Problem Interviews Without Methodology (B2B SaaS)

B2B SaaS interview methodology is heavy. Stakeholder maps, persona docs, decision-maker matrices. If that overwhelms you, here is the version stripped to the parts that actually do the work.

Rule 1: Talk to Three Roles, Not One

Users, buyers, gatekeepers. Not just users. The product is bought by a system; you have to interview the system.

Rule 2: Ask About Past Incidents, Not Future Features

Walk me through the last time you did X. Not "would you use a tool that does X." Stories carry data, hypotheticals carry politeness.

Rule 3: Do Not Pitch and Do Not Demo

Both contaminate the conversation. Save them for separate sales calls.

What That Adds Up To

Three rules. Three roles, past incidents, no pitch. Fifteen interviews following these rules produces more useful B2B data than most first-time founders ever collect.

What You Can Skip

The buying committee diagram. The persona docs. The journey canvas. The win-loss spreadsheet. The pricing template. None earn their place with fifteen interviewees.

What You Cannot Skip

The role split. The procurement question. The vocabulary capture. The champion profile when it surfaces. These four habits are the entire engine.

Plain Summary

Talk to three roles. Ask about specific past incidents. Do not pitch or demo. Take notes. Look for repeats across roles. Stop when you can describe the buying system in three sentences. Then ship and start selling.