How Would You Answer Clayton Christensen's Question?

Clayton Christensen and his colleagues were hired by one of the big fast-food restaurants to help the company increase its milkshake sales. The company had spent months with focus groups asking variations of, “How can we improve our milkshakes so you will buy more of them?” The company would then use all the feedback to improve their product – with no improvement.?

One of Christensen’s team members suggested they take a fresh approach to solving the milkshake problem. Instead of focusing on the buyer demographics, what if they asked, “What job arises in people’s lives that causes them to come to this restaurant to ‘hire’ a milkshake?" So the team began by observing who came in, what time of the day, what they were wearing, did they drink the milkshake in the restaurant or take it with them?

They were surprised to find that more than half of the milkshakes were sold in the early morning by people who took it with them.

The next step was to ask customers about the job they had hired their milkshake to do for them. As customers left the restaurant, they were asked to think about the last time they were in a similar situation, needing to get the same job done, but they didn’t hire a milkshake. What else did they hire?

Bananas. Don’t do bananas they were told. You’ll be hungry by midmorning.

Bagels. They’re dry and tasteless without cream cheese. Who can spread cream cheese on a bagel while you’re driving?

Donuts. Messy and you leave sticky sugary stuff on your steering wheel.

The clear winner was the milkshake because it was filling. It took about 20 minutes to finish it. It fit perfectly in the cupholder. It was simple to manage.

What was the milkshake’s job? All of the customers had a long, boring commute to work, and they needed something to do while they trudged along. They weren’t really hungry yet, but they knew in a couple of hours they would be. The milkshake got the job done.

There is more to this story than just the early morning commuter customer, and it’s worth reading what else they discovered about milkshake jobs. I’ve read How Will You Measure Your Life by the late Clayton Christensen several times, and I always find a fresh insight or unexpected idea. I hope you’ll enjoy it too.

What Job Does Your Client Hire You For?

I love this question because it humanizes our products and services. It flips the formulaic just-solve-your-customer’s-problem script. Popular wisdom says that when we simply deliver what our customers and clients need, everyone comes out on the other side happy.?

While aligning our deliverables with our customers’ problems is obviously fundamental, there’s something vague and uncertain about this approach. First, we assume that our customers know the problem they really need solved. That doesn't mean our customers don’t know their business inside and out, that they don’t have a clear vision for the future.?

But often their underlying problem or need isn’t what they’ve described. It’s likely they’re focused on talking about the outcome they need instead of the root problem that’s standing in the way of success.

Like the milkshake, the problem the restaurant wanted ('needed') to solve was disappointing sales. But the unseen obstacle was really the focus on preconceived buyer demographics rather than the job the milkshake did for the customers.

The Takeaway

According to the job-to-be-done approach, every successful product or service is structured around a job your customer needs done. Addressing the job is what causes a customer to buy from us.?When the product or service is accompanied by a useful, practical experience, our customers will return every time the job need arises.

On the other hand, when it’s a product or service that does a lot of jobs but none particularly well, then it becomes a like-everyone-else’s-offer. There is no customer loyalty in an impersonal commodity. If a product or service is interesting but doesn’t translate to a clear, specific job to be done in the customer’s mind, it will fall short of success.

Saying It In One Sentence??

When we think about our product or service as a job to be done, we humanize its relationship with our customers.

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