#2 — Unlock customer insights with Jobs To Be Done

Why it matters: Understanding why customers "hire" your product can dramatically boost your chances of connecting with the right buyers at the right time.§

The big picture: Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) is a framework that helps founders grasp the underlying motivations driving customer purchases, going beyond traditional demographics or personas.§

Key takeaways:§

1. JTBD focuses on the "job" customers are trying to accomplish, not just the product features.§

2. It consists of 8 core elements, including context, struggling moments, and desired outcomes.§

3. Actionable JTBDs are clear, in consumer language, and abstracted at the right level.§

By the numbers:§

• Aim for 3-5 clear JTBDs for your product or service
• As few as 10-20 well-designed interviews can yield valuable insights

Success stories:§

• Basecamp uncovered 5 customer jobs, leading to "incredible user and revenue growth".
• Intercom tripled revenue and grew 500% in 18 months after redesigning based on JTBD insights.
• Autobooks doubled lead closure rates in half the time by tailoring sales demos to specific JTBDs.

The 8 Elements of JTBD

1. Context The big-picture view of what's happening in a person's life. Like the milkshake example where customers had long, boring commutes to work.§

2. Struggling Moments Points where customers realize something could be better. For milkshake buyers, it was solving hunger now to avoid being hungry later.§

3. Pushes and Pulls Pushes are circumstances causing the struggle (boredom while driving), while pulls define what progress looks like (passing time and filling the stomach).§

4. Anxieties and Habits Customer concerns about the new future ("Will it fill me up?") and habits they must abandon ("But I really like my Egg McMuffin").§

5. Desired Outcomes What customers wish for when they make a change - the accumulation of pulls. For commuters, it was getting to work and being productive.§

6. Hiring and Firing Criteria Must-have elements for customers to choose your product, and deal-breakers that would cause them to abandon it.§

7. Key Trade-offs What customers are willing to sacrifice to achieve their goal, like giving up a preferred breakfast for a solution that fills time.§

8. Basic Quality of the JTBD Essential qualities a product must have to fulfill the job. For the milkshake, it needed to last long enough to pass time.§

What JTBD Is Not

Not Demographics People act based on situations and desired outcomes, not age or income. Demographics can be misleading predictors of behavior.§

Not Personas Unlike personas that identify groups who typically act a certain way, JTBD shows how people act in specific contexts with trade-offs.§

Not Company-Specific Only people have JTBDs, not organizations. Even in B2B sales, you must find the JTBD of the person making the purchase decision.§

Not Person-Specific The same person can have different JTBDs at different times. It's moment-specific, not people-specific.§

How to Identify Jobs To Be Done

The bottom line: Talk to people who have already chosen your product or service. You don't need hundreds of interviews - 10-20 well-designed conversations can uncover powerful insights if you:§

1. Unpack vague language by digging deeper into what customers really mean
2. Interview with multiple team members to prevent personal bias

When you understand the true "job" your customers need done, you can predict future buyer behavior and design products that truly meet their needs, potentially leading to significant growth and market success.§

How to know you've succeeded? You can answer:§

• What are your product's competitive sets?
• What have customers hired and fired in the past?
• What struggle are they trying to solve?
• What's holding them back?
• What pushes or pulls them to your solution?