Steps
Test for emotional need
Ask: does your prospect have an irrational emotional driver? Look for people freaked out by pain, frustration, or strong urgency about the problem.
Confirm active seeking
Verify they've gotten up off their butt and started actively looking for solutions, not just waiting for one to land in their lap.
Assess perceived options
Determine if prospects have few or no perceived options from their perspective. Few perceived options means a market opening.
Talk to prospects daily
Interact live with at least one prospective customer per day via phone, Skype, or in-person to validate the three signals against real human responses.
Look for patterns
After several weeks of conversations, identify patterns across prospects to confirm whether the niche meets all three criteria before building.