3 rules for customer interviews that get honest answers

You

I've rewritten my script. No more “do you like it”. Now I open with: “We're launching a food subscription. Can I ask a few questions about how you buy cat food?”

Alex Tutor

Better, but the same problem: the idea is in your first sentence. From then on she answers with the subscription in mind, and politely.

Rule one for honest answers: talk about their life instead of your idea. Their routine, their hassles, what they spend, what they've tried. Your idea stays in your pocket.

You

Forever? At some point I need to know whether she wants it.

Alex Tutor

Later, and not by asking her opinion. Once you understand the problem, you ask for something real, like a pre-order. That's module 4. The usual mistake is showing the idea too early.

A good sign: she leaves the call without knowing what you're building, and you leave knowing exactly how her last food run went.

Alex Tutor

Question 1

Which opening follows rule 1 best?

Choose one answer“We're building a subscription that saves you trips to the shop. Can I ask you a few questions?”“How's Whiskers doing? What's he eating these days, and where do you get it?”“Would a monthly delivery make your life easier?”“I'd love your honest opinion on our new subscription.”

You

OK, life, not idea. So I'll ask: “How do you usually buy cat food?”

Alex Tutor

Closer. But “usually” invites a portrait of her ideal self: “Oh, I always buy in advance, I'm very organised.” A generic claim describes who she'd like to be, not what she did.

Rule two: ask about specifics in the past instead of generics or opinions about the future. Not “how do you usually…”, but “when did you last…?” and “walk me through it”.

You

Why is the past so much better?

Alex Tutor

The past has details: which shop, what day, what went wrong, what it cost. It's hard to embellish. The future is free, and everyone's a brilliant planner in the future.

Listen for warning words: “always”, “usually”, “never”, “would”, “will”. When you hear them, ask about one specific time.

Alex Tutor

Question 2

Which questions follow rule 2 (specifics in the past)? Select all that apply.

Choose all that apply“When did you last buy food for your cat?”“How often do you usually go to the pet shop?”“Tell me about the last time you ran out of food. What did you do?”“Would you switch brands for a 10% discount?”“Why did you switch to this brand in the spring?”

You

Here's yesterday's call with Olivia. I followed both rules! I asked: “When did you last run out of food?”

Olivia

Oh, two weeks ago, actually. It was Sunday evening, the shop downstairs was closed, and—

You

And I jumped in: “That's exactly why we're building our subscription! Food arrives automatically, you never run out, and it's 10% cheaper!”

Olivia

Oh, that's great. Yes, that would help.

Alex Tutor

You had it. A real story, two weeks old, just unfolding. Then you started pitching, and she switched to being polite. We'll never know how that Sunday ended.

Rule three: talk less, listen more. Every sentence about your solution is a sentence you're not learning about her problem. Pauses are fine. Let her finish.

Alex Tutor

Question 3

In Sofia's call, which moment cost her the most information?

Choose one answerAsking “When did you last run out of food?”Interrupting Olivia's Sunday story to describe the subscriptionLetting Olivia mention the shop downstairsNot asking about price at the very start

You

On the next call I kept quiet, and Olivia had an idea: “You should make an app where I scan the bag and it reorders automatically!” Should we build that?

Alex Tutor

Maybe, maybe not. Customers know their problems very well. They're usually not good at designing solutions, and that's not their job.

So here's the deal: you don't tell her what her problem is, and she doesn't tell you what to build. She owns the problem, you own the solution.

You

So I ignore her idea?

Alex Tutor

No, you treat it as a clue. Ask why: “What would scanning save you?” Maybe the real problem is remembering to reorder, maybe it's the trip. Her idea points at the problem; it isn't a spec.

Alex Tutor

Question 4

If several customers ask for the same feature, the team should build it exactly as requested, because customers know best what they need.

TrueFalse

Megan

My team starts calling customers on Monday to ask about the subscription. Here's our script. Can you and Alex give it a quick look?

Alex Tutor

Sales scripts are built to persuade, so they tend to break all three rules at once. Let's see.

You

Some lines feel off, one looks fine. Let me match each line to the rule it breaks.

Alex Tutor

Go ahead. One line may break more than one rule; pick the most obvious.

Alex Tutor

Question 5

Match each line of Megan's script to the rule it breaks most clearly.

Pick an answer for each row. Choosing an answer that is already used moves it to this row.

“We're launching a subscription that's 10% cheaper. Interested?”
Choose an answer
“How often do you usually order food?”
Choose an answer
[Rep describes the subscription benefits for three minutes]
Choose an answer
“Tell me about the last time you changed cat food brands.”
Choose an answer

You

I should send Megan something better, not just criticism.

Alex Tutor

Right. Rewrite the worst line.

You

And the closing question: “Would you switch from your pet shop to us?” Is that the worst?

Alex Tutor

Pretty much: the idea, the future and a sales pitch in one sentence. Turn it into questions that follow all three rules.

Alex Tutor

Question 6Short answer · AI-checked task

Rewrite Megan's line “Would you switch from your pet shop to us?” into one or two questions that follow all three rules for honest answers.

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Megan

Thanks, we'll use it! One customer on a test call said: “I always buy food in advance, I never run out.” So she doesn't need the subscription, right?

You

“Always”, “never”. That's a generic claim, isn't it?

Alex Tutor

Yes. It could be true, or it could be who she'd like to be. Don't argue with it, and don't accept it either. Ask for one specific time.

You

How do I do that without sounding like I'm trying to catch her out?

Alex Tutor

Be curious, not suspicious. Your turn.

Alex Tutor

Question 7Short answer · AI-checked task

A customer says: “I always buy food in advance, I never run out.” Write your follow-up (one or two questions) that turns this generic claim into a specific story, without sounding accusing.

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You

Tomorrow I'm meeting a customer, Emily, at our pickup point. Fifteen minutes, tops.

Alex Tutor

Then plan it. Not a script to read out, just a few questions and a clear idea of what you're listening for.

You

And if she asks what we're working on?

Alex Tutor

Worth planning for. Say you're trying to understand how people buy cat food, and keep the details for the very end, if at all.

Alex Tutor

Question 8Case · AI-checked task

Plan Sofia's 15-minute conversation with Emily.

Emily has bought dry food from CatChow's pickup point a few times. CatChow wants to learn whether buying cat food is a real hassle for people like her, before it builds the subscription.

Write a short plan (150–300 words):

How Sofia opens the conversation.
Four or five questions in the order she'd ask them.
What she does if Emily gives a generic answer (“I usually…”) and if Emily suggests a feature.
What she answers if Emily asks what CatChow is working on.

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You

Three rules. Honestly, the third will be the hardest for me.

Alex Tutor

It's the hardest for everyone who cares about their idea. That's why the first two help: if you're asking about her past, there's less temptation to talk about your future.

Alex Tutor

Next lesson is a workshop: we'll take your whole question list and sort the good from the bad.

Alex Tutor

That’s the lesson. You answered every task — nicely done.

Next lesson: Bad questions vs good questions