Hi there -
Here is this week's "1 principle, 2 strategies, and 3 actionable tactics" for running lean…
1 Universal Principle
"Study what customers do, not what they say they'll do."
Meet Steve. He spent 3 months running customer interviews for his VR platform idea. 50 interviews later, he was more confused than when he started.
Sound familiar?
Steve made the classic mistake most founders make:
- He asked customers directly about their problems.
- He created surveys asking architects to rank their biggest challenges.
- He ran focus groups asking what features they wanted.
- He conducted one-on-one interviews asking: "What are your biggest pain points with 3D rendering?"
The result? A spreadsheet with 200+ problems, conflicting feature requests, and zero clarity on what to build.
But there's a systematic 30-minute method that flips this completely.
Instead of collecting opinions about hypothetical problems, it reveals what customers actually do—and why they do it.
When Steve finally tried this approach, he uncovered a breakthrough insight in a single 30-minute conversation that completely changed his product direction.
The difference? He stopped asking about problems and started studying behavior.
2 Underlying Strategies at Play
I. Anchor interviews in recent, specific usage
The traditional approach fails because people don't know their real problems. When you ask directly, customers give you surface-level complaints they're consciously aware of. But breakthrough products solve problems customers didn't even know they had.
Here's what Steve's breakthrough interview looked like: Instead of asking Sarah, a senior architect, about her rendering problems, he said: "Can you walk me through your last client presentation project that required 3D renderings?"
Sarah described how she spent $800 on professional renderings for a kitchen remodel. The client loved them but wanted the island moved 3 feet. Back to the modeler, another $400, with a 3-day wait. Then different cabinet colors. Another $400, another 3 days.
In 30 minutes, Steve discovered that the real problem wasn't rendering quality—it was the cost and time of revisions during the client decision-making process.
This insight shifted his entire product from "better 3D rendering tools" to "instant revision capabilities architects can handle themselves."
II. Follow a systematic structure, not random questions
Most customer interviews are scattered conversations that chase whatever the customer mentions first. The Running Lean method uses a proven 30-minute structure:
- 2 minutes: Welcome and context setting
- 5 minutes: Anchor in recent usage ("Tell me about the last time you used...")
- 5 minutes: Explore triggers ("What prompted you to look for a solution that day?")
- 5 minutes: Understand selection process ("How did you choose this option?")
- 10 minutes: Unpack usage patterns ("Walk me through how you got started...")
- 3 minutes: Wrap-up, permission to follow up, and referral request
All of this is documented in great detail, along with sample scripts, in the latest (third edition) of my book, Running Lean.
This isn't just another set of questions. Each section builds on the previous one, systematically revealing the customer's complete journey from trigger to outcome.
3 Actionable Tactics
I. Replace problem questions with story questions
Never ask: "What are your biggest challenges with [topic]?"
Instead ask: "Tell me about the last time you [did the job your product helps with]. What triggered that need?"
The key is specificity. You want them thinking about Tuesday at 3 PM when they actually used their current solution, not some general impression of what they usually do.
II. Listen for emotion, then chase that thread
Don't expect customers to announce their problems with banner headlines. Instead, listen for small frustrations, pet peeves, and workarounds in their story—things they've accepted as "the way it is."
When you hear excitement or disappointment in their voice, dig deeper: "Tell me more about that part. How did that make you feel? What did you do next?"
These emotional moments reveal the intensity of problems and whether they're worth solving.
III. End with the hook, ask, and referral
Close every interview with three critical elements:
The Hook: Summarize their story in 30 seconds, highlighting 2-3 key problems you heard. If you can describe their problems better than they can, that's the perfect tease for your solution.
The Ask: Request permission to follow up in a couple weeks to show them something you're working on that addresses these problems. If you've identified a real problem, scheduling this meeting should be easy.
The Referral: Ask for introductions to more people like them, or other influencers in their buying process.
This systematic approach has helped over a thousand startups I've worked with uncover breakthrough insights. The beauty isn't in the individual questions—it's in how each section systematically reveals customer forces instead of polite lies.
That's all for today. See you next week.
Ash
Author of Running Lean and creator of Lean Canvas
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P.S.
Check out his week's video and watch till the end for a customer-interviewing cheatsheet:
