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CRAFT GTM

Customer Interview Kit

Prepare a guide for your customer interviews

For founders and product marketers. The decision: what should we ask customers to test our assumptions?

Give it the interview type, your product and the role you will interview. You get an interview guide, probing questions, a note taking template and a framework to sum up what you learn.

Try it with an exampleUse your own details

Interview flowInterview flow: Opening 5 minutes; Core Questions 30 minutes; Closing 5 minutes.Interview flowOpening5 minCore Questions30 minClosing5 min40 min

How do I run B2B win/loss interviews to update messaging and ICP?

Enter the interview type (discovery, validation, feedback, churn, win or loss, or persona research), your product context, and the target persona in Customer Interview Kit, plus optional industry, product complexity, and key hypotheses. The tool starts with five neutral questions and an evidence table to test your supplied hypothesis (keeping each hypothesis whole), followed by an optional full interview guide (5-minute opening, 25 to 30-minute core questions, 5-minute closing), probing questions, and a synthesis framework for ICP signals and persona insights.

What you get

This sample is a made up example, built from the inputs behind Fill in an example. It shows part of one section of the answer.

Five questions to test the supplied hypothesis

Hypothesis to test, not a fact: "No hypothesis supplied; first agree what decision this interview should inform".

  1. Walk me through the last incident or task, if any, from the first signal until it ended. What happened, and what record could we look at?
  2. At each handoff, who sent what to whom, and what happened next?
  3. How did people decide who owned the next action? Describe what you observed, including where ownership was clear.
  4. How did you handle a similar situation before this process or product? What was different, if anything?

See the full example answer or run it with your own details.

Run Customer Interview Kit

You need: Interview type, Product context, Target persona. You can add: Industry, Product complexity, Key hypotheses.

Type of interview determines question focus

Product/service being researched

Industry affects terminology and context

Affects technical depth of questions

Who you're interviewing (role/title)

Optional: Hypotheses to validate during interview

Optional: your company's own industry (not your customers'). When given, it decides the sector notes; when left out, the tool reads it from your words and stays neutral if they are unclear.

Example answer

Generated on 2 November 2026 from this branch, with the inputs behind Fill in an example. Your own inputs give a different result.

CRAFT GTM report

Example: Customer Interview Kit

Made with Customer Interview Kit by Helix GTM ConsultingBased on the made-up example inputshttps://craft-gtm.gtmhelix.com/tools/customer-interview-kit/

Show the full result

Customer Interview Kit

Five questions to test the supplied hypothesis

Hypothesis to test, not a fact: "No hypothesis supplied; first agree what decision this interview should inform".

  1. Walk me through the last incident or task, if any, from the first signal until it ended. What happened, and what record could we look at?
  2. At each handoff, who sent what to whom, and what happened next?
  3. How did people decide who owned the next action? Describe what you observed, including where ownership was clear.
  4. How did you handle a similar situation before this process or product? What was different, if anything?
  5. Tell me about a case that does not fit this hypothesis. What happened differently, and what would make you reject the hypothesis?
Evidence recordExact quoteSource and dateWhat it changes
Supports the hypothesisNot collectedUnknownKeep the observation separate from the interpretation
Contradicts the hypothesisNot collectedUnknownRevise or reject the hypothesis when warranted
UnresolvedNot collectedUnknownName the next observation needed
Optional full interview guide

Select follow ups only after the five neutral questions. Do not treat the hypothesis as established.

CHURN Interview

Target Persona: Head of Sales Operations
Product Context: Field sales app for consumer goods brands and their distributors
Industry: enterprise software
Complexity Level: moderate

Sector: read from your inputs as vertical SaaS, FMCG retail execution. Business model: not stated. Tell us how you charge and the plan will adjust.

Billing dependent steps are conditional: trials, seats and recurring renewals require a subscription; a statement of work requires a services contract; site or link commitments require connectivity billing. Confirm the applicable choice before using those steps.


