Are you a business owner or marketer who has invested time and resources into what seems like a perfect product or service, but sales still won’t take off? You’ve listened to your audience, run surveys, implemented every piece of feedback—and yet, results remain flat.
Have you ever asked yourself why?
The answer is often simpler than it seems: most companies focus on what their product does instead of understanding what the customer is really trying to achieve. In other words, they care about features, not about the job the customer needs to get done.
This is the heart of the Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) methodology—a revolutionary approach that shifts your perspective from being a company that sells to being a solution that customers hire. JTBD isn’t about what your customers buy, but why they buy it. It’s a paradigm shift that can radically transform the way you develop products, do marketing, and communicate with your audience.
The Anecdote That Changed Everything: McDonald’s Milkshake
To truly understand the power of JTBD, let’s start with a famous story told by Clayton Christensen.
McDonald’s had spent months trying to boost milkshake sales, but nothing worked. Using traditional methods, they ran market research asking customers what flavors they wanted, if they preferred more or less chocolate, and so on. They implemented the feedback—but sales didn’t improve.
Christensen suggested a completely different approach: stop asking, start observing. His team spent hours in McDonald’s restaurants, watching who bought milkshakes and under what circumstances. Their observations revealed two very different jobs the milkshake was being “hired” to do.
- The morning commute: Many milkshakes were bought early in the morning by commuters. These customers had a specific job: they needed a quick, filling breakfast they could consume during the drive, something that would also keep them occupied. The milkshake, thick and heavy, was perfect. The narrow straw slowed consumption, prolonging the experience. Here, the real competitors weren’t burgers or sodas but bananas, bagels, coffee, or donuts.
- <pThe afternoon treat: Later in the day, milkshakes were bought by parents for their kids. The job here was different: keeping children happy with a treat that wouldn’t disappear in seconds. Once again, the milkshake worked.
The lesson? For commuters, McDonald’s didn’t need a new recipe but a faster service option (like a quick pickup counter). For kids, they introduced larger straws for quicker consumption.
The Architect of Jobs-to-be-Done: Clayton Christensen
The idea that customers don’t buy products but “hire” them was popularized by Clayton Christensen, Harvard Business School professor and author of The Innovator’s Dilemma.
Christensen was one of the world’s leading experts on innovation and business growth. His philosophy emphasized that companies don’t fail because of mistakes, but because they focus too much on improving existing products while ignoring the real problems customers are trying to solve.
JTBD is his tool to break this trap—helping companies design products that fit seamlessly into people’s lives and the jobs they need to accomplish.
The “Forces” That Drive or Block Customers
Purchasing is not a purely rational act—it’s the result of an internal battle shaped by four forces. Understanding these dynamics is critical to positioning your product effectively and overcoming objections.
- Push forces: The problems, frustrations, or dissatisfactions the customer experiences with their current situation. These trigger the search for a new solution.
Example: A freelancer tired of manually handling invoices, wasting hours and fearing mistakes. - Pull forces: The benefits, features, and promises of your product that attract the customer. They represent how your solution could improve their life or get the job done.
Example: An automated invoicing tool that saves time and reduces errors. - Anxieties: The doubts, fears, and perceived risks that hold customers back—even when push and pull forces are strong.
Example: “What if the software is too complex? What about data security? Is the cost worth the savings?” - Inertia: The resistance to change—the comfort of sticking with the current solution, even if it’s not ideal.
Example: The freelancer knows manual invoicing is inefficient but resists the effort of learning a new system and migrating data.
👉 Your goal is simple: ensure that push + pull forces outweigh anxieties + inertia.
How to Apply JTBD to Your Business
If you want to apply JTBD, you must radically shift focus from product to customer. This isn’t a minor adjustment—it’s a new mindset.
1. Identify the “job” to be done
Don’t just ask what problem your product solves. Dig deeper: “What is the real job my customer is trying to accomplish?”
For example, someone doesn’t buy an e-commerce platform because they want a website. They buy it because they want to sell products online easily, reach more customers, and grow profits. The “job” isn’t the platform—it’s business growth. Your task is to position yourself as the best solution for that specific job.
2. Create your “Job Story”
Once you’ve identified the job, define it using a “Job Story,” a tool developed by Alan Klement. A Job Story summarizes the situation, motivation, and desired outcome in a simple sentence:
“When [situation], I want [motivation], so that [desired outcome].”
Example: “When I’m at a crowded playground, I want to keep an eye on my child easily, so that I feel safe and relaxed.”
This framework helps you design products and services that fit perfectly into customers’ lives.
3. Focus on the hiring process
JTBD pushes you to analyze the entire customer journey—from recognizing a problem to adopting your solution. Your real competitors aren’t always similar products but alternative solutions customers might “hire.” For Netflix, the competitor isn’t just Disney+ but also going out with friends or reading a book.
Map every step of the journey: what pushes them? What holds them back? Only then can you build a marketing strategy and product that overcome inertia and make your solution irresistible.
Final Thoughts
Jobs-to-be-Done isn’t just a marketing framework—it’s a way of thinking that helps you create products customers don’t just buy, but love, because they truly solve their problems. And in the long run, that’s the only way to win.
💡 Want help creating a Job Story for your business or identifying the forces that drive your customers? I’m here to help!
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