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.

Positive feedback and expressions of interest are misleading. The ultimate validation for a product idea is a customer's willingness to commit real currency, whether through direct payment or a signed letter of intent. Without this commitment, you have a charity, not a business.

When testing ideas, the clearest signal of a top-priority problem is a customer's immediate willingness to commit to a large contract. Hesitation, requests for monthly plans, or budget excuses are strong indicators of a low-priority, "nice-to-have" 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.

Eliminate the "send me a proposal" stall by defining the next step as a valuable, paid engagement, like a diagnostic or workshop. By charging for this, you force the money conversation early, filter for serious buyers, and avoid creating free documentation that can be shopped around.

Before investing time to create a perfect offer, secure a conditional commitment by asking, 'If I can deliver on these specific things we've discussed, do we have a deal?' This tactic prevents the prospect from backing out to 'think about it' and ensures your efforts are aligned with a committed buyer.

Internal debates and market studies are noise. The clearest signal to build a new product is when a potential customer explicitly states they will pay for a simplified solution to a complex problem. This removes ambiguity and confirms a genuine, urgent need.

Prospects often express interest to gather information but lack a commitment to solve the problem. Sellers must differentiate by probing for concrete timelines and stakeholder involvement to avoid chasing deals that won't close, rather than hoping to convert interest into commitment on the call.

Replace speculative feedback from discovery calls with a process that would be "weird if it didn't work." First, get strangers to pre-pay for a solution. Then, deliver it manually. This confirms real demand (payment) and validates the solution's value (retention) before writing code.