Choose interviews around a decision
Recruit people who recently bought, considered buying or stopped using a relevant solution. Do not mix every participant into one average customer. A satisfied long-term user and someone who abandoned a trial can reveal different parts of the journey.
Decide what uncertainty the interviews should reduce. You might need to understand a buying trigger, a trust concern or a difficult setup step. A broad conversation can be valuable, but a specific research question makes the findings easier to use.
Ask for the story, not approval
- “Tell me about the last time this happened.” Follow the sequence of events.
- “What did you do first?” Identify the existing workaround and competing priorities.
- “What made you look for something else?” Find the trigger for change.
- “Who else was involved?” Map approval, technical and operational roles.
- “What nearly stopped the purchase?” Explore objections without defending your offer.
Ask follow-up questions about concrete actions, time and consequences. Avoid inserting your own benefit into the question. “Would faster automation help?” is more leading than “Which part of the process took the most effort?”
Turn observations into decisions
| Observation | Useful next step |
|---|---|
| Repeated confusion about a term | Rewrite the explanation and test understanding. |
| Buyers compare a manual workaround | Show the relevant before-and-after workflow. |
| A second person approves spending | Create material that supports the internal handoff. |
| Setup requires unavailable data | Investigate a simpler first-use path. |
Worked example: an unexpected blocker
Illustrative example: interviews with store owners reveal that they understand the automation benefit but worry about who will maintain the setup. The next message should explain ownership and support, rather than repeat “save time” more loudly. A small onboarding pilot can then test whether the explanation resolves the practical concern.
Keep the raw observation separate from the proposed solution. Five interviews can reveal a meaningful pattern to investigate, but they do not establish how common it is across the whole market.
Respect the participant
Ask permission before recording, explain the purpose and avoid collecting information you do not need. Remove personal details from shared summaries. Good research depends on candid conversation, which becomes harder when participants feel judged or sold to.
How many interviews are enough?
There is no universal count. Look for repeated decision patterns within a defined segment and note where important uncertainty remains.
Can sales calls replace interviews?
They can provide valuable evidence, but a selling context can influence what people say. Combine call notes with conversations designed to understand rather than persuade.
Put this into practice
Schedule a few recent-buyer conversations and reconstruct the decision timeline. Create a findings sheet with observations, unresolved questions and one proposed test for each strong pattern.
Related foundation: SaaS growth strategy: build acquisition around activation. How these guides are prepared.
Ayoub Mouhachtt
Growth & performance marketing. Explore the portfolio and working background.
Related portfolio work: eGrow. The worked examples in this guide are illustrative and are separate from the portfolio’s project evidence.