Interview Script·45 min·10 questions
Understanding why engaged restaurant owners abandon inventory solutions after positive demos
You've had restaurant chain owners attend demos, ask thoughtful questions about your inventory tracking features, and seem genuinely interested in solving their stock management challenges. But then they go quiet or politely decline to move forward, leaving you wondering what shifted between their initial enthusiasm and their final decision.
Why standard questions fail here
Direct questions about why they didn't buy often yield polite deflections or surface-level responses that miss the real decision dynamics. This script works backward from their last point of engagement, reconstructing the specific moments when doubts emerged and anchoring in their actual decision-making timeline rather than asking them to rationalize their choice.
Sample Questions
Grounded in The Mom Test and Jobs-to-be-Done.
Mom Test principle: start with their life/business context before diving into the decision
Use this as an icebreaker while gathering context about their operation size and complexity
- How long have you been operating multiple locations?
- What's your role in day-to-day operations versus strategic decisions?
- Generic descriptions - probe for specific numbers and concrete details
Mom Test principle: ask about specific past situation that triggered their search behavior
Listen for the specific struggling moment that initiated their search - this reveals true pain points
- Can you give me a specific example of when this became a real problem?
- What was the cost or impact of that incident?
- Generic complaints like 'it was hard' - probe for specific incidents and consequences
Customer journey analysis: understand their baseline and switching costs from incumbent solution
Map their complete current workflow - don't just ask about software, include manual processes
- Who was responsible for managing this process day-to-day?
- What parts of your current system were actually working well?
- Where were the biggest pain points in your existing process?
- Vague answers like 'spreadsheets' - get specifics about who uses what, how often, what breaks
Mom Test principle: get specific past behavior and concrete struggling moments rather than hypothetical problems
Use the laddering technique - keep asking 'what happened next' to get the full story and emotional impact
- How did you find out about this problem?
- What was your immediate reaction?
- How long did it take to resolve and what did that cost you?
- Hypothetical scenarios or 'sometimes we have issues' - push for one specific, memorable incident
Retrospective customer journey analysis: capture authentic emotional response immediately post-demo
Ask about emotions and gut reactions, not logical evaluations - feelings predict behavior better than rational analysis
- What specifically excited you about what you saw?
- What concerns or doubts came up for you right after the demo?
- Overly polite responses like 'it looked good' - probe for honest emotional reactions and concerns
B2B buying journey analysis: understand the internal decision-making process and stakeholder dynamics
Map the complete decision-making unit - who else was involved and what were their reactions
- Who else did you discuss this with?
- What were their main questions or concerns?
- Did anyone champion the solution internally?
- Claims they make decisions alone - in multi-location businesses, multiple stakeholders are usually involved
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