Rob Fitzpatrick

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

It boils down to this: you aren’t allowed to tell them what their problem is, and in return, they aren’t allowed to tell you what to build. They own the problem, you own the solution.

Rule of thumb: If you’ve mentioned your idea, people will try to protect your feelings.

Rule of thumb: Anyone will say your idea is great if you’re annoying enough about it.

Talk less
You can’t learn anything useful unless you’re willing to spend a few minutes shutting up (even if you have something really smart to say).

Rule of thumb: There’s more reliable information in a “meh” than a “Wow!” You can’t build a business on a lukewarm response.

Rule of thumb: If it feels like they’re doing you a favour by talking to you, it’s probably too formal.

Rule of thumb: Give as little information as possible about your idea while still nudging the discussion in a useful direction.

Rule of thumb: “Customers” who keep being friendly but aren’t ever going to buy are a particularly dangerous source of mixed signals.

commitment and advancement are separate concepts which overlap quite a lot and tend to appear together.

Commitment — They are showing they’re serious by giving up something they value such as time, reputation, or money.
Advancement — They are moving to the next step of your real-world funnel and getting closer to a sale.