The Mom Test

I love books like this. Short, crisp, no fluff, genuinely useful, and an easy read. Pretty close to ideal.

I’m not really fond of talking to strangers, but I have to. And at forty, I still learned quite a lot from this book. Here’s what matters most:

• Don’t trust compliments. People don’t want to upset you, so it’s easier for them to say, “What a cool idea! I’ll write to you after my vacation (which really means never),” than to offer any criticism. Compliments mean nothing. Ignore them and push for concrete information or concrete next steps.
• Don’t pitch your idea or solution or product. Focus on the person’s problems and listen to their emotions. That’s why video or in-person meetings are better than just a phone call.
• Don’t trust opinions. Opinions mean nothing. Only the market will test your idea. Top investors get it wrong. Experts get it wrong. Everyone gets it wrong.
• Don’t accept vague answers like “We didn’t like product XXX.” Collect facts. Dig deep until you get to specifics. Why didn’t they like it? Which people used it? Can you talk to them? Which problems did it solve poorly? Why?

A call that “went well” most likely was just waste of time.