Customer Interviews: How to Do It Regularly and Effectively (with Kevin Palmstein)

In this episode of ProductCamp Conversations, Allison Herbert and Dave Mathias sit down with Twin Cities product coach and Box2Box Product founder Kevin Palmstein to unpack why talking to customers is still the non-negotiable fundamentals talk — even (especially) when every other session is about AI — and what it takes to do customer interviews regularly and effectively. 📌 Topics Covered: • Kevin’s path into product: bootstrap startup generalist → CaringBridge interview with the Pragmatic Marketing placemat → consulting and coaching founders • Why he gave ProductCamp Twin Cities “Customer Interviews: How to Do It Regularly and Effectively” as an intentionally non-AI talk • The Sweden oak trees story: insular room thinking vs. looking outside your context before you decide • Why PMs still avoid interviews (time, fear, lack of practice, sales/CS gatekeeping) — and treating interviews as a visible product output • Ideal practice: one-on-one conversations, shut up and listen, no demos/system diagrams/sales pitches mid-interview • Users vs. buyers in B2B, shadowing on site visits, and relationship follow-through after you hang up (not gift-card transactions) -------------------------------------------------- 🔗 CONNECT WITH GUEST KEVIN PALMSTEIN: • LinkedIn:   / kevinpalmstein   • Website: https://box2boxproduct.com -------------------------------------------------- 🎙️ CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS: • Allison Herbert: LinkedIn:   / aherbert42   Website: https://allisonherbert.com • Dave Mathias: LinkedIn:   / davemathias1   X / Twitter: https://x.com/davemathias Website: https://gobeyondthedata.com -------------------------------------------------- 📧 GET IN TOUCH: Have thoughts on this episode or want to suggest a topic/guest? Drop a comment below or reach out at productcampconversations@gmail.com! 👍 Like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more conversations on the human side of product management.