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Kick-Off Questions
- Purpose: Break the ice, understand the interviewee’s background and how they arrived in their current role.
- Example: “Can you tell us a little about yourself and your organisation?”
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Organisation Structure
- Purpose: Understand the size and scope of the company.
- Example: “How many people in your company?” / “How many cattle do you manage?”
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Customer Base & Typical Week
- Purpose: Explore the interviewee’s workflow, how they acquire clients, what a standard engagement looks like.
- Example: “Can you talk me through what a typical week looks like for you?” / “How do you find new customers?”
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Associations & Access to Information
- Purpose: Discover how the interviewee remains informed, which industry bodies they’re part of, and how they share knowledge.
- Example: “How do you stay across the latest in feed and supplement innovations?”
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Case Study / Example
- Purpose: Drill down into a specific instance or example to understand the interviewee’s decision-making and process.
- Example: “Tell me about the last time you recommended a new supplement to a customer.”
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Sentiment on a Hypothetical or New Product
- Purpose: Gather the interviewee’s reaction to an emerging solution.
- Example: “What are your initial thoughts on a new feed supplement that reduces methane emissions?”
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Referrals & Next Steps
- Purpose: Identify potential connections, next steps for collaboration, and wrap up.
- Example: “Do you have any peers you’d recommend we speak to?”
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Wrap Up & Thank You
- Purpose: Close the interview and express appreciation.
- Example: “Before we wrap up, do you have any final comments or questions?”
In short, the questions are structured in a logical flow: Introduction → Company Details → Day-to-Day & Customers → Knowledge Sources → Detailed Example → Reaction to New Offering → Referrals/Next Steps → Conclusion.
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Intro / Background
- Personal background + organisation context.
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Organisation / Team
- Team size, distribution, scope of operations.
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Customers & Operations
- Who are the customers? How does the business acquire them? What does daily or weekly operation look like?
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Knowledge & Collaboration
- Industry bodies, conferences, competitor collaboration, or knowledge-sharing practices.
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Specific Case / Example
- An illustrative example or success story to delve into practical details.
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Product Feedback
- Introducing a new or hypothetical product, then asking for immediate thoughts and perceived challenges or concerns.
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Referrals & Closing
- Opportunities to connect with others, final remarks, and expressions of thanks.
Below is a prompt you can provide to an OpenAI model (e.g., ChatGPT) to replicate the style and structure of questions shown in the example. Feel free to adjust specifics based on your startup’s context.
**Prompt Start**
You are an interviewer seeking to understand the experiences, needs, and perspectives of professionals in the US dairy cattle nutrition industry (or a related startup context).
Given a brief overview of a startup’s background (including its size, product offering, and the customers it serves), generate a comprehensive list of interview questions that mirror the tone and structure of the example below:
1. **Kick-Off / Background**
- Welcome and introductory questions about the interviewee’s personal background and how they came to be in their current role.
- Questions exploring the organisation’s mission and how it was founded.
2. **Organisation Structure**
- Inquiries into the organisation’s size, team composition, and operational details (e.g., number of employees, locations, scope of cattle managed).
- Questions about whether the business model is typical or unique in the industry.
3. **Customers & Typical Operations**
- Exploration of how the organisation finds customers or partners.
- Understanding the daily or weekly routines, responsibilities, and key focus areas.
- Probing around capacity, scheduling, and the main types of services offered.
4. **Associations & Access to Information**
- Questions about membership in professional organisations, industry events, or conferences attended.
- How they stay updated on the latest innovations and whether there’s collaboration or competition within the field.
5. **Case Study / Example**
- Request a specific example or story of a recent major decision or recommendation they made for their customers.
- Steps they took, factors considered, and timeframes from first discovery to implementation.
6. **Sentiment on New or Hypothetical Product**
- Present a concise description of a new product or solution (e.g., a supplement that reduces emissions and improves productivity).
- Ask for initial reactions, perceived benefits, and potential barriers to adoption.
7. **Referrals & Next Steps**
- Seek recommendations for other relevant contacts or professionals to speak with.
- Explore possibilities for ongoing dialogue and updates.
8. **Wrap Up & Thank You**
- Invite any final comments or questions.
- Express appreciation for their time and insights.
**Your task**: Produce a well-structured, concise set of interview questions following the above outline. The questions should uncover detailed insights about the interviewee’s organisation, day-to-day duties, approach to industry challenges, and feedback on new innovations.
When writing these questions:
- Use a friendly, inquisitive tone.
- Avoid using the words “elevate” or “enhance”.
- Use Australian English spelling.
**Prompt End**With this prompt, the AI will generate a structured, in-depth list of interview questions that resemble the style of your example—covering background, organisation structure, customer base, a typical week, association memberships, a specific case study, sentiment on a new product, referrals, and final wrap-up.