Share only what you are comfortable sharing.

Critical — prospects need to know it's safe to say "I just didn't want to change."

Imagine that I am filming a documentary.

Documentary framing removes judgment and invites honest reflection on why they stayed put.

What else was happening in your life around this time?

Life context often explains inertia — timing, competing priorities, or organisational friction.

What were you hoping a solution would enable you to do?

Establishes the functional job before you ask why they stayed — without it you cannot tell a blocked job from no job at all.

How would your life or business have been better if you had solved this?

Sizes the upside they imagined. A vague answer here usually means the job was never urgent enough to displace the status quo.

In what ways would solving this have made you better at what you do?

The aspirational job — often the real motivator, and the one that survives a stalled purchase.

How were you hoping a solution would make you feel?

The emotional job. Relief, control, confidence — name it and you can address it directly in positioning.

Who else would have noticed if this had changed?

The social job — who they answer to. In B2B this usually names the stakeholder who never got convinced.

What did you do or use to solve this need before?

What they're currently using reveals the competition you're actually up against.

Were you solving a problem or improving your life?

Are they satisfied or just not in enough pain? Reveals whether the job is active.

Why hasn't anything been the right fit?

If nothing has been the right fit, is the barrier the product or the category?

When did you realize "it can't go on like this"?

Have they ever reached "it can't go on like this"? If not, the job isn't urgent yet.

What made breaking the old habit so difficult?

What makes breaking the current habit feel difficult — this is inertia made concrete.

What did you have to give up for the new way of doing things?

What they'd have to give up — switching cost is a major status quo force.

Any concerns that kept you from choosing other solutions you evaluated?

Concerns about alternatives they considered — the anxiety keeping them from switching.

Any worries about the solution you chose?

Specific worries about your solution — the objections to address in positioning. Reframe for a non-buyer: the solution they stayed with is the status quo.

What did you want to avoid at all costs (in a new situation)?

What they want to avoid at all costs — their primary risk filter.

How much time did you have to make a purchase?

Time pressure (or lack of it) is a key status quo force — urgency drives decisions.

How important was finding the best?

How important is solving this problem, really? Low importance = strong status quo.

Why is this benefit important to you?

Why would the benefit matter — if they can articulate it, there's a latent job to unlock.

What was the moment you decided, there has to be a better way?

Have they had a "there must be a better way" moment? If yes, what stopped them acting?

Anything else you would like to share about your product or service experience?

Final open question — often the most honest answer comes here when they're relaxed. Reframe for a non-buyer: their experience of the category, not of a product they own.

Let me playback your story. Correct me if I get it wrong.

Play back your understanding of why they stayed — confirm the real barrier.

No-Decision (Status Quo) Interviews \u2014 Interview Guide

A no-decision interview is a jobs-to-be-done interview with someone who had the struggle, evaluated options, and then chose to do nothing. It reconstructs why staying put stayed acceptable — the habits, anxieties and constraints that made change feel worse than the status quo. In B2B, no-decision is usually the largest competitor in the category, and it is the one competitor that never appears in a win/loss report. This guide is a pool of 23 questions across four phases; 13 are marked core, which is about what fits in a 45-minute interview.

Last updated 2026-08-03John Gusiff, Customer Centric Solutions LLCFree to use and cite

How to read this guide. These are 23 questions to choose from, not a script to complete. A jobs-to-be-done question is a question plus follow-ups, plus silence — roughly three to four minutes each. Plan on 12–14 primary questions in 45 minutes, 16–18 in 60, 20–22 in 75. The 13 marked core are the ones to ask in almost every interview; the rest are there when the story goes that way. Each question shows what it is designed to surface and the colour-coded element of progress it belongs to. Green is what pulls a person forward, red is what pushes or holds them back — in a no-decision interview those two carry most of the weight, because inertia is the thing you are explaining.

General
Events & Timeline
Pushes
Pulls
Desires
Avoidances
Habits
Anxieties
Solutions
Constraints
Experiences (gain / pain)

Phase 01

Open

Ask 2 of 3 · ~5 min

No-decision interviews require the most trust-building. People rarely admit inertia openly. Normalise it.

