The Mom Test

Points clés

• Ask about the customer's life and past behaviour, never about your idea
• Compliments, vague promises and feature requests are noise, not evidence
• The scariest question is usually the most valuable one to ask
• A meeting only succeeded if the customer gave up time, reputation or money
• Keep conversations casual and short, then write down what you actually heard

À l'intérieur de ce bit

1. Why your mother lies to you

   Imagine telling your mother about your app idea over dinner. She says it is wonderful and she would definitely use it.

2. Talk about their life, not your idea

   The core rule is to stop mentioning your idea at all. Instead, ask about the person's life and how they currently deal with the problem you care about.

3. Compliments, fluff and ideas are bad data

   Fitzpatrick names three kinds of answers that feel good and mean nothing. Compliments, such as calling your idea cool, are just social lubricant.

4. Ask the question that scares you

   Every founder has a question they avoid because the answer might kill the idea. Fitzpatrick argues that this is exactly the question to ask first, because a bad answer now is cheaper than the same answer after a year of building.

5. Commitment beats compliments

   How do you know a customer conversation went well? Not because they were enthusiastic.

6. Passez à l'action

   This week, find 3 people who face the problem you want to solve and have short, casual conversations with them, without ever mentioning your product. Before each one, write the 3 most important questions, including the one you are afraid to ask.