This document outlines methods for validating customer concerns, including conducting interviews, focus group discussions, and surveys. It discusses interviewing existing customers, evaluators, and potentials to understand their problems. Focus groups allow an interactive discussion moderated by asking questions. Surveys can be conducted via telephone, direct mail, or online to get customers' perspectives. The document also provides steps for identifying and validating market problems, such as asking the right questions, listing target market problems, interviewing decision makers, building a database to analyze trends, and validating stated problems are real concerns.

1. VALIDATE CUSTOMER RELATED CONCERNS
A. INTERVIEWS- are conducted one-on-one with professionals
who can give detailed responses because of their knowledge in
the industry.
There are three groups within target market to listen:
1. Existing customers - this group includes customers that
recognized a problem and purchased solution to solve that
problem.
2. Evaluators - this group includes both customers
(competitive wins) and those customers that have selected
competition (competitive losses)
3. Potentials - this group of customers that haven’t purchased
type of product, but have tried to solved the same problems
through internal efforts.
B.FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION – interactive group setting with
a moderator, where a group of people/customers gives face-to-
face feedback.
- Is a form of qualitative research in which a group of people
are asked about their perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and
attitude towards a product, service, concept, advertisement,
idea or packaging.
C.SURVEY/RESEARCH – uses a written or online questionnaire
to be completed by the person being surveyed, or a telephone
interview, or personal interview.
- Is the study of the spending characteristics and purchasing
power of the customers within business geographic area of
operation.
1. Telephone Interviews – is a expensive, fast way to get
information from potential customers.
Procedure:
I. Prepare a script before making calls and ensure to
cover all objectives
II. Keep your questions simple, clearly worded and brief

2. 2. Direct-mail Interviews – simple one-page questionnaire
or elaborate with cover letter, questionnaire and reply
envelop.
Procedure:
I. Keep questionnaire a maximum of one page, less than
20 questions
II. Must be simple, structured with “yes/no” check boxes
as respondents answer quickly and easily.
STEPS IN IDENTIFYING AND VALIDATING MARKET PROBLEMS
1. Ask The Right Questions – prepare questions before
performing an interview, answers will improve probability to
accomplish objectives.
- Quantitative questions will validate market problems and
quantify solution in solving those problems.
2. List Your Target Market’s Problems – write down three to five
most important or pressing problems in target market.
- Send out e-mail and task top three problems that you solve
for customers, rank them in order of importance to the
customer.
3. Interview Decision Makers – best practices when interviewing
decision makers to improve interviews and response rates.
4. Build A Database – it will allow to validate problems and
identify important trends in the market problems that solutions
addresses.
5. Analyze Stated Customer Problems – analyze the date to
identify problems that missed
- Validate written problems as real to market and not problems
to hope they have.