<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Michael Margolis &lt;/strong&gt;has been a UX research partner at Google Ventures (GV) for nearly 15 years. He has developed a unique approach to helping startups identify their “bullseye customer”—the specific subset of their target market who initially is most likely to adopt their product. Michael has conducted over 300 hands-on research sprints with GV portfolio companies across various industries and helped develop the “design sprint” process made famous by the book &lt;em&gt;Sprint&lt;/em&gt;. In our conversation, we discuss:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• The step-by-step process of running a bullseye customer sprint&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• The most common mistakes founders make when picking their first customers&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Practical tips for conducting effective customer interviews&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• How to create simple but effective prototypes for user research&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• The power of “watch parties” in aligning teams around customer insights&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• How to apply these methods beyond typical tech startups&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;—&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Brought to you by:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.geteppo.com/"&gt;Eppo&lt;/a&gt;—Run reliable, impactful experiments&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.useparagon.com/lenny"&gt;Paragon&lt;/a&gt;—Ship every SaaS integration your customers want&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://enterpret.com/lenny"&gt;Enterpret&lt;/a&gt;—Transform customer feedback into product growth&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;—&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Find the transcript at: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/finding-your-bullseye-customer-michael-margolis"&gt;https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/finding-your-bullseye-customer-michael-margolis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;—&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Where to find Michael Margolis:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• X: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/mmargolis"&gt;https://x.com/mmargolis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• LinkedIn: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmargolis/"&gt;https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmargolis/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Website: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.learnmorefaster.com/"&gt;https://www.learnmorefaster.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Medium: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://medium.com/@mmargolis"&gt;https://medium.com/@mmargolis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;—&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Where to find Lenny:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Newsletter: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.lennysnewsletter.com"&gt;https://www.lennysnewsletter.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• X: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/lennysan"&gt;https://twitter.com/lennysan&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• LinkedIn: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/"&gt;https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;—&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;In this episode, we cover:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(00:00) Michael’s background&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(09:11) Bullseye customers vs. ideal customer profiles (ICPs)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(12:32) An overview of the bullseye customer sprint&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(20:56) When to use the bullseye customer sprint&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(22:19) Step one: Agree on goals and key questions&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(23:48) Step two: Define your bullseye customer&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(25:52) The importance of a narrow target audience&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(29:00) An example of step two in action&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(38:24) Narrowing attributes and exclusion criteria&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(43:28) Step three: Recruiting and compensating participants&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(56:11) Step four: Creating effective prototypes&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(01:01:10) Step five: Drafting your interview guide&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(01:08:49) Step six: The watch party method&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(01:19:40) Common pitfalls and final thoughts&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(01:24:43) Closing thoughts and where to find Michael&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;—&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Referenced:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• &lt;em&gt;Learn More Faster&lt;/em&gt;: &lt;em&gt;How to Find Your Bullseye Customer and Their Perfect Product&lt;/em&gt;: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.learnmorefaster.com"&gt;https://www.learnmorefaster.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Alcoa: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.alcoa.com"&gt;https://www.alcoa.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Dupont: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.dupont.com"&gt;https://www.dupont.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Ericsson: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.ericsson.com"&gt;https://www.ericsson.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Google Ventures: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.gv.com/"&gt;https://www.gv.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Kate Aronowitz on LinkedIn: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/katearonowitz/"&gt;https://www.linkedin.com/in/katearonowitz/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Vanessa Cho on LinkedIn: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/veecho/"&gt;https://www.linkedin.com/in/veecho/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• How to kickstart and scale a consumer business—Step 2: Identify your super-specific who: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/consumer-business-super-specific-who"&gt;https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/consumer-business-super-specific-who&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• When enough is enough | Andy Johns (ex-FB, Twitter, Quora): &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/when-enough-is-enough-andy-johns"&gt;https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/when-enough-is-enough-andy-johns&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Zipline for health care: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.flyzipline.com/solutions/healthcare"&gt;https://www.flyzipline.com/solutions/healthcare&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Jobs to Be Done framework: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.christenseninstitute.org/theory/jobs-to-be-done"&gt;https://www.christenseninstitute.org/theory/jobs-to-be-done&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• User Interviews: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.userinterviews.com/"&gt;https://www.userinterviews.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Respondent: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.respondent.io/"&gt;https://www.respondent.io/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Flatiron Health: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://flatiron.com/"&gt;https://flatiron.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• How to identify your ideal customer profile (ICP): &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-identify-your-ideal-customer"&gt;https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-identify-your-ideal-customer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Gong: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.gong.io"&gt;https://www.gong.io&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Linear: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://linear.app"&gt;https://linear.app&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Gusto: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://gusto.com/"&gt;https://gusto.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• &lt;em&gt;Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling&lt;/em&gt;: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/humble-inquiry-second-edition-the-gentle-art-of-asking-instead-of-telling-edgar-h-schein/14739375"&gt;https://bookshop.org/p/books/humble-inquiry-second-edition-the-gentle-art-of-asking-instead-of-telling-edgar-h-schein/14739375&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Figma: &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.figma.com"&gt;https://www.figma.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;—&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Production and marketing by &lt;a target="_blank" href="https://penname.co/"&gt;https://penname.co/&lt;/a&gt;. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email &lt;a target="_blank" href="mailto:podcast@lennyrachitsky.com"&gt;podcast@lennyrachitsky.com&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;—&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at &lt;a href="https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&amp;#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4"&gt;www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe&lt;/a&gt;</description>

Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

Lenny Rachitsky

Identify your bullseye customer in one day | Michael Margolis (UX Research Partner at Google Ventures)

DEC 1, 202489 MIN
Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

Identify your bullseye customer in one day | Michael Margolis (UX Research Partner at Google Ventures)

DEC 1, 202489 MIN

Description

<p><strong>Michael Margolis </strong>has been a UX research partner at Google Ventures (GV) for nearly 15 years. He has developed a unique approach to helping startups identify their “bullseye customer”—the specific subset of their target market who initially is most likely to adopt their product. Michael has conducted over 300 hands-on research sprints with GV portfolio companies across various industries and helped develop the “design sprint” process made famous by the book <em>Sprint</em>. In our conversation, we discuss:</p><p>• The step-by-step process of running a bullseye customer sprint</p><p>• The most common mistakes founders make when picking their first customers</p><p>• Practical tips for conducting effective customer interviews</p><p>• How to create simple but effective prototypes for user research</p><p>• The power of “watch parties” in aligning teams around customer insights</p><p>• How to apply these methods beyond typical tech startups</p><p>—</p><p><strong>Brought to you by:</strong></p><p>• <a target="_blank" href="https://www.geteppo.com/">Eppo</a>—Run reliable, impactful experiments</p><p>• <a target="_blank" href="https://www.useparagon.com/lenny">Paragon</a>—Ship every SaaS integration your customers want</p><p>• <a target="_blank" href="https://enterpret.com/lenny">Enterpret</a>—Transform customer feedback into product growth</p><p>—</p><p><strong>Find the transcript at: </strong><a target="_blank" href="https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/finding-your-bullseye-customer-michael-margolis">https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/finding-your-bullseye-customer-michael-margolis</a></p><p>—</p><p><strong>Where to find Michael Margolis:</strong></p><p>• X: <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/mmargolis">https://x.com/mmargolis</a></p><p>• LinkedIn: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmargolis/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmargolis/</a></p><p>• Website: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.learnmorefaster.com/">https://www.learnmorefaster.com/</a></p><p>• Medium: <a target="_blank" href="https://medium.com/@mmargolis">https://medium.com/@mmargolis</a></p><p>—</p><p><strong>Where to find Lenny:</strong></p><p>• Newsletter: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.lennysnewsletter.com">https://www.lennysnewsletter.com</a></p><p>• X: <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/lennysan">https://twitter.com/lennysan</a></p><p>• LinkedIn: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/</a></p><p>—</p><p><strong>In this episode, we cover:</strong></p><p>(00:00) Michael’s background</p><p>(09:11) Bullseye customers vs. ideal customer profiles (ICPs)</p><p>(12:32) An overview of the bullseye customer sprint</p><p>(20:56) When to use the bullseye customer sprint</p><p>(22:19) Step one: Agree on goals and key questions</p><p>(23:48) Step two: Define your bullseye customer</p><p>(25:52) The importance of a narrow target audience</p><p>(29:00) An example of step two in action</p><p>(38:24) Narrowing attributes and exclusion criteria</p><p>(43:28) Step three: Recruiting and compensating participants</p><p>(56:11) Step four: Creating effective prototypes</p><p>(01:01:10) Step five: Drafting your interview guide</p><p>(01:08:49) Step six: The watch party method</p><p>(01:19:40) Common pitfalls and final thoughts</p><p>(01:24:43) Closing thoughts and