01

Share only what you are comfortable sharing.

Critical — prospects need to know it's safe to say "I just didn't want to change."
GeneralCore
02

Imagine that I am filming a documentary.

Documentary framing removes judgment and invites honest reflection on why they stayed put.
GeneralCore
03

What else was happening in your life around this time?

Life context often explains inertia — timing, competing priorities, or organisational friction.
GeneralOptional

Phase 02

Explore the Status Quo

Ask 5 of 9 · ~16 min

Establish the progress they wanted, then what was good enough about staying — the pull of the status quo.

04

What were you hoping a solution would enable you to do?

Establishes the functional job before you ask why they stayed — without it you cannot tell a blocked job from no job at all.
Customer JTBDNot about ProductCore
05

How would your life or business have been better if you had solved this?

Sizes the upside they imagined. A vague answer here usually means the job was never urgent enough to displace the status quo.
Customer JTBDImprovementOptional
06

In what ways would solving this have made you better at what you do?

The aspirational job — often the real motivator, and the one that survives a stalled purchase.
Customer JTBDAspirationalCore
07

How were you hoping a solution would make you feel?

The emotional job. Relief, control, confidence — name it and you can address it directly in positioning.
Customer JTBDEmotionalOptional
08

Who else would have noticed if this had changed?

The social job — who they answer to. In B2B this usually names the stakeholder who never got convinced.
Customer JTBDSocialOptional
09

What did you do or use to solve this need before?

What they're currently using reveals the competition you're actually up against.
HabitsCore
10

Were you solving a problem or improving your life?

Are they satisfied or just not in enough pain? Reveals whether the job is active.
DesiresPleasure vs. PainCore
11

Why hasn't anything been the right fit?

If nothing has been the right fit, is the barrier the product or the category?
ConstraintsOptional
12

When did you realize "it can't go on like this"?

Have they ever reached "it can't go on like this"? If not, the job isn't urgent yet.
Events & TimelineCore

Phase 03

Probe the Barriers to Change

Ask 4 of 6 · ~15 min

Uncover what makes switching feel too risky, too hard, or not worth it.

13

What made breaking the old habit so difficult?

What makes breaking the current habit feel difficult — this is inertia made concrete.
HabitsCore
14

What did you have to give up for the new way of doing things?

What they'd have to give up — switching cost is a major status quo force.
HabitsOptional
15

Any concerns that kept you from choosing other solutions you evaluated?

Concerns about alternatives they considered — the anxiety keeping them from switching.
AnxietiesCore
16

Any worries about the solution you chose?

Specific worries about your solution — the objections to address in positioning. Reframe for a non-buyer: the solution they stayed with is the status quo.
AnxietiesOptional
17

What did you want to avoid at all costs (in a new situation)?

What they want to avoid at all costs — their primary risk filter.
AvoidancesCore
18

How much time did you have to make a purchase?

Time pressure (or lack of it) is a key status quo force — urgency drives decisions.
ConstraintsCore

Phase 04

Close — Find the Trigger

Ask 2 of 5 · ~9 min

Identify what would need to change — in their life, business, or your product — for them to act.

19

How important was finding the best?

How important is solving this problem, really? Low importance = strong status quo.
DesiresOptional
20

Why is this benefit important to you?

Why would the benefit matter — if they can articulate it, there's a latent job to unlock.
DesiresNot about BenefitsOptional
21

What was the moment you decided, there has to be a better way?

Have they had a "there must be a better way" moment? If yes, what stopped them acting?
Events & TimelineCore
22

Anything else you would like to share about your product or service experience?

Final open question — often the most honest answer comes here when they're relaxed. Reframe for a non-buyer: their experience of the category, not of a product they own.
ExperiencesGainPainOptional
23

Let me playback your story. Correct me if I get it wrong.

Play back your understanding of why they stayed — confirm the real barrier.
GeneralCore

No-Decision (Status Quo) Interviews

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