Market Validation: How to Test if Customers Actually Have a Problem
If they don't complain for fifteen minutes straight, it's not a real pain point.
By Tristan Kromer · · 4 min read Quick Answer: Market validation starts with a simple pain point question — like “Do your feet hurt?” — and then listening. If the customer doesn’t complain unprompted for fifteen minutes, they likely don’t have a real problem worth solving. As product managers, we should also ask how they solve the problem now, what they’d pay for a manual solution, and whether they can refer someone else with the same pain. Missing any of these signals means the problem probably isn’t big enough to build on.
- Market Validation My favorite question to ask is usually the simplest one to verify. Ask a simple pain point question such as, “Do your feet hurt?” If the customer doesn’t start complaining for the next fifteen minutes, they don’t have a pain point. The length of time a person will complain uninterrupted is a pretty good proxy for the amount of pain they’re feeling. Aside from that, I don’t think there are any great one size fits all questions, but I would also tend to:
- Ask how they solve the problem now
- Ask how much they’d pay you to manually solve the problem (concierge style)
- Ask if they can recommend someone else who has the problem
If they don’t solve the problem now with some sort of workaround, probably not a big problem. If they wouldn’t pay a thing, probably not a big problem. If they don’t know someone else with that problem…well…you get the idea (market validation).
Practice Makes Perfect
Practice. There’s really no other way to improve. I’ve done two to three hundred customer interviews at this point and I still have a lot to learn. Every time I do an interview, I realize I could have done it better, lead the customer less, and learned more.
Talk Less, Listen More
One easy thing to measure is how many questions you ask vs. statements you make. If you find yourself making statements, you’re probably doing it wrong.
Constant Practice
To improve as much as possible, try to find more opportunities to practice. I unintentionally found a exercise was listening to sales pitches. (Consultants work great, so do lawyers.) There’s no one that will talk uninterrupted at you like a newbie salesman trying to get a new customer. If you can sit through a pitch for 45 minutes and talk as little as possible, only asking questions when the salesman starts petering out, then you’ve got great skills. I want to start screaming after about 25 minutes. Being mistaken as an investor also works wonders. Entrepreneurs can talk at you for hours blissfully ignorant that you don’t have a dime to invest in their startup. Lastly, you can also practice by talking to your significant other about something you’d generally avoid discussing (like curtains and upholstery for me.) Not only will you get good practice listening, but you’re relationship will probably improve.
Work with a Partner
It’s very helpful to do this with someone else. Just like proofreading your own writing, you’re bound to miss things. Having someone else there who is focused on taking notes and monitoring your performance can provide you with the one thing that’s necessary to improve…feedback. No feedback, no improvement.
Set Goals and Debrief
I suggest setting goals for yourself prior to each interview. What do you hope to learn from market validation? What hypotheses are you trying to verify? If you don’t have a goal, you won’t achieve it. Also take five minutes at the end of each interview, review your notes, and think about what you should have asked. Did you reach your goal? What would have improved the outcome? What lessons learned can you take to your next interview? Again… No feedback, no improvement.
Separate the Problem from the Solution
I find that if I start talking about the solution then I invariably shift to sales pitch mode. Although I think many people can avoid this, I cannot. So I don’t like to talk about my potential solution at all during the first interviews when I’m trying to verify the problem. I won’t even bring a napkin sketch if I can avoid it. That said, if you’ve exhausted all possible pain point questions, then you might as well move on to solution questions.
Get Help
As with working with a partner, if you don’t have a lot of expertise in this area, I’d highly recommend working with a consultant a few times to get some expert performance in this area. You wouldn’t try out for the major leagues without getting a good coach, so why are you going to invest a year of your life based on customer development without getting some expert mentoring? I will shamelessly plug Sean Murphy of SKMurphy for this sort of thing. He has given me some very good advice in this area. Others I would consider in this area (but have not worked with directly) are Patrick Vlaskovits and Brant Cooper. Cindy Alvarez is aso reputedly good in this area, but I have not worked with her and I don’t know if she is consulting right now. Any other suggestions of how to improve this answer would be appreciated.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is market validation and how do you actually do it with customers?
Market validation means confirming that customers genuinely have the pain point you’re trying to solve. The most effective approach is to ask a simple pain point question like “Do your feet hurt?” and see how long they complain unprompted. If they don’t rant for fifteen minutes straight, they likely don’t have a real problem worth solving. Follow up by asking how they solve the problem now and what they’d pay for a solution.
How do you know if a customer’s pain point is real enough to build a startup around?
Look for three signals: the customer complains at length without prompting, they already have some workaround to solve the problem, and they’d be willing to pay you to manually solve it concierge-style. Also ask if they can recommend someone else with the same problem. If any of these signals are missing — no workaround, no willingness to pay, no referrals — it’s probably not a significant enough problem.
How can I get better at customer interviews for market validation?
Practice is the only real path to improvement. Track how many questions you ask versus statements you make — if you’re making statements, you’re doing it wrong. Find low-stakes opportunities to practice listening, like sitting through sales pitches or letting someone talk at you uninterrupted. Work with a partner who takes notes and gives you feedback, and always debrief after each interview to identify what you could have asked better.
Should I show my solution idea during a customer interview?
We recommend keeping the problem and solution completely separate, especially in early interviews. Talking about your solution tends to shift the conversation into sales pitch mode, which undermines the goal of understanding the customer’s pain. Don’t bring a napkin sketch if you can avoid it. Only move on to solution questions once you’ve thoroughly exhausted all possible pain point questions.
What goals should I set before a customer development interview?
Before each interview, define what you hope to learn and which hypotheses you’re trying to verify. Without a clear goal, you won’t know if the interview was successful. Afterward, take five minutes to review your notes, assess whether you reached your goal, and identify what questions you should have asked. This feedback loop — setting goals, debriefing, and applying lessons — is essential for continuous improvement.
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