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TMMF #028 · October 23, 2024

The B2B Customer Investigator

The Art of Customer Interviews, Overcoming Bias & Extracting Actionable Buyer Insights.

Guest: Ryan Paul Gibson Messaging Show notes

Why listen

The signal, minus the noise.

“Insights often don’t live in a question… Insights live in the follow up questions”

In this episode, we dive deep into the world of customer interviews with Ryan Paul Gibson, founder of Content Lift. With over 1,900 interviews under his belt, Ryan shares his wealth of knowledge on conducting effective B2B customer research that drives actionable insights.

We explore Ryan’s unique approach to customer interviews, focusing on buyer processes rather than demographics. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the larger context in which businesses operate and make decisions, rather than relying solely on job titles or company size.

Key topics covered

A skimmable map of the conversation.

Start with the idea you need, then jump into the full episode when something catches.

Ryan’s background and experience with customer interviews

At 02:16, Chris and Ryan dig into ryan’s background and experience with customer interviews — a useful jump-in point if you want the practical part of this episode without scanning the whole conversation.

Understanding buyer processes vs demographics

At 05:00, Chris and Ryan dig into understanding buyer processes vs demographics — a useful jump-in point if you want the practical part of this episode without scanning the whole conversation.

The importance of relevance and credibility in B2B messaging

At 09:42, Chris and Ryan dig into the importance of relevance and credibility in b2b messaging — a useful jump-in point if you want the practical part of this episode without scanning the whole conversation.

Ryan’s approach to “customer investigations”

At 15:06, Chris and Ryan dig into ryan’s approach to “customer investigations” — a useful jump-in point if you want the practical part of this episode without scanning the whole conversation.

Strategies for jogging interviewees’ memories

At 20:25, Chris and Ryan dig into strategies for jogging interviewees’ memories — a useful jump-in point if you want the practical part of this episode without scanning the whole conversation.

Selecting the right customers to interview

At 26:41, Chris and Ryan dig into selecting the right customers to interview — a useful jump-in point if you want the practical part of this episode without scanning the whole conversation.

Crafting effective interview questions

At 29:51, Chris and Ryan dig into crafting effective interview questions — a useful jump-in point if you want the practical part of this episode without scanning the whole conversation.

Countering biases and becoming a better interviewer

At 34:00, Chris and Ryan dig into countering biases and becoming a better interviewer — a useful jump-in point if you want the practical part of this episode without scanning the whole conversation.

Show notes

Jump to the right moment.

Use the timestamps as shortcuts: scan the arc, skip the obvious bit, replay the useful bit.

02:16

Ryan’s background and experience with customer interviews

05:00

Understanding buyer processes vs demographics

09:42

The importance of relevance and credibility in B2B messaging

15:06

Ryan’s approach to “customer investigations”

20:25

Strategies for jogging interviewees’ memories

26:41

Selecting the right customers to interview

29:51

Crafting effective interview questions

34:00

Countering biases and becoming a better interviewer

37:50

Researching before interviews without introducing bias

43:46

Getting busy executives to participate in interviews

48:06

Ideal number of interviews for qualitative research

52:10

Staying curious and energized during customer research

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