Corporate Escape Plan

Go Talk to Real People

Before you build your offer, talk to at least 3 people who fit the customer you just described.

You are not trying to sell them anything yet.

You are trying to find out:

• Is this really a problem?
• How do they describe it?
• What have they already tried?
• What do they actually want?
• What would make them pay for help?

Where to find people

Start with the easiest places first:

• Former coworkers
• Current coworkers you trust
• Friends or acquaintances who fit the customer
• Former clients or customers
• LinkedIn connections
• People in your industry or professional network
• Alumni groups
• Professional associations
• Facebook Groups
• LinkedIn Groups
• Slack, Skool or other online communities
• Reddit communities where your customer already talks about the problem
• People who comment on LinkedIn or YouTube posts about the problem you solve

You do not need a giant audience.

You probably already know someone who knows someone who fits the profile.

How to reach out

Keep it simple:

“I’m working on a new business idea and I’m trying to understand this problem better. You’re someone who has experience with this, so I’d love to ask you a few questions. I’m not selling anything. Would you be open to a 20-minute chat?”

What to Ask Them

Use SHIFT as your guide.

S: Situation

Start by understanding what is happening now.

• Tell me a little about what’s going on with this right now.
• When did this start becoming a problem?
• How often are you dealing with it?
• What are you doing about it today?
• What have you already tried?

H: High-Stakes Problem

Find out how important the problem really is.

• What is the hardest part about this?
• What is this costing you right now?
• What happens if you don’t fix it?
• Why does this matter to you?
• How would you describe the problem to a friend?

I: Ideal Change

Figure out what they actually want.

• If you could fix this, what would change?
• What would become easier?
• What would you love to stop doing?
• What would a really good outcome look like?
• How would you know the problem was solved?

F: Filters

Learn what they do and don’t want.

• Have you looked at any solutions already?
• What did you like or dislike about them?
• Is there anything you absolutely do not want to do?
• What would make you skeptical of a solution?
• What would make you trust someone enough to hire them?

T: Trigger

Find out what could make them act.

• What would make solving this become a priority?
• Was there a moment when you thought, “I really need to do something about this”?
• What would need to happen before you’d pay for help?
• What might stop you from moving forward?
• What would make you feel comfortable spending money on a solution?

A Few Things NOT to Ask

Avoid questions like:

• “Do you like my business idea?”
• “Would you buy this?”
• “Would you pay $500 for this?”
• “Do you think this is a good offer?”

People are usually nice. They’ll tell you what they think you want to hear.

Instead, ask about what they have actually done, tried, paid for, searched for, complained about, and struggled with.

That information is much more useful.

After Your Conversations

Go back to your SHIFT Customer Snapshot and update it.

Look for patterns:

• What did multiple people say?
• What exact words kept coming up?
• What surprised you?
• What assumptions were wrong?
• Does the problem seem important enough to pay to solve?
• Did you learn anything that changes who your ideal customer is?

Your goal is not to prove that every assumption was right.

Your goal is to understand your customer better before you build the offer.


You got this!!!! 🤗