where to find Michael</p><p>—</p><p><strong>Referenced:</strong></p><p>• <em>Learn More Faster</em>: <em>How to Find Your Bullseye Customer and Their Perfect Product</em>: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.learnmorefaster.com">https://www.learnmorefaster.com</a></p><p>• Alcoa: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.alcoa.com">https://www.alcoa.com</a></p><p>• Dupont: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.dupont.com">https://www.dupont.com</a></p><p>• Ericsson: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ericsson.com">https://www.ericsson.com</a></p><p>• Google Ventures: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.gv.com/">https://www.gv.com/</a></p><p>• Kate Aronowitz on LinkedIn: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/katearonowitz/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/katearonowitz/</a></p><p>• Vanessa Cho on LinkedIn: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/veecho/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/veecho/</a></p><p>• How to kickstart and scale a consumer business—Step 2: Identify your super-specific who: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/consumer-business-super-specific-who">https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/consumer-business-super-specific-who</a></p><p>• When enough is enough | Andy Johns (ex-FB, Twitter, Quora): <a target="_blank" href="https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/when-enough-is-enough-andy-johns">https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/when-enough-is-enough-andy-johns</a></p><p>• Zipline for health care: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.flyzipline.com/solutions/healthcare">https://www.flyzipline.com/solutions/healthcare</a></p><p>• Jobs to Be Done framework: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.christenseninstitute.org/theory/jobs-to-be-done">https://www.christenseninstitute.org/theory/jobs-to-be-done</a></p><p>• User Interviews: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.userinterviews.com/">https://www.userinterviews.com/</a></p><p>• Respondent: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.respondent.io/">https://www.respondent.io/</a></p><p>• Flatiron Health: <a target="_blank" href="https://flatiron.com/">https://flatiron.com/</a></p><p>• How to identify your ideal customer profile (ICP): <a target="_blank" href="https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-identify-your-ideal-customer">https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-identify-your-ideal-customer</a></p><p>• Gong: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.gong.io">https://www.gong.io</a></p><p>• Linear: <a target="_blank" href="https://linear.app">https://linear.app</a></p><p>• Gusto: <a target="_blank" href="https://gusto.com/">https://gusto.com/</a></p><p>• <em>Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling</em>: <a target="_blank" href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/humble-inquiry-second-edition-the-gentle-art-of-asking-instead-of-telling-edgar-h-schein/14739375">https://bookshop.org/p/books/humble-inquiry-second-edition-the-gentle-art-of-asking-instead-of-telling-edgar-h-schein/14739375</a></p><p>• Figma: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.figma.com">https://www.figma.com</a></p><p>—</p><p>Production and marketing by <a target="_blank" href="https://penname.co/">https://penname.co/</a>. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email <a target="_blank" href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>.</p><p>—</p><p><em>Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.</em></p> <br/><br/>Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at <a href="https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe</a>