Pre-Interview Checklist
  • [ ] Reviewed persona's LinkedIn/background
  • [ ] Know the measures this person is judged on (secondary sales, productive calls and lines per call) and use them as the buyer does
  • [ ] Tested recording equipment
  • [ ] Prepared note-taking template
  • [ ] Sent calendar invite with clear agenda
  • [ ] Confirmed interview timing (45-60 min recommended)
  • [ ] Prepared incentive (if applicable)

Interview Objectives
  1. Understand the current reality and challenges of: Head of Sales Operations
  2. Understand true reasons for leaving
  3. Gather stories and quotes for internal use

Opening (5 min)

Build rapport before diving into questions

  • I appreciate you taking the time despite deciding to leave. Your feedback is invaluable.
  • Can you tell me about your experience with us overall?
  • When did you first start thinking about leaving?

Industry-specific opener: "How do you measure secondary sales today, and how much does it vary?"


Core Questions (25-30 min)
Main Line of Inquiry
  1. What was the primary reason you decided to cancel?
  2. Were there any secondary reasons?
  3. What did you switch to? What made that option better?
  4. Was there anything we could have done to keep you?
  5. Did you feel you got value from the product?
Moderate-Level Technical Questions
  1. How does a rep decide which outlets to visit, and who changes the beat plan?
  2. What happens to an order captured in an outlet with no network?
  3. How do distributors receive and confirm orders today?
Industry-Specific Questions (vertical SaaS, FMCG retail execution)
  1. How do your reps capture orders in the outlet today, and how does that reach the distributor?
  2. How do you see secondary sales by outlet and by SKU today, and how late is that view?
  3. What share of your outlets does a rep cover in a typical beat, and who plans the beats?
  4. How are trade schemes communicated to reps and checked at the outlet?
  5. Which distributor systems (DMS) and ERP must the sales app work with?
  6. How do National Sales Head, Head of Distribution and Regional Sales Manager take part in this decision, and who has the final say?
Questions for an operations leader (Head of Sales Operations)
  1. Walk me through a normal day, and then a bad one: what breaks first when volumes or plans change?
  2. Which numbers do you look at every morning, and who produces them?
  3. Where does work get done twice, or by hand, because two systems do not agree?
  4. What would your team have to give up or learn for a new tool to work, and what would they push back on?

Who usually decides in this sector: The National Sales Head or Managing Director signs; the Head of Sales Operations champions; regional managers and field reps use it; distributors hold the stock and order data; IT checks the ERP and DMS integration.

Words this buyer uses: distributor, outlet, beat plan, secondary sales, general trade, SKU, order capture, retail execution, DMS, trade scheme. Use them where they are true for the person you interview.


Probing Questions (Use as needed)

Follow the energy: when they light up or seem frustrated, probe deeper

  • They gave a main reason for leaving. Ask: "When did that first become a problem?"
  • Did you reach out to support about this? What happened?
  • What would have needed to change for you to stay?
  • How did you make the final decision? Who was involved?
  • Looking back, what should we have done differently?

Silence technique: After an answer, wait 3-5 seconds. They often add the most valuable insights in the silence.


Closing (5 min)
  • Is there any scenario where you'd consider coming back?
  • What should we tell other customers who have similar concerns?
  • Is there anything else you want us to know?

Always end with: "Is there anything I should have asked but didn't?"


Note-Taking Template
INTERVIEW: CHURN | Head of Sales Operations
DATE: _______________
DURATION: _______________

CONTEXT:
- Company/Role: 
- Experience level:
- Current solution:

KEY QUOTES:
1. "_______________" (re: ___)
2. "_______________" (re: ___)
3. "_______________" (re: ___)

PAIN POINTS IDENTIFIED:
- [ ] _______________
- [ ] _______________
- [ ] _______________

NEEDS/WANTS:
- Must have:
- Nice to have:
- Unexpected:



FOLLOW-UP ACTIONS:
- [ ] _______________
- [ ] _______________

Synthesis Framework

After conducting multiple interviews, map findings to:

ICP Signals

Tally the Count column as "interviews that said it, out of the interviews you ran".

SignalCountImplication
Most common pain pointInclude in messaging
Most common objectionAddress proactively
Most requested featureProduct input
Persona Insights
AttributePatternSource Quotes
Goals
Challenges
Decision criteria
Information sources

Interview kit generated for churn interviews using the CRAFT GTM framework
Customized for vertical SaaS, FMCG retail execution at moderate complexity level

Suggested timings, lengths and counts: adjust them to your own.

