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A 14-day plan to find customers to interview

Seven steps from zero audience to 20 conversations

Process of seven steps to find customers to interview in 14 days: describe one person, ask your network, follow up, ask for referrals, then count.
Work the warm routes first and start cold messages only once you have read where your people post
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A seven-step plan for founders with no audience who need 20 customer conversations in two weeks. It starts with one sentence describing the person, uses warm introductions and communities before cold messages, builds in two follow-ups, and ends each call by asking for a referral. Use it as a checklist for the first fortnight of customer discovery, then count what you heard on day 14.

Where this appears

What's in this process

  1. Describe one person in one line: Role, situation and the problem. If you cannot name where they spend time online, narrow it.
  2. Ask your warm network first: Send a short note to everyone you know and ask for introductions, not for an interview.
  3. Find three places they post: A forum, a Slack or Discord group, a subreddit. Read for a week before you write to anyone.
  4. Send short, specific asks: Say why you picked them, what you want to learn and how long it takes. Do not pitch.
  5. Follow up twice: Three messages in a sequence reply more than one. Keep each follow-up shorter than the first.
  6. End every call with a referral: Ask who else has this problem worst. A referral is warmer than any cold message.
  7. Count and decide on day 14: Tally completed conversations and how many described the same problem unprompted.

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<a href="https://www.koji.so/visuals/find-customers-to-interview-14-day-plan"><img src="https://www.koji.so/visuals/find-customers-to-interview-14-day-plan/find-customers-to-interview-14-day-plan.png" alt="Process of seven steps to find customers to interview in 14 days: describe one person, ask your network, follow up, ask for referrals, then count." width="1080" height="1080" /></a>
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.koji.so/visuals/find-customers-to-interview-14-day-plan">A 14-day plan to find customers to interview</a>, Koji</p>

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