Let's have a Milkshake : JTBD

Why we buy products or services is because we have a job which we want to get done. We can also call it a problem (and by the way Problem is a Gap between where you are now and where you want to be) to solve but some people think problem is a negative word and they prefer not to use it. That is ok. for now let's focus on jobs to be done (JTBD).

Jobs theory (predict in advance if customers are going to buy our products or not.) is a way of digging into why people buy products. Example : Drill , a product. People don't want to buy a drill , instead they are trying to hang a picture OR spy on their neighbors etc :). Essentially people have jobs to be done and they are hiring products to get those jobs done and if your product can do the job better than any other products, obviously people will hire your product over and over and over again.

Example : Milkshakes at McDonalds. We all know about McDonalds and their milkshakes. They decided that they need to innovate in their milkshakes line so that more people will buy their milkshakes. So they created customer profiles / personas who generally buy milkshakes from then. They called those customers in a room , asked questions as to what we can do so that you will buy more milkshakes from us. They got very clear feedback. they acted upon feedback and they had NO impact on sales and profit. How JTBD framework addressed this concern : The irony is that there is a job somewhere which arises in people's lives which causes them with a need to buys a Milkshake. And now, we need to understand what the job is which people are expecting Milkshake to get done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Stc0beAxavY

So survey conducted and data was collected and it turns out that half of milkshakes were sold before 8:30 am. Then some of the customers were interviewed the very next day where one question was asked : "Can you tell us what the jobs is that you are expecting this milkshake to do for you @ 6:30 am in the morning ?". So it turns out that the real job is : I have a long and boring drive to work and i need something that would keep me engaged with life and also i can drive easily. Milkshake is so viscous , it takes about 23 mins to suck it from that thin straw. I am not hungry yet but i know i will be hungry by 10 AM so i also need something to keep myself full when 10 O'Clock happens.

And from Customer's PoV: Milkshake does the job better than any of the competitors. And by the way Competitors are Bananas, Bagels , Doughnuts etc.

Example : Vegetable based drink V8. At first it's creators thought they are competing against other drinks. And that is hard. Who would want tomato juice when they can drink apple juice instead. But once they realised that people were drinking V8 as an alternative to eating their veggies, the brand really began to take off.

One important thing to note is : If you can make users life easier, they can and will pay you a premium price. The key is your product SHOULD get the job done for the customer. Example : I was on a call to book End of lease cleaning for my apartment as i am moving into a new apartment. The lady on the other side asked me "Have you booked someone for moving your stuff into new apartment , if not we can help" and the conversation continues.... I actually had called to book only cleaning service but ended up booking cleaning + goods movement + leftovers disposal.

How to identify JTBD : These questions can help

1. Why did they buy your product?
2. How long did they think about before they made the decision.
3. What was it that made them finally go through with the sale?
4. Have they thought about buying before and not done it.
5. Were they managing with something else or nothing else may be ?
6. When did they realize that they did not want to manage that way anymore.

Now , think about : why are people going through these steps? What is that they are hoping to get done etc etc. And that will be your JTBD.

Job story can also help here : As a morning commuter when i am driving to work i want to eat a snack so that i can keep myself occupied during my commute and get through first few hrs of work without having to stop for breakfast.

Laying the job this way makes it easier to see why the milkshake won against Bagel, Bananas and other morning snacks.

Once you get an intimate understanding of the job people are hiring your product to do , you'll be able to search for other people who have that job to be done.

Same Product Different job : Clayton Christensen of Harvard Business School, tells us that viscosity of Milkshakes which are purchased in evening should be low so that people can finish that quickly and get home.