Here's Week 4 Tuesday Tech Tip for more leads!

Conduct 10 Customer Interviews for Insights to Grow Your Email List

Conducting customer interviews is one of the most powerful ways to gain insights directly from the people who matter most to your business. These interviews allow you to understand their needs, pain points, and experiences in ways that analytics or surveys simply can’t capture.

Your goal is to listen, learn, and extract actionable insights that can inform everything from your marketing strategies to product development. Start by selecting the right customers to interview.

You want a mix of your most loyal customers, new customers, and even those who may have churned or had a less-than-ideal experience. This gives you a balanced view of what’s working and what needs improvement.

Reach out to your customers via email or phone, explaining that you’re looking to improve your offerings and would love their feedback. Incentivize them if needed, whether through a discount, gift card, or exclusive content, to encourage participation.

When reaching out, keep your message brief and to the point. Let them know the interview will be short, around 15 to 20 minutes, and assure them that their feedback is valuable.

People are more likely to agree when they feel their opinion will have a meaningful impact on your business. Once you’ve confirmed your participants, schedule a time that works for them and send a calendar invite to avoid miscommunication.

Now that you’ve set up your interviews, prepare by developing a list of open-ended questions. Avoid yes/no questions or ones that lead the customer to a specific answer. You’re trying to encourage them to share their experiences and opinions freely.

Focus on key areas like what motivated them to choose your product, how they use it, any challenges they’ve encountered, and what they value most about your brand. Ask questions like, “What problem were you trying to solve when you chose our product?” or “Can you tell me about a time you were frustrated with our service?” This approach leads to deeper insights, as it allows the customer to narrate their experience in their own words.

During the interviews, focus on active listening. This means you’re not just hearing their words, but understanding the emotions and motivations behind them. Keep the conversation relaxed and conversational.

Don’t interrupt or rush them. Even if they veer off-topic, you might uncover insights you didn’t anticipate. Your job is to guide the conversation with your prepared questions but stay flexible to follow any unexpected paths that provide value.

As the conversation progresses, dig deeper when necessary. If a customer mentions a frustration, ask follow-up questions to better understand the root cause. For example, if they say they found your product difficult to use, ask them what specifically was challenging.

The more you can drill down into specific pain points, the more useful the feedback will be. Encourage them to provide examples or walk you through their thought process. Customers often reveal key insights in the details.

Take detailed notes during or immediately after each interview. If you have permission, you can record the conversation for later review. This ensures you capture everything, as trying to rely on memory alone can lead to missed details.

Organize your notes into themes as you go, such as common frustrations, desires, or compliments. Look for patterns across different interviews to identify the most pressing issues or the aspects of your product that customers love the most.

After you’ve completed all 10 interviews, it’s time to analyze the data. Go through your notes and group feedback into categories. You’ll likely notice that certain themes come up repeatedly, whether they’re positive or negative.

These recurring patterns are the insights that will be most valuable moving forward. For example, if several customers mention that they love how easy it is to navigate your product, you know this is a strength to highlight in your marketing. Conversely, if multiple people mention a feature they find confusing, it’s an area that needs attention.

Once you’ve identified key themes, prioritize them based on what will have the biggest impact on your business. If many customers are frustrated by the same issue, addressing it should be at the top of your list.

Similarly, if they repeatedly mention a benefit that you aren’t fully leveraging in your marketing, make sure to incorporate it into your messaging. Remember that customer feedback is only as useful as the action you take based on it.

Organize the findings in a clear, concise format, summarizing the major themes and specific action steps you plan to take. Analysis of the data is key to turning feedback into real improvements.

Don’t forget to follow up with the customers who participated in the interviews. Thank them for their time and let them know how their feedback is being used. This simple step strengthens the relationship between your brand and your customers.

They’ll appreciate knowing that their input is valued and acted upon. Plus, it increases the likelihood that they’ll participate in future feedback opportunities. Moving forward, customer interviews should become a regular part of your feedback process.

While 10 interviews give you a solid understanding of your customers’ experiences, insights can change over time, especially as your business grows or evolves. Schedule interviews periodically—every few months or after major product launches—to stay in tune with your audience’s needs and ensure you’re continuously improving.

Call to Action

1. By conducting these interviews, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of your customers that goes beyond data points and surface-level feedback. You’ll know exactly what drives their decisions, where they experience frustration, and what keeps them coming back.
2. These insights will help you refine your products, improve your marketing, and ultimately build stronger, more loyal relationships with your customers.

Warmest regards,

	Fred Raley The Submarine Guy Fred@SubmarineGuy.com
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