Rob Fitzpatrick

Mom was unable to lie to us because we never talked about our idea.

That’s kind of weird, right? We find out if people care about what we’re doing by never mentioning it. Instead, we talk about them and their lives.

People know what their problems are, but they don’t know how to solve those problems.

The Mom Test:

Talk about their life instead of your idea
Ask about specifics in the past instead of generics or opinions about the future
Talk less and listen more

Rule of thumb:If they haven't looked for ways of solving it already, they're not going to look for (or buy) yours.

Ask how they currently solve X and how much it costs them to do so. And how much time it takes. Ask them to talk you through what happened the last time X came up. If they haven’t solved the problem, ask why not. Have they tried searching for solutions and found them wanting? Or do they not even care enough to have Googled for it?

"Talk me through the last time that happened."

"What else have you tried?"
Good question. What are they using now? How much does it cost and what do they love and hate about it? How much would those fixes be worth and how big of a pain would it be for them to switch to a new solution?

Who else should I talk to?"

Doing it wrong is worse than doing nothing at all. When you know you’re clueless, you tend to be careful. But collecting a fistful of false positives is like convincing a drunk he’s sober: not an improvement.

We find out if people care about what we’re doing by never mentioning it. Instead, we talk about them and their lives.