How to Generate Valuable Insights From a Solution Interview

It’s show time — time to start the solution interview phase and show what your team has been working on.

Before showing your minimum viable product (MVP), it’s a good idea to ask, “What would be wonderful?” and listen carefully to the prospect’s wording. This question forces them to imagine a solution to the problem — if it hasn’t already been done — and creates a benchmark and an opportunity to delight. You get a better understanding of their expectations to improve the solution later.

Let the prospect play with the product for a few minutes then ask what he/she thinks it does. Your goal now is not to add features, but to understand the value of your MVP (if value there is). Are you on track? How could you make this better?

The following questions can help you understand the “fit” during the solution interview:

TOPIC	SAMPLE SOLUTION INTERVIEW QUESTIONS	WHAT THIS TELLS US
Expectations	What would be wonderful? How does this compare with what you had envisioned? Is this what your company was expecting?	Whether your solution is on the mark (or at least in the right direction). What the prospect’s expectations are.
Usage	How do you imagine your work being different with this solution? Who would use this first? How do you envision this being used? Is this an everyday solution? What would be the barriers to adopting a product like this?	How the solution would be used. What role it would take. You do want to be careful with projections here. Remember that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.
Risk	Would you deploy the solution across the enterprise if it were free? What do you foresee as the biggest challenges to deploying this solution in the company? What do you perceive as the weakest aspects of this solution? Are there departments who might disapprove of this solution?	The fears of your prospects and what challenges they anticipate. This can help improve your pitch.
Value	What impact do you imagine this solution will have on your work? What would we have to do to get you to pay two or three times that amount?	Value perception can give you a sense of the perception of ROI and benefits.

More on the Solution Interview Phase

• How to Make the Most Out of Customer Interviews in B2B
• What the Minimal Pitch Deck Should Be for Solution Interviews
• How to Continuously Grow & Improve Your Business With Customer Interviews