Afterpage · week card
The Mom Test
Rob Fitzpatrick
Key ideas
- Talk about their life, not your idea.
- Ask about the past, not the future.
- Compliments, fluff, and ideas are noise.
- Look for commitment.
- Keep it casual and frequent.
The week
| Day 1 | Read the summary. Five key ideas and where the book overreaches. |
| Day 2 | Rewrite your questions. Write the five questions you'd naturally ask a potential customer, then rewrite each so it's about their past behavior, not your idea. Bad day: Rewrite one question so it asks about the last time the problem happened. |
| Day 3 | Pick your three big questions. Write down the three things you most need to learn right now, the ones that could change your plans. Bad day: Write the one question whose answer scares you most. |
| Day 4 | Have one casual conversation. Talk to one person who might have the problem for ten minutes, using only your rewritten questions. Bad day: Message one person asking how they currently handle the problem. |
| Day 5 | Sort your notes. Go through your conversation notes and mark each point as fact, compliment, fluff, or idea. Bad day: Underline every specific fact in your notes and count them. |
| Day 6 | Ask for a commitment. In your next conversation, ask for one concrete next step: a follow-up meeting, an introduction, a trial, or a pre-order. Bad day: Email someone you've spoken with and ask for one introduction. |
| Day 7 | Review and update your plan. Write a short summary of what you've learned this week and change one thing in your plan because of it. Bad day: Write one sentence on what surprised you most this week. |
Free week by email at getafterpage.com/books/the-mom-test