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Everyone says talks to users/customers to validate idea - but who is ready to talk ?
r/Entrepreneur
6/25/2025
SAAS TOOLS
| SaaS | URL | Category | Features/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| No specific SaaS tools mentioned in the post or comments | - | - | - |
USER NEEDS
Pain Points:
- Difficulty getting potential customers to engage in validation interviews
- Lack of network makes customer outreach challenging
- Cold outreach (emails/DMs) has low response rates
- Busy targets unwilling to spare time for discussions
- Suspicion from potential interviewees about motives
- Retail industry targets are particularly difficult to engage
Problems to Solve:
- How to effectively conduct customer discovery without an existing network
- How to get initial customer interviews for idea validation
- How to identify and reach the right decision-makers
- How to build trust quickly with potential interviewees
- How to overcome rejection and maintain persistence in outreach
Potential Solutions:
- Leverage personal networks (friends, family, colleagues) for introductions
- Use LinkedIn for relationship-building before requesting interviews
- Participate in relevant Reddit communities and Discord servers to listen and engage naturally
- Conduct in-person outreach at target customer locations
- Offer incentives like $5 vouchers for participation
- Frame outreach as problem analysis rather than sales pitch (e.g., free 30-min problem analysis session)
- Focus on industries more open to discussions (e.g., healthcare vs. retail)
- Use Mom Test questioning techniques to build rapport
- Attend industry conferences and local entrepreneur meetups
- Ensure outreach is personalized and targets the right decision-makers
- Persist with follow-ups (but limit to 1-2 attempts per lead)
GROWTH FACTORS
Effective Strategies:
- Start by solving problems you personally experience or have direct access to
- Focus on finding at least one highly motivated paying customer before scaling
- Conduct customer discovery through natural conversations in communities
- Pivot business ideas based on customer feedback until finding product-market fit
Marketing & Acquisition:
- In-person outreach at customer locations ("intercepting humans in their natural habitat")
- Warm introductions through personal networks
- Targeted LinkedIn outreach with relationship-building first
- Participation in industry-specific Reddit/Discord communities
- Offering free value (problem analysis sessions) before selling
- Attending conferences and local meetups for direct pitching
Monetization & Product:
- Validate ideas by finding customers willing to pay before full development
- Develop solutions for problems you deeply understand
- Iterate based on quality customer feedback (e.g., 12 quality interviews out of 100 attempts)
- Ensure product solves specific, repeatedly observed pain points
User Engagement:
- Using Mom Test techniques to build rapport during interviews
- Making small talk to ease tensions before business discussions
- Contributing value in online communities before asking for participation
- Building trust through personalized, non-salesy outreach