How to find customers to interview before anyone has bought
Find customers to interview before launch by looking for people already doing the work: software directories, job descriptions and event speakers. Bookkeeping example.
To find customers to interview before anyone has bought your product, look for people already doing the work you want to understand. Professional directories, event programs and people search all point to them. Then ask each person whether they personally handle the task, because a listing won't tell you.
Here is a made-up example used throughout: 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. (Something is always missing.)
1. Start with the QuickBooks and Xero directories
Open QuickBooks ProAdvisor, enter a location and select Find a ProAdvisor. In the directory, choose Service provided, then Bookkeeping, then Search.
The result cards show people and their firms. Several people can belong to the same firm, so don't count each card as a separate business. Check the firm's website for each person's role.
A QuickBooks certification tells you someone passed a software proficiency exam. It doesn't 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. You still need to find the person who handles document collection.
Both directories only cover firms working with QuickBooks or Xero, so they miss people on other systems. A listing also doesn't mean someone has agreed to take part in research.
2. Read job descriptions to learn 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. Now you have more role names to try alongside the task. If your search mostly finds people reviewing financial statements, add "client document collection" to narrow it.
Both descriptions cover work at an accounting firm for client businesses. If a business outsources its bookkeeping, the person requesting records works at the service provider. 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.
3. Find practitioners through event speakers
The Scaling New Heights 2026 session catalog covers accounting and bookkeeping work, including client onboarding and process automation. Find a relevant session, then check the presenter's firm and current role.
A speaker might run a bookkeeping practice, advise firms or sell software. If you want day-to-day document collection, ask whether they still do that work themselves. Someone who mainly advises firms can still tell you 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.
4. Ask 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. One question is enough:
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 knows a different part. Pick the person whose experience matches what you want to learn. If their role is unclear, these three research screener questions will clarify it.
5. Keep the invitation short and promise no pitch
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 take part.
Set it up in Instant Expert
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, 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. A profile is a starting point; the recipient decides whether to accept. Common questions about Instant Expert explains more about how requests work.