At the Bootstrappers Breakfast we sometimes suggest “the three-question test” to help an entrepreneur get clarity on their target customer.
The Three Question Test at the Bootstrappers Breakfast
One thing we do at a Bootstrappers Breakfast is what we call the three-question test. We ask an entrepreneur: What are three questions someone could ask a friend, acquaintance, or someone they meet at an event that have a yes/no or number answer? These questions should be specific to the kind of help your offering provides—not so general as to be meaningless.
For example, asking, ‘Do you want to save money on car insurance?’ is too broad. Instead, the questions should uncover a critical problem or unmet need—something a prospect would be willing to spend money on. This approach also helps define your target customer—who they are, their situation, and their specific needs.
A common mistake is saying, ‘I want to serve small businesses’, or worse, ‘Everyone can use my product.’ The goal here is to refine that: What kind of small business? What is the role or title of the person making the purchasing decision?
This method also helps segment a large category. For example, if you help people conduct surveys, how do you distinguish where you bring the most value?
- Do your best customers create surveys with many questions?
- Do they primarily use Likert scale or yes/no formats?
- Or do they work with open-ended, unstructured responses?
This exercise forces you to think critically about your ideal prospect and how to reach them effectively.
Avoiding the BANT Trap
Another common mistake is falling into the BANT trap—where BANT stands for Budget, Authority, Need, and Timeframe. The three-question test primarily focuses on need because if a prospect doesn’t have a real need, their budget or authority doesn’t matter.
Timeframe matters, but if you’re targeting a critical problem, the need is usually urgent. The key is to identify a highly specific problem that a well-defined prospect is actively looking to solve.
For bootstrappers, it’s often best to focus on business problems, as businesses are more willing to spend money to solve pain points. If targeting consumers, the problem must be compelling enough to justify a purchase.
Focusing on Behavior and Real Data
Good questions should be based on actual behavior. For example, instead of asking:
“Would you like to do X?” (which invites speculation),
ask:
“How many times have you done X in the last month?”
The best questions are functional, factual, and based on past behavior. You’re not asking prospects to imagine a scenario—you’re grounding your questions in real-world actions, business processes, and genuine needs.
The Trigger Moment
A useful way to refine your questions is to ask:
- What was your prospect doing three minutes before they decided to use your product?
- What situation triggered the need?
Understanding this precursor moment helps you identify when and why a prospect realizes they have a problem worth solving.
Ideal Customer Profile vs. Reality
The term Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) often becomes aspirational—focused on someone who wants a product rather than someone actively looking for a solution. Instead, it’s better to focus on:
- What problem they are experiencing right now
- What past behaviors indicate they need your solution
This approach grounds your customer definition in real, historical evidence rather than assumptions about who might be interested.”
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