I get the lean startup "talk to customers first" thing, and it seems perfect for so many startups. However, I can't help feeling there are some cases where you

I get the lean startup "talk to customers first" thing, and it seems perfect for so many startups. However, I can't help feeling there are some cases where you are selling execution not innovation Talking to potential customers first is still an excellent thing to do. Find out, in their view, what the pain-points are in the current solutions. If you can't find any, you will have a difficult time marketing your product. You have an advantage here: the customer is already familiar with what the products do (and, more importantly, what they don't do). And furthermore they already have a sales process for buying the product. Be sure you ask them about these things. Then you will know what to build. Why are these things good for startups to do? Because that's what the big boys do. Suppose bigPharm inc has an idea for a nasal delivery device for medicine for treating osteoporosis found (primarily) in elderly ladies. Who wouldn't rather have a nasal delivery than a shot? Can't miss. However, they won't spend a penny until they talk to the docs. Turns out, elderly patients don't mind shots. They get a million of them. Now, make a cheaper medicine--that's a different story. Decision: product scrapped. BTW- good to talk to the insurance companies too in this case.