Run sheet · take into the room · one per subject
Customer story interview run sheet
SeventhSlate
seventhslate.com
The five beats · ask, then wait. Note where the usable answer landed.
"Walk me through what a Thursday looked like back then."
"Was there a point where you thought, we can't keep doing this?"
"What made you hesitate?" → "What else were you looking at?"
"What do you not do any more?"
"Who do you know who has this problem right now?"
Do not ask these · the swap column
Why this column is not optional. Subjects comply. Across 31 customer-story films we have delivered, exactly one subject has asked us to change the edit — so a leading question does not produce a weak answer, it produces a false one that everybody will approve. Never say "that was great, can you say it again but stronger."
Before you publish · specificity check
☐ One named person, with role and company
☐ One named number they gave us
☐ One named moment that can be dated
☐ One sentence of doubt or difficulty, kept in
☐ No sentence a competitor could publish unchanged
☐ Every quote said out loud on a recording we still have
Runtime · which beats survive the cut
60 sec — before-state · change · recommendation. If you must lose one, cut the recommendation and keep the breaking point.
2 min — all five, ~20 seconds each. Room for one number and one admitted doubt.
Long form — only earns the length with a second voice on the same breaking point.
The subject may ask for changes at any time, without giving a reason.
Free to copy and use · seventhslate.com/blog/customer-story-storytelling
Beat — Ask exactly this — What you're listening for — Timecode / note
1 · Before-state — "Walk me through what a Thursday looked like back then." — Texture, not category. Who did the manual work, on what day.
2 · Breaking point — "Was there a point where you thought, we can't keep doing this?" — A dateable moment. A quarter, an account, one bad Monday.
3 · Decision — "What made you hesitate?" → "What else were you looking at?" — The doubt, kept in. Your prospect holds it right now.
4 · The change — "What do you not do any more?" — A behaviour or a number. Not an adjective.
5 · Recommendation — "Who do you know who has this problem right now?" — A named kind of person — it qualifies the next buyer.
What you'll be tempted to ask — Ask this instead
"How much did we improve your process?" — "What's different about the work now?"
"Would you say it saved you a lot of time?" — "Where did the time go before?"
"Was the onboarding smooth?" — "What was the first week actually like?"
"Would you recommend us?" — "Who would you tell, and why them?"