How do you research customers for a subscription software business?

As we’ve repositioned, our research practice has shifted. Think about how research typically works:

• You observe existing behavior
• You call some customers
• Do some synthesis
• Prioritize, experiment, profit

A lot of this breaks down when you’re dealing with a relatively small customer base that happens to be on subscription:

• There are more upfront objections about the sale
• Fewer people are signing up every month, making recruitment more challenging
• You have to deal with ongoing relationship management – and churn

And so:

• You have to be deeply intentional about how you recruit, with more specific criteria than you usually establish
• You need to get a much higher interview rate than you’re typically used to, providing direct entreaties with larger incentives
• You should recruit multiple times in a customer’s lifecycle, pinging new customers as well as those who have been around for a year or more
• Once you have someone’s attention, you can’t stay on the surface: you have to ask more, deeper questions, possibly in a longer session

I’m sure we’re missing something, so I’m curious how other software businesses do it. Hit reply and let me know what’s worked for you!