Built by Shashwat Ghoshhttps://craft-gtm.gtmhelix.com/tools/customer-interview-kit/

How the answer is laid out, using the sections the tool prints. Probing Questions are used as needed inside the core block; the kit recommends 45 to 60 minutes in all. Example figure: replace with your own.

When a tool is not enough: if the decision needs more than one answer, talk it through in a call. Book 45 minutes with Shashwat.

How to read the answer

The kit starts with Five questions to test the supplied hypothesis and an Evidence record table (Supports the hypothesis, Contradicts the hypothesis, and Unresolved) so you ask neutral, past-behavior questions before using the Optional full interview guide. Below that, it prints a Pre-Interview Checklist, Interview Objectives, Opening, Core Questions (Main Line of Inquiry, technical questions, sector questions, and role questions), Probing Questions, Closing, a Note-Taking Template, and a Synthesis Framework. Keep observations separate from interpretations and always ask the disconfirming question (Tell me about a case that does not fit this hypothesis) before jumping to conclusions.

What to do next

  • Founder: Agree on one specific decision and hypothesis to test before booking interviews, and run the first five interviews yourself using the five neutral opening questions.
  • CEO: Check the Evidence record table after the first batch of interviews to see what contradicted your hypothesis before committing product or GTM budget.
  • CMO: Tally the ICP Signals and Persona Insights tables across all interviews (recording "interviews that said it, out of the interviews you ran") and update your messaging with verbatim buyer quotes.
  • CRO: Use the Win or loss and Churn interview modes to uncover why deals really closed or left, and feed the top objections into sales coaching.
  • Demand generation head: Pull the exact words and daily triggers buyers used in the Note-Taking Template into your ad hooks and outbound email openers.

Why come back

Run the tool again whenever you switch interview types (Discovery, Validation, Feedback, Churn, Win or loss, or Persona research), interview a different buyer role, or test a new product hypothesis. The tool applies the same fixed rules every time. It does not call an AI model, and this site does not keep what you enter.

Who is the Customer Interview Kit tool not ideal for?

  • Anyone who cannot give the inputs listed above, because the answer is built only from them.
  • Teams that want finished plans ready to publish: each tool returns a structured draft, with placeholders where your inputs gave no fact.
  • Anyone who needs live market or competitor data: the tools do not look anything up. They work from what you type, and anything they add themselves is marked as an example, a suggestion or a placeholder.

How do I use the Customer Interview Kit tool with an AI assistant?

Add CRAFT GTM to your assistant once (the steps are on Use it in Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini), then ask in plain words. Here is a prompt built from the tested example:

My role is not stated. Ask me for my role first. Use CRAFT GTM's Customer Interview Kit tool. interview type: Churn; product context: Field sales app for consumer goods brands and their distributors; target persona: Head of Sales Operations; industry: Enterprise software; product complexity: Moderate. If this tool is unavailable, ask me to open its web page; do not invent its output. In Gemini CLI or Antigravity, use the Helix GTM Suite skills package for related guidance, without claiming to run this connector.

How does the Customer Interview Kit tool work?

You do not need to sign in. A web browser is enough, and the answer comes back in a second or two.

  1. Fill in the form above, or press Fill in an example.
  2. Press Run Customer Interview Kit.
  3. Read the result on this page, then copy it and edit it before you use it.

It applies fixed rules in the CRAFT GTM code to the inputs above and returns text. It does not call an AI model, does not look anything up, and does not store what you type. The web form and the AI assistant connector run the same tool code, so the same input gives the same answer in both.

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For developers

MCP tool name: customer_interview_kit. REST: POST https://craft-gtm.gtmhelix.com/api/tools/customer_interview_kit with this JSON body (see How it works):

{
  "input": {
    "interview_type": "churn",
    "product_context": "Field sales app for consumer goods brands and their distributors",
    "target_persona": "Head of Sales Operations",
    "industry": "enterprise_software",
    "product_complexity": "moderate"
  }
}

Choose your app

Run a Helix tool in your browser, then take the result to ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini. Connectors work with supported plans in Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, VS Code and Windsurf. The Helix GTM Suite skills package supports Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Antigravity, Cursor and VS Code, and is available through skills.sh. Each plugin has its own installation steps, below or on its own page.

Connector setup guides · Skills package setup guide · Find the skills on skills.sh