The document summarizes a presentation by Donna Imam on techniques for effectively interviewing customers to discern their real needs rather than just what they say they want. These techniques include sharing roadmap information with customers, suggesting alternative solutions to their problems, and pressure testing their needs while avoiding making them uncomfortable. The goal is to close the gap between what customers say they want and what they actually need by giving them more context.

1. Beware! Customer’s don’t mean
what they say…
Donna Imam | Feb 2014
@donnaileaf #beware #pcatx12 @PCAustin
Listen to this presentation at: http://www.youtube.com/user/donnaileaf
Link to session description as submitted to Product Camp: http://productcampaustin.org/pca_sessions/beware-
customers-dont-mean-what-they-say/
Link to PC Austin 12 all sessions:
http://productcampaustin.org/events/productcamp-austin-12/proposed-sessions/
© Inteleaf
@donnaileaf #beware #pcatx12

2. Beware, customers don’t mean what they say!
Description: If you're a product manager trying to define products that your customers will rave about
you are probably talking to your customers a lot. Do you ever wonder if your customer really
needs the features they say they want and must have? Do you wonder if they'll actually pay for
these features? Do you live in fear that your competitor will get away with much less? In this
session we will learn and discuss techniques to interview customers effectively and triangulate
with different types of research to help you discern what features a winning solution must have.
Session Leader: Donna Imam is a Partner and Consultant at Inteleaf, a marketing and SW
development firm focused on helping tech companies design and develop products and solutions.
With leading roles in start-ups and large-global companies and millions of products shipped, she
discovered that many companies are tech innovation driven and instead guides them to
understand customer challenges and provide tech solutions.
Presented at ProductCamp Austin on Saturday, February 15th
at the AT&T Conference Center on the
University of Texas campus 1900 University Avenue Austin, TX

4. Closing the gap
between what the customer said they want and what they need…
@donnaileaf #beware #pcatx12

5. Every company claims they are
market and customer driven
• Market Research
• Customer Interviews
• Big Data
• Voice of the Customer and Quality Data
• Use Case studies, Whitepapers
• Listen to sales and field marketing
@donnaileaf #beware #pcatx12

6. Interviewing customers
…and getting inside their heads
• Just because the customer said that’s what they want, it
doesn’t mean it’s a good idea
• Customer’s know their needs but don’t have access to all the
information to know the different ways in which their needs
can be met
@donnaileaf #beware #pcatx12

7. Only product marketing…
has access to so many data points
Technology
roadmaps from
partners, suppliers
and vendors
Multiple
customer data
under NDA
Know the
competition inside
out (teardowns)
inteleaf
Cost Data
Technical
feasibility
Won Lost
Data & Analysis
Core Competencies
@donnaileaf #beware #pcatx12

8. Set the premise
“shooting in front of the duck”
• When will your product or service hit the
market?
• Where will your customers be then, and
what will they need?
• Have the engineers shared the changes
coming in the future with marketing?
• Do you know what your customer needs,
to be successful in that future time frame?
Roadmap
@donnaileaf #beware #pcatx12

9. Share information
“sneak peak into the future”
• Giving customers visibility into roadmap information
• They can’t give you feedback unless they have an idea of where you are
going
- It doesn’t have to be exactly what you will end up doing!
• Share tradeoffs “you can’t have everything” – the laws of physics don’t
support it
@donnaileaf #beware #pcatx12

10. Push them to the edge
“but don’t throw them over!”
• Pressure test their needs
- Challenge
• Suggest alternative ways to solve their problem
- Most customers are not aware of all the options you
may have in mind, give them different options
• Negotiate
@donnaileaf #beware #pcatx12

11. Thank you!
Donna Imam | Feb 2014
@donnaileaf #beware #pcatx12 @PCAustin
Listen to this presentation at: http://www.youtube.com/user/donnaileaf
Link to session description as submitted to Product Camp: http://productcampaustin.org/pca_sessions/beware-
customers-dont-mean-what-they-say/
Link to PC Austin 12 all sessions:
http://productcampaustin.org/events/productcamp-austin-12/proposed-sessions/
© Inteleaf
@donnaileaf #beware #pcatx12