01 · Strategy & buyers

You have an idea, a few encouraging conversations, and more possible customers than you can serve. Start by understanding the problem and choosing whom to learn from. The guides here help you make that choice with real conversations and a small, manageable test.

Last reviewed: 2026-09-06 · Reading edit: 2026-09-12

Start here

1. Explore a problem — Turn a recurring frustration into a question you can investigate.
2. Choose whom to approach — Compare a few companies and explain why each might fit.
3. Start the conversations — Find a sensible route to the people you want to learn from.

Playbook map

Guide	What it helps you do
Idea discovery	Is this recurring problem worth exploring as a business?
Idea validation	What would show that people want to try or buy the proposed solution?
Ideal customer profile	Which customers are likely to benefit from what we can deliver?
Wedge	Which customer and task should we focus on first?
Buying committee	Who is involved in the purchase, and what does each person need?
First ten customers	How do we start useful conversations with our first potential customers?
Product-market fit	Are customers getting enough value to keep using and paying for the product?
Four Fits	Do the product, customers, selling approach, and economics work together?
Market research	What do we need to learn before choosing a market to pursue?
Segmentation	Which customer differences should change our offer or approach?
Buyer journey	What does the buyer need to do before deciding and getting started?
Jobs to be done	What is the person trying to accomplish behind a feature request?
Category entry points	Which situations should remind people that our product could help?
Competitive alternatives	What would the buyer do if they did not choose us?

Try one thing

Choose one possible customer. Write the task they struggle with, how they handle it today, and the question you would ask them next.

Where to go next

Pick a guide above for the task you are working on, or browse Product marketing for a related part of the work.

Back to the playbook index

Status: Domain guide published · 14 tactic playbooks published

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Canonical source: github.com/weilun88313/B2B-Playbook