If customers express a willingness to pay for your solution, consider asking them for a commitment, like writing a check in advance, to validate your idea.

Asking customers about their budget and what they currently pay for similar solutions helps gauge their willingness to pay.

Listen to customers' problems rather than their proposed solutions, as they often don't know what they want until you show it to them.

Asking specific questions about how potential customers currently handle a problem can reveal valuable insights into their needs and challenges, and understanding user motivation is critical for solving their problems effectively.

When discussing your product with potential users, ask them to identify reasons they might not buy it, which can reveal critical pain points.

It's crucial to solve a real problem; you should talk to potential users early to ensure that the problem you're addressing is significant for them as well.

You need to confirm customers' ability and willingness to pay for your solution.

Test your solution with target customers, being flexible about who those customers might be based on feedback.

When pitching to customers, use industry jargon to build credibility, encourage them to discuss their problems, and quickly demonstrate how your solution can help them personally.