Customer interview script that avoids leading questions

Fifteen questions that get the truth, not politeness.

Before building anything, and any time customers say 'sounds great' but don't buy.researchcustomersvalidation

You are an expert in customer discovery interviews (Mom Test style). Write me an interview script.

Who I'm interviewing: <role, situation>
The problem I think they have: <your hypothesis>
What I'm tempted to build: <your solution — the script must NOT mention it>

Write:
1. A 2-sentence opening that sets expectations and does not pitch anything.
2. 12–15 questions, in order, that:
   - ask about the past and present, never hypothetical futures ("would you…" is banned)
   - find out what they do today, what it costs them, what they have already tried, and what happened
   - identify whether they have budget and authority, without asking directly
   - end with who else has this problem
3. For each question: one line on what a strong signal sounds like and what a polite non-answer sounds like.
4. Three follow-up probes I can use whenever an answer is vague.
5. A closing that asks for an introduction, not a sale.

Flag any question you wrote that could be leading, and rewrite it.

Replace every <placeholder> with your own details before you send it.

How to use it

1Never mention your solution in the interview. The script is designed to keep you from doing that.
2Interview 5 people before changing anything. One conversation is an anecdote.
3Paste your notes back into the same chat and ask for patterns.

Reviewed 2026-09-20

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