To test for genuine 'pull,' a founder should challenge a prospect's need rather than sell to it. By asking questions like, 'Why can't you just do this with your existing options?' you force the prospect to articulate why their problem is urgent and unsolvable. This 'leaning back' approach makes high-intent buyers sell you on their problem.

Most problems customers describe are "pain points" they won't act on. You can't distinguish these from real, actionable demand ("pull") through interviews alone. The only true test is presenting a viable solution and attempting to sell it. Their reaction—whether they try to pull it from you—is the only reliable signal.

For a purchase to be mandatory, a customer must need to solve a problem *now*, their current way of doing things must be failing, and other available tools must be insufficient. If any one of these conditions is missing, buying becomes optional, and they are unlikely to convert.

Polite feedback is cheap and misleading. To gauge real demand before building, create a difficult but valuable task for prospects. If they invest significant effort to overcome the friction (like providing sensitive documents), it signals a strong, authentic pull for your solution.

Many salespeople fill pipelines with leads showing mere interest. Elite performers differentiate this from true buyer intent—the willingness to buy now. They actively disqualify prospects who lack intent, allowing them to focus on fewer, more qualified opportunities and avoid wasting time on conversations that won't convert.

Shift from targeting customers who 'could' or 'should' benefit from your product to those for whom it would be irrational not to buy and renew. This requires finding a specific, high-pain situation where they have no other viable option and must act.

Instead of asking what a prospect dislikes about a competitor, which elicits low-priority pain points, directly challenge them by asking, 'Isn't that option good enough?' This forces a true buyer to defend their need and articulate the critical gap your product fills. A non-committal answer immediately disqualifies them as a low-intent lead.

Traditional ICP discovery focuses on pain points or value. A more effective filter for rapid growth is identifying customers in a situation where *not* buying is an unacceptable option. This shifts the focus from potential value to immediate, unavoidable purchase urgency.

Selling to prospects for whom buying is optional yields probabilistic results. When you find a segment where buying is mandatory, your work becomes deterministic: effort in equals sales out. This transforms founder productivity from a gamble into a predictable machine.