Prospects often describe wants (e.g., "a more efficient system"), which are not true problems. Asking about the motivation behind their desire forces them to articulate the underlying pain that actually drives a purchase decision.

The common advice to conduct unbiased discovery interviews sounds logical but often fails. The truest way to validate an idea and understand customer needs is through the act of selling. This forces a concrete value exchange and reveals genuine demand in a way that hypothetical conversations cannot.

Asking users for solutions yields incremental ideas like "faster horses." Instead, ask them to tell detailed stories about their workflow. This narrative approach uncovers the true context, pain points, and decision journeys that direct questions miss, leading to breakthrough insights about the actual problem to be solved.

Standard "discovery interviews" are often a form of "playing founder." It's arrogant to believe a few 30-minute conversations can yield the deep insights needed to build a game-changing product. True understanding comes from immersing yourself in the customer's work, not just casually interviewing them.

Instead of asking direct questions like 'what's important?', prompt customers to recount specific, recent experiences. This storytelling method bypasses generic answers, reveals the 'why' behind their actions, and provides powerful narratives for persuading internal stakeholders.

Instead of general discovery, conduct "loss calls" with prospects who chose a competitor. This provides unfiltered feedback on what capabilities truly matter, where your product falls short, and whether your pricing or sales process—not just features—was the problem.

Standard discovery questions about 'pain points' are too broad. Instead, focus on concrete 'projects on their to-do list.' This reveals their immediate priorities, existing attempts, and the specific 'pull' that will drive a purchase, allowing you to align your solution perfectly.

Customers request specific features (supply), but this masks the true demand—the underlying problem they're trying to solve. Focusing on the 'why' behind the request leads to simpler, more effective solutions, like building a digest email instead of a complex 'advanced settings' page.

Standard questions like 'What's your biggest pain point?' often yield poor results. Reframing the question to what work a customer would offload to a new hire bypasses their pride or inability to articulate problems, revealing the tedious, high-value tasks ripe for automation.