michele goes even deeper with lots of practical tips, scripts, and templates. I highly recommend it, especially if you liked The Mom Test - https://deployempathy.com.
Re: The Mom Test – How to talk to customers
#26Although not quite the same, this reminds me of a very simple trick many blind people are taught during training on how to navigate the city: Never ever ask "Is this line 4" if you want to know which tram just arrived. Ask "which line is this?" Simply because the first version will make many people answer "yeah yeah" without even looking. The second version forces them to actually answer your question with something…
Oh wow sounds terrible to lie to a blind person but makes totally sense.
It’s not much a lie, it’s more of a way to quickly get someone to sod off. Still a shitty move.
Re: The Mom Test – How to talk to customers
#27Heya, author here. Fun to see this. I wrote the book after becoming hugely frustrated as an introverted technical founder trying to "talk to customers" but finding zero books about sales/interviews/etc that spoke to my context. That first company (yc s07) failed just as I started to figure it all out, but the casual approach proved useful (and comfortable) in my future businesses, so I wanted to document it for other…
I think you really hit a frustration of many people :D
Thanks for the book and your work Rob!
Re: The Mom Test – How to talk to customers
#28Rob's book is fantastic. I remember reading a very early version when it first came out. I'm very pleased to see that it has steadily become more popular over the years. Another great new book on the same topic is Deploy Empathy by Michele Hansen. Michele goes even deeper with lots of practical tips, scripts, and templates. I highly recommend it, especially if you liked The Mom Test - https://deployempathy.com .
Cool will definitely add it to my list. Thanks!
Re: The Mom Test – How to talk to customers
#29There have been a handful of books like this that I think are so key and probably not very contraversial but then I see so many companies who fail because they don't approach things in this way - perhaps they don't know about the book, perhaps they think they know better etc.
It would be great imho to replace the venerable but probably overpriced and ineffective MBA with a modern equivalent that takes on board the sort of training and experience you would get from places like YC, some of the well known investors etc. so that we would end up with something that we could say, "if you want to start a business, you really need to go on this course".
It could be distance/part-time/whatever but it would ensure that business people have the correct skills and tools for the job so that they give themselves the biggest chance of success.
Re: The Mom Test – How to talk to customers
#30Although not quite the same, this reminds me of a very simple trick many blind people are taught during training on how to navigate the city: Never ever ask "Is this line 4" if you want to know which tram just arrived. Ask "which line is this?" Simply because the first version will make many people answer "yeah yeah" without even looking. The second version forces them to actually answer your question with something…
This is a rule I heard for dealing with coworkers from some other backgrounds as well. In some cultures, the established norm is for junior staff to answer all boolean questions in the affirmative.
As in:
"Have you completed the task?"
"Yes!" -- no matter what
If instead you ask for a project completion sign-off document, you're forcing them to provide the answer you were actually looking for.