The biggest mistake I made while talking to potential customers

The biggest mistake I made while talking to potential customers

When I first started speaking with founders, I thought my job was to explain my product.

I quickly realized that wasn't what people wanted.

The best conversations happened when I spent most of the call asking questions instead of giving answers.

Sometimes a 30-minute call would end without a demo because I learned something that completely changed how I thought about the problem.

One founder even told me:

"Don't solve the problem I describe. Solve the reason the problem exists."

That advice changed how I approach customer interviews.

Now I try to understand:

• What process breaks first as a business grows?

• What work is still being done manually?

• What frustrates people every week that they've simply accepted as "normal"?

Those conversations have been far more valuable than any feature request I've received.

I'm curious how other makers approach this.

What's the single best question you've asked a customer that changed the direction of your product?