Resist the Urge to Be a Jack of All Traits: Focus on Customer Needs

One of the most significant challenges faced by small companies today is the allure of attempting to cater to every customer demand. This often leads to a strategy of serving anyone and everyone who expresses interest. However, this approach can result in team burnout due to a lack of clear direction. It can also lead to a cycle of developing minimal viable products (MVPs) based solely on individual customer requests, without considering scalability. This behavior is frequently driven by FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), as leaders hesitate to invest in specific market segments, fearing that other segments might achieve more success. Unfortunately, when this sentiment is nurtured and employees are pulled in different directions, the risks become substantial.

Each year, more than 30,000 new products and services are introduced. Astonishingly, a staggering 90% of these launches fall short of achieving market success. This underscores the need to re-emphasize the importance of focus — specifically, concentrating on the tasks that customers need to accomplish. Centering on the jobs that customers want done holds the power to shape an entire organization. This article delves into the vital transformation required to effectively engage customers by addressing their social, functional, and emotional needs, all while resisting the compulsion to chase every potential opportunity.

Breaking Free from Failed Market Segmentation

Traditional methods of market segmentation often miss the mark. Segmentation based on demographics or customer types fails to address the core issue: understanding the specific tasks customers are trying to complete. The solution lies in shifting towards customer-centric thinking, where the spotlight is placed on the tasks customers aim to achieve.

The Three Dimensions of Job Fulfillment

Each task that customers aim to achieve can be broken down into three dimensions: social, functional, and emotional. By comprehending each dimension, marketers can develop products that align perfectly with the given task. These dimensions offer insights into the context, purpose, and emotional components of the job, providing guidance for creating solutions that resonate deeply. An illustrative example is the Milkshake case study, which highlights the efforts of a struggling fast-food outlet to boost milkshake sales. By understanding that customers hired milkshakes for distinct morning and evening tasks, the company revamped its offerings to cater to these unique needs. This led to increased customer satisfaction and category growth.

Identifying the Desired Customer Jobs

Understanding and addressing the jobs customers want done are fundamental to achieving success. This approach transcends the limitations of traditional segmentation methods and guides you in creating products that cater to essential needs. The transformative shift towards focusing on the social, functional, and emotional aspects ensures that brands become relevant, purposeful, and valuable in customers' lives.

An example that left a lasting impression on me during my time in business school is the journey P&G undertook to develop Swiffer. The story goes that P&G faced intense competition in the home cleaning category and needed to introduce new product line. Motivated by the cooperate annual revenue goal of $5 billion, they enlisted a market research firm to help identify a job that customers needed to be done in the home cleaning category. The firm spent time observing customers as they cleaned their floors and discovered two key insights: firstly, cleaning floors holds personal value as they reflect an individual's identity, and secondly, the task is messy and time-consuming, involving direct contact with dirt and water. People would even change into old clothes before attempting this messy chore. They would then use a broom and dustpan to clean the floors. And once they finally got to work with their mop buckets, people spent just as much time and effort wringing out their mops as they did cleaning the floors. From these observations, it became evident to the researchers that customers needed an entirely new method for keeping their floors clean. And so Swiffer was born.

Swiffer was introduced in 1999 and has since become one of Procter & Gamble's most successful product launches. In its inaugural year, Swiffer generated $200 million in revenue. By 2002, Swiffer's annual revenue had reached $1 billion. Today, Swiffer is still one of Procter & Gamble's most popular and profitable products. It is estimated that Swiffer generates over $2.5 billion in annual revenue. The journey from identifying customer jobs to creating purpose-driven brands is the path to sustained success, fostering genuine connections, and addressing the actual needs of customers in a meaningful manner.

Jobs: The Foundation of Effective Marketing

Achieving success in marketing hinges on understanding customer needs beyond surface-level categories. This involves deciphering the tasks customers aim to accomplish and creating products that directly address those needs. Product marketers play a pivotal role in uncovering these jobs, designing products tailored to them, and delivering experiences that reinforce their intended usage.

Regardless of the market category your product might be in, your success hinges on understanding customer needs. Traditional market segmentation methods often fall short in addressing the core tasks that customers aim to fulfill. Embracing a job-focused approach empowers you to design products that resonate on social, functional, and emotional levels, transforming your brand into invaluable assets in customers' lives. This shift in philosophy can lead to sustained growth, genuine brand loyalty, and a more profound customer connection. Master the art of catering to the genuine needs of your customers.