How to find customers to interview before you have customers

You can find potential customers to interview before anyone has bought your product. Look for people already doing the work you want to understand, through professional directories, event programs or people search. Then ask whether they personally handle it.

Suppose you are exploring a tool that helps bookkeeping firms collect missing client documents. You want to understand what happens before the monthly close: who asks for documents, how they follow up and what happens when something is missing.

Here are places you could start for that example.

Find firms through QuickBooks or Xero

Open QuickBooks ProAdvisor, enter a location and select Find a ProAdvisor. In the directory, choose Service provided → Bookkeeping → Search.

The result cards show people and their firms. Several people can belong to the same firm, so do not count each card as a separate business. Check the firm’s website to learn more about each person’s work.

A QuickBooks certification tells you someone passed a software proficiency exam. It does not tell you who follows up with clients. A firm owner might do that personally, or a bookkeeper on their team might be the better person to interview.

The Xero advisor directory is another starting point. Xero says listed firms have staff trained in Xero and at least eight clients using it. That helps you find firms with experience of the software; you still need to find the person who handles document collection.

These directories are useful when you want to hear from firms working with QuickBooks or Xero. They will miss people who use other systems. A listing also does not mean someone has agreed to take part in research.

Use job descriptions to learn which role to search for

If you are unsure which title to search, look for the task on firms' careers pages. Try a web query such as "bookkeeper" "missing information" "clients" careers.

On Detweiler Hershey's careers page, expand CAS Bookkeeper / Client Advisory Services Associate. Its duties include requesting missing client documents and helping with month-end close. The Senior Accountant description separately includes preparing or reviewing financial statements.

At Resolve Accounting, following up with clients for missing information is part of the Senior Bookkeeper description. Those give you more role names to try alongside the task you are researching. If your search mostly finds people reviewing financial statements, add “client document collection” to narrow it.

Both descriptions concern work at an accounting firm for client businesses. If a business outsources its bookkeeping, look at the service provider for the person requesting records. To understand how records get sent, you may also need the person gathering them inside the client business.

Use the descriptions to choose search terms, then look for people doing that work. A vacancy describes a role, not a particular person's experience.

Find practitioners through an event program

The Scaling New Heights 2026 session catalog covers accounting and bookkeeping work, including client onboarding and process automation. Look for a relevant session, then check the presenter's firm and current role.

A speaker might run a bookkeeping practice, advise firms or sell software. Those are different perspectives. If you want to understand day-to-day document collection, ask whether they still do that work themselves. Someone who mainly advises firms may instead help you understand which role to look for.

For another industry, use the same approach: find its professional directory or event program, look for the work you care about, and follow that clue to a person.

Check what they personally handle

If you already have a way to contact someone, ask about their experience before arranging a conversation. For an Instant Expert call, describe the work in your invitation and ask at the start of the paid call. You can keep it short:

When did you last help collect client documents for a monthly close, and what part did you handle?

Someone who sent requests and followed up can explain that process. Someone who reviewed the finished accounts may know a different part of it. Choose the person whose experience matches what you want to learn. If their role is unclear, use these three research screener questions to clarify it.

Write a short research invitation

For a research-only conversation, you could write:

Hi [name], I'm researching how bookkeeping firms collect client documents before monthly close. Would you be open to a paid 15-minute research call about the most recent close you worked on? I'd like to understand the steps you took. There's no sales presentation, and I don't need client names or records.

If you approach someone directly, include the amount you are offering and its payment conditions. Keep the purpose clear so they can decide whether to participate.

Prepare the invitation in Instant Expert

You can search for a person using a description such as “bookkeepers at independent accounting firms who handle client document collection.” Review the possible matches and their experience. If you already found someone elsewhere, you can also import their contact details.

Choose a call, set the length to 15 minutes and review the price shown for that person. Add your invitation.

Before sending, check the person, amount, duration and payment terms. Finding a profile is a starting point; the recipient decides whether to accept. Common questions about Instant Expert explains more about how requests work.