WORKING PAPER

Become a Customer-Centered Organization Using JTBD

Here’s how organizations can use Jobs to be Done to turn customer insight into lasting competitive advantage:

Revealing the deeper motivations behind customer behavior to uncover hidden opportunities for growth

Segmenting customers by their Jobs and contexts to design more targeted, differentiated solutions

Building a shared language and process that connects research, strategy, and execution around customer outcomes

OVERVIEW

Why Do Most Innovations Fail?

Companies are constantly seeking innovations to stay ahead. But without a clear understanding of customer needs and wants, developing new products, services, and business models can be risky business. For many firms, innovation is guided either by company-centric thinking that focuses on products to sell, or by asking customers what they want. Both approaches are incomplete.

Consumers often have quite different perspectives than companies. As Peter Drucker once wrote, “The customer rarely buys what the company thinks it is selling”
Most customers are incapable of envisioning what a new product, service, or business model should be. They are usually not engineers or customer experience specialists. They know what they would like to get done, not the best way to do it
It is no wonder, then, that new offerings frequently fail. More than half of newly launched products end up falling short of company projections. The real game changers are even rarer. Only about 1 in 300 new products significantly impacts purchase behavior, the product category, or a company’s growth trajectory

How is JTBD different from other research methods?

Deploying Jobs to be Done

How is JTBD different from other research methods?

Traditional market research frameworks often fall short when it comes to revealing the underlying motivations that drive customer behavior. But JTBD is different. Done right, what makes JTBD unique is that it doesn't rely on customers articulating their needs precisely, measuring them, or framing everything solely in the context of functional Jobs. Instead, effective deployment of JTBD offers a rigorous approach for understanding customer behavior, defining opportunities, identifying adoption obstacles for new solutions, and evaluating the full competitive landscape.

Key differentiators:

JTBD focuses on the underlying need: Unlike traditional frameworks that primarily focus on demographics and psychographics, JTBD delves into the underlying motivations that shape customer behavior
JTBD provides clearer understanding: Traditional research often relies on opinions about a product or its category, which can be incomplete or blend out the richness of detail by looking at averages. In contrast, JTBD focuses on specific purchase and usage events. Companies can grasp the nuance in how their products fit into their customers' lives, whether it is a B2C or B2B context
JTBD uncovers unmet needs: JTBD excels in identifying unmet, latent needs that customers may struggle to express when asked directly. By understanding the Jobs that customers want to accomplish, companies can pinpoint areas to excel in, differently

How is JTBD different from other research methods?

Deploying Jobs to be Done

How is JTBD different from other research methods?

Key differentiators:

JTBD focuses on the underlying need: Unlike traditional frameworks that primarily focus on demographics and psychographics, JTBD delves into the underlying motivations that shape customer behavior
JTBD provides clearer understanding: Traditional research often relies on opinions about a product or its category, which can be incomplete or blend out the richness of detail by looking at averages. In contrast, JTBD focuses on specific purchase and usage events. Companies can grasp the nuance in how their products fit into their customers' lives, whether it is a B2C or B2B context
JTBD uncovers unmet needs: JTBD excels in identifying unmet, latent needs that customers may struggle to express when asked directly. By understanding the Jobs that customers want to accomplish, companies can pinpoint areas to excel in, differently

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Our firm can help your organization uncover your customers' Jobs to be Done and turn that into a strategy. Explore our Jobs to be Done Research service page for more insights