Most entrepreneurs have customer research backwards.

They survey random people about hypothetical purchases. They ask friends and family what they think of their product idea. They create focus groups filled with people who have never spent a dollar in their category.

Then they wonder why their marketing doesn’t work and their products don’t sell.

Richelle DeVoe has a better way. As a customer research expert who has generated millions in revenue for her clients, DeVoe knows that the best insights don’t come from potential customers — they come from people who have already taken the action you want your customers to take.

“You want to find somebody who has done the thing that you want them to do already,” DeVoe says. “Not somebody who is the potential, but somebody who has actually already done the thing.”

For example: If you sell coaching services, don’t talk to people who might want a coach. Talk to people who already hired a coach — to understand exactly what drove that decision, and how you can target people exactly like them.

That way, instead of guessing at motivations, you’re uncovering the real reasons people buy.

Here’s how to do it.

Why This Approach Works

Here’s the problem with traditional market research: It’s based on what people say they want, not what they actually do. And there’s a massive gap between the two.

“You can ask people whether or not they want to be able to do 100 pull-ups, and most people would be like, ‘Yeah, that would be great, I’d love to be able to do 100 pull-ups,'” DeVoe says. “If you ask how many of them have gone to the gym today or who have attempted to do one pull-up today, you might get two of those 100.”

This is why so many products fail. Entrepreneurs build something based on what people say they want, only to discover that saying and doing are completely different things.

When you talk to people who have already purchased something similar to what you’re selling, you eliminate this problem. These people have already proven their willingness to spend money, and have overcome the psychological barriers to purchase. They’ve already demonstrated that this problem is worth solving.

How to Find These People

Good news: If you already have customers, this is easy. Look through your sales data and identify your best customers — those with the highest lifetime value, the longest retention, and the best results.

These are your “bright spots,” and they’re gold mines of insight. And yes, even if you’re running a successful business, it is always worth a closer look at your customer — because you’ll learn new and valuable information.

But what if you’re just starting out and don’t have customers yet? You need to get creative.

• Start with your network. As a founder, you have more credibility than you think. “You have your own story,” DeVoe says. Share why you started your company and ask to talk to people who have similar experiences.
• Use social media strategically. Don’t just post “please talk to me.” Instead, share your founder story consistently. “This is who I am. This is why I started this company. And I want to talk to other people who have a similar experience to understand what their experience was like.”
• Leverage industry events and communities. If you’re in B2B, attend networking events where your target customers gather. If you’re in consumer goods, find Reddit communities, Facebook groups, or other online spaces where people discuss your category.
• Try Reddit for honest feedback. “Reddit is a really interesting place because there’s something about the anonymity that allows people to be really transparent,” DeVoe says. Look for niche subreddits where people discuss problems your product solves.
• Ask for referrals. Once you find one good research subject, ask them to introduce you to others who have made similar purchases.

What Questions to Ask Them

Once you find people to talk to, your first job is to become a detective.

You want to build a complete timeline of this customer’s purchase — starting with the moment they bought, and working backwards to understand exactly why they bought.

Here’s how:

• Start at the purchase moment. Ask them: “What was happening? Where were you? Who were you with when you decided to buy this?” DeVoe always begins here because it opens a window into their actual circumstances and mindset.
• Work backwards through their journey. What happened before that? When did they first realize they needed a solution? What other options did they consider? What almost stopped them from buying?
• Dig into the emotional context. Don’t just ask what they did — ask how they felt. What were they worried about? What were they hoping would happen?

Once you understand the timeline, your second job is to ask them about their dream outcome.

“When you actually spent money on this, what were you imagining was going to happen? If there was a cartoon bubble above your head, what would I have seen you dreaming about? How did you dream your life would look once you had the product?” DeVoe asks.

The goal is to understand what they’re dreaming life will be like, and make sure your products and marketing deliver.

Start Small, Think Big

You don’t need to interview hundreds of people to get valuable insights. DeVoe has seen transformational results from conversations with just a handful of customers.

“The call can take 20 minutes. I’ve had calls take an hour,” she says. “The timing doesn’t really matter if you can just do those two things: Build the timeline backwards as a detective and find out what their dream is for the future.”

Once you talk with your customers, you can use their insights to transform your business.

For example:

• Use their language in your marketing. Pay attention to the exact words people use to describe their problems and desired outcomes. This becomes your marketing copy. “You can start to match your customer’s language, which also impacts marketing,” DeVoe explains.
• Find new product opportunities. When you understand the deeper problems that people are trying to solve, you might discover adjacent products or services you could offer.
• Improve your sales process. By understanding the complete customer journey, you can identify where people get stuck and what information they need to move forward.

“Most of the time when I work with founders who are really, really stuck, they have brought me in at the point where they built a business around what they thought was a cool idea,” DeVoe says. “You can avoid a lot of that inertia and wasted time and resources by talking to people who have already done the thing that you want them to do.”