# The Mom Test: 1-Page Interview Cheat Sheet

*Based on Rob Fitzpatrick’s book. Use this to run evidence-gathering customer conversations that avoid fluff and false positives.*

## The Mom Test: 3 Rules

1. Talk about their life, not your idea.  
2. Ask about specifics in the past, not opinions about the future.  
3. Talk less and listen more.  

## Good Questions (facts over opinions)

- “Tell me about the last time you faced *this*.”  
- “Walk me through your current workflow.”  
- “What’s the hardest part? Why?”  
- “How are you solving it today? What else have you tried?”  
- “What happens if you do nothing?” (implications)  
- “Why do you bother?” (goals & motivations)  
- “Where does the budget come from? Who else is involved?”  
- “Who else should I talk to?”  

## Avoid These (they create lies & guesses)

- “Do you think this is a good idea?”  
- “Would you buy this?” / “How much would you pay?” (pre-product)  
- “Would you use a tool that…?”  
- Any question about the future or preferences without history.  

## Meeting Flow (15–30 min)

1. **Frame**: keep it casual; you’re learning about their world, not pitching.  
2. **Context**: one-liner about the domain (no solution demo unless asked).  
3. **Explore**: dig into recent events, workflows, hacks, costs, frequency.  
4. **Ask**: your 3 big learning questions for this week.  
5. **Close**: ask for a clear next step (commitment/advancement).  

## Commitment & Advancement (truth > compliments)

A meeting succeeds when it ends in a concrete next step. Stronger currency ⇒ more trust in the signal.

- **Time**: schedule next meeting with goals; review wireframes; non-trivial trial.  
- **Reputation**: intro to decision-maker or peers; public testimonial/case study.  
- **Money**: LOI, pre-order, pilot fee, deposit.  

## Anti-Patterns → Fix

- **Compliments** (“Sounds great!”) → Deflect and ask for a concrete next step.  
- **Hypotheticals** (“I would use…”) → “Tell me about the last time you did…”  
- **Feature requests** → Understand motivation & workflow; don’t promise scope.  
- **Pitching** → Apologize and return to their story: “I slipped into pitch mode…”  
- **Zombie leads** → Ask for a commitment; if none, disqualify and move on.  

## Segment & Scope

- Define a **who-where** pair (specific persona + context). Keep slicing until patterns emerge.  
- If they haven’t tried to solve it already, it’s not urgent.  
- Stop when you stop hearing new things; then decide.  

## Before & After Each Conversation

- **Before**: write your 3 big questions; line up 2–3 warm intros; keep agenda casual.  
- **During**: they talk 80%+; capture quotes & costs; ask for next step.  
- **After**: share notes; extract facts, pains, commitments; update your risks & plan.  

## Go / No-Go Signals

- ≥10 interviews in one tight segment showing the **same painful problem**.  
- Multiple **commitments** (time, intros, or $$) from real buyers/users.  
- Clear budget owner & buying process; known alternatives and why you’ll win.