Talk to the Fans

Sean Pan
Sean Pan
Jul 22, 2017 · 2 min read
Customer interviews are incredibly important for a product manager

One of the most important duties of a product manager is to perform customer interviews. These interviews help you understand how your product is actually being used and tells you what needs to be fixed. In these interviews, you will learn new information and gain insight on how you can improve your product.

When conducting the interviews there are a few key tips that you should follow. Recognize that not all questions are created equal. Some are better than others. Typically, you want to ask specific rather than general questions. You also want to ask about what they actually do rather than what they would do. i.e. How many days do you go to the gym? vs If you had the time, how many days would you be going to the gym. People will pain themselves in the lightest picture, so the best way to interview is to see what they are doing now. Avoid asking questions that can be responded with a simple “yes” or “no”. You need to ask open ended questions. These are questions that start with a Who, What, Where, When, Why, or How. They bring out the best responses and can get them to start going on a tangent and telling you a story. This lets you get more insight than you would have otherwise.

Finally, at the end of the interview, always ask this question: “Is there anything else that I should’ve asked about?”. Give them the opportunity to spill their heart out and tell you more information.

Using these tactics, you will be able to develop a hypothesis on how you can improve your product and create a better product for your customers!

Looking forward to the future, the possibilities are endless.

Sean Pan

Sean Pan

Sean is a real estate investor in the Silicon Valley, Bay Area. He is the host of the Everything Real Estate Investing Show. See more at EverythingREI.com

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