Revision Cheat Sheet
By Pritesh Yadav 4 min read —
Reread this in the five minutes before any customer call. It pulls the whole guide into one page.
The Mom Test, the 3 rules
- Talk about their life, not your idea.
- Ask about the past and specifics, not opinions about the future.
- Talk less, listen more (aim to let them speak ~80% of the time).
Key idea: Compliments and "I would totally buy that" are not data. Past behavior and money already spent are data.
Good questions vs bad questions
| Bad (leading / hypothetical) | Good (real / past) |
|---|---|
| "Do you think this is a good idea?" | "Walk me through the last time you faced this." |
| "Would you pay for this?" | "What do you use today, and what does it cost you?" |
| "Wouldn't it be great if...?" | "How are you solving it right now?" |
| "Do you like it?" | "What have you already tried to fix this?" |
Discovery-call skeleton
1. OPEN Set the frame: "Mostly want to learn about
how you work today. Cool if I ask questions?"
2. SITUATION Understand their world and current process.
3. PROBLEM Find the pains and frustrations.
4. IMPACT What do those problems cost? (time/money/stress)
5. GOALS Where do they want to be instead?
6. NEXT STEP Agree on a concrete advance, with a date.
SPIN in one line each (Neil Rackham)
- S — Situation: facts about their current setup. "How do you handle X today?"
- P — Problem: the pain. "Where does that process break down?"
- I — Implication: the cost of the pain. "What happens when it breaks, downstream?"
- N — Need-payoff: let them say the value. "If that were solved, what would it mean for you?"
Objection handling, the LAARC steps
- Listen fully, no interrupting.
- Acknowledge: "That's a fair concern."
- Assess / Ask: "Help me understand, is it the price, or whether it'll work?"
- Respond honestly to the real concern.
- Confirm: "Does that put it to rest?"
Best practice: Treat every objection as a question in disguise. Answer the question, not the tone.
Outreach formula (cold or warm)
[Relevance] why you, why now, specific to them + [Credibility] one short reason to trust you + [Ask] one tiny, clear request (15 min to learn) = short message, easy yes
Example: "Hi Sam, I saw your shop does custom wedding invites. I'm researching how small print shops handle rush orders, no pitch. Could I ask you 4 quick questions for 15 minutes this week?"
Trial-close and closing lines you can say
- Trial close: "How's this sounding so far?"
- Trial close: "Is there anything that would stop this from being a fit?"
- Advance: "Makes sense to take the next step, can we set up a pilot starting Monday?"
- Close: "I think we can solve this for you. Want to get started?"
- Honest exit: "Sounds like this isn't the right time, totally fine, should I check back in a quarter?"
Qualify fast, BANT
- Budget, can they pay?
- Authority, can this person decide (or who can)?
- Need, is the problem real and felt?
- Timeline, when will they act?
Do / Never do
| Do | Never do |
|---|---|
| Ask about the past and real behavior | Ask if they "like the idea" |
| Let silence work for you | Fill every pause / talk over them |
| Sell value (what it does for them) | List features they didn't ask about |
| End with a dated next step | Leave with "I'll think about it" |
| Write down their exact words | Trust your memory after the call |
| Say "no, not yet" honestly | Promise features you don't have |
| Walk away from bad-fit prospects | Chase everyone equally |
Common mistake: Pitching during a learning call. If you came to learn, do not sell. If you came to sell, still listen first.