ProductThe Mom TestRob Fitzpatrick
Editorial guide•English edition
The Mom Test
A guide to customer conversations that produce useful evidence instead of polite compliments and hypothetical promises.
Why it matters
People are generous with opinions about your idea, but past behavior and concrete constraints are better signals.
02
Core ideas
What is worth remembering after you close the page
01
Talk about their reality
Specific recent behavior is more informative than opinions about a hypothetical future.
02
Avoid pitching during research
Explaining your idea too early changes the conversation into a politeness test.
03
Look for commitment
Time, reputation and money are stronger signals than enthusiasm.
03
Turn it into action
Three things to test today
- 1
Rewrite three research questions to ask about past behavior.
- 2
Do one interview without describing your solution first.
- 3
Record concrete commitments separately from compliments.
This guide explains the book's ideas in independent wording and does not reproduce the original structure or text. Read the original for the full argument, examples and context.
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