In this episode of Product Marketing Life, Mark Assini is joined by experienced marketing consultant at Broadridge, Katharine Hibson.

Katharine shares her expert insights on conducting effective customer interviews, stressing that customer conversations require strategy and planning, not a casual approach. She outlines her process for preparing an interview guide, including motivational topics to cover and open-ended questions that draw out insights.

What’s the purpose of customer interviews?

Customer interviews serve as a powerhouse for product marketers, unraveling crucial insights that drive strategic decisions. Beyond raw data, these conversations unearth the genuine pulse of your audience – granting you nuanced perspectives that analytics alone can’t often uncover. 

Wanna eliminate guesswork? Ensure you’re aligned with customers’ desires? Decode the unwritten cues that reveal the intricacies of customers’ needs? 

Effectively wielded, these interactions can become your blueprint for crafting campaigns that authentically resonate with your audience. 

Join Katharine and Mark as they discuss what success looks like, common mistakes you can make, templates she’s created to guide customer interviews, and everything in between! 

‎Product Marketing Life: Casual chats won’t cut it: How to plan productive customer interviews with Katharine Hibson on Apple Podcasts
‎Show Product Marketing Life, Ep Casual chats won’t cut it: How to plan productive customer interviews with Katharine Hibson - Nov 10, 2023
Apple Podcasts

About our guest

Katharine Hibson brings over a decade of multifaceted marketing experience to her passion for product marketing. With past roles spanning agencies, consulting, and startups, she’s launched products, built competitive intel teams, and driven millions in revenue. 

Currently finishing her MBA, Katharine is dedicated to tying product marketing to the bottom line. She’s created her own research framework to extract powerful customer insights that persuade stakeholders and impact strategy. With contagious enthusiasm, Katharine helps fellow product marketers master the art of customer conversations.

Key takeaways

  • How proper planning and strategy, not a casual approach, lead to productive customer conversations.
  • The benefits of letting customers speak openly and without interruption. 
  • How asking ‘why’ can help you dig deeper and gauge pain points.
  • Why having a consistent interview structure is fundamental.

And more.

Get involved

Keen to join the conversation?

Why not take a look at our Slack channel? Not to boast, but our Slack community's the biggest gathering of product marketing enthusiasts on the planet (okay, that was a bit of a boast).

We discuss everything from sales engagement to messaging strategies, and there’s a constant flow of templates, resources, and even the odd ‘roast’.And it's completely free to join!

Don't miss a beat – you can catch all of your favorite product marketing episodes right here: Product Marketing Life.