Interview Script·45 min·9 questions
Discovering why top AEs succeed despite using generic productivity tools
You're building a deal tracking and call prep tool, but you need to understand how high-performing account executives actually work day-to-day. You have assumptions about their workflow and pain points, but you're not sure where your tool would genuinely fit into their existing systems versus just adding another dashboard they'll ignore.
Why standard questions fail here
Direct questions about productivity habits yield sanitized answers that sound good but miss the messy reality. This script uses timeline reconstruction to walk top performers through their actual recent days, revealing the micro-decisions, workarounds, and hidden time drains that separate them from average AEs.
Sample Questions
Grounded in The Mom Test and Jobs-to-be-Done.
JTBD: Understanding job context before diving into workflow specifics
Let them define success metrics in their own words - don't impose typical sales metrics
- What does a successful month look like for you specifically?
- How is that different from when you started in sales?
- Generic job descriptions instead of personal experience
- Focus on what they should do vs what they actually do
Mom Test principle: Ask about specific past behavior rather than hypothetical typical days
Use the 'give me a tour' technique - ask them to narrate hour by hour like you're watching over their shoulder
- What pulled you away from what you had planned to do?
- When did you feel most/least productive and why?
- What tools did you switch between during that time?
- Idealized version of their day instead of actual yesterday
- High-level summaries without specific details
JTBD: Map the complete job of closing a deal to identify all touchpoints and pain points
Use temporal laddering - ask for the sequence of events and what triggered each step
- What information did you need to gather before each call?
- Where did you keep track of all the details?
- What almost went wrong that you had to fix?
- Perfect case scenario instead of messy reality
- Missing the administrative and coordination work between meetings
JTBD: Identify struggling moments where users are most motivated to change behavior
Probe for emotional triggers and specific circumstances that create overwhelm
- What specifically made it feel unmanageable?
- How did you dig yourself out of that situation?
- What warning signs tell you when you're heading toward that state again?
- Vague statements about being busy
- Solutions they think they need instead of problems they experienced
Ethnographic observation: Understanding current tools and workarounds in context of real task
Ask them to screenshare or describe step-by-step actions, not just tools they use
- Where do you get stuck in this process?
- What do you do when you only have 10 minutes to prep instead of an hour?
- What information do you wish you had but can never find quickly?
- List of tools without showing actual workflow
- Idealized prep process instead of rushed reality
Mom Test: Focus on past specific failure rather than hypothetical problems
Use the 'worst case' technique to uncover hidden pain points they've adapted to live with
- How did you realize the information was lost?
- What did you have to do to recover?
- How do you prevent this now?
- Perfect system claims with no examples of failure
- Blame on external factors instead of process breakdown
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