Olivine Workshops: Jobs to Be Done

Summary

In this video, Ray Lambert, co-founder of Olivine and VP of Product Marketing, introduces the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework for understanding customer motivations and driving product innovation. He explores how JTBD can help identify buyer pain points and guide marketing strategies. Using real-world examples, such as McDonald's milkshake innovation and Intercom's approach to scaling customer support, Lambert illustrates how businesses can align their offerings with customer needs. The video emphasizes focusing on outcomes, benefits, and the emotional aspects of customer decisions rather than just product features, ultimately demonstrating how JTBD leads to impactful market differentiation.

Takeaways

• 😀 JTBD (Jobs to Be Done) is a framework for understanding customer motivations and the reasons behind their product purchases, emphasizing the importance of defining the situation, motivation, and expected outcome.
• 😀 A job story is a short, simple sentence that explains a customer's job, focusing on the situation, motivation, and expected outcome, e.g., 'When [situation], I want to [motivation] so I can [expected outcome].'
• 😀 Understanding the customer's job can significantly change product development, as seen in McDonald's milkshake case, where discovering the job behind morning milkshake purchases led to a 700% revenue increase.
• 😀 Effective marketing should focus on the job to be done, not just product features. For example, instead of advertising milkshake flavors and toppings, McDonald's communicated its product’s benefit for commuters who wanted a quick, non-messy breakfast.
• 😀 JTBD can also help redefine competition. For McDonald's, they weren’t competing with other fast-food milkshakes but with simple breakfast options like bananas, bagels, and donuts.
• 😀 In a crowded market, JTBD can help identify gaps. The Infatuation, a restaurant review platform, found success by focusing on situational needs (e.g., where to go for a first date or a rooftop bar) rather than cuisine or location.
• 😀 Jobs to Be Done theory emphasizes that while personas and technology may change, the core job remains constant. For example, the job of getting from point A to point B has existed for millions of years, but the methods (walking, cars, bikes) evolve.
• 😀 Sometimes, a worse product can actually serve a customer’s job better, as demonstrated by Intercom’s user map feature, where a simplified version led to greater organic growth because it fit the customers' true job to impress others, not just show a map.
• 😀 It’s essential to prioritize the most important job stories for customers. Intercom shifted from focusing on personalizing customer support to scaling support to meet the needs of growing businesses, leading to more relevant product features and messaging.
• 😀 Successful marketing should be outcome-focused, addressing customers' desired results, rather than just listing product benefits or features. For example, the iPod’s ‘a thousand songs in your pocket’ was more compelling than the technical specifications.
• 😀 JTBD helps businesses create products and marketing strategies that speak to the customer's true pain points and motivations, ensuring a stronger product-market fit and greater customer engagement.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of Olivine's workshop on Jobs to Be Done?

The primary focus of Olivine's workshop is to help participants understand the foundations of the Jobs to Be Done theory, develop job stories, and gain a new lens to address buyer pain points and motivations.

How does Einstein's quote relate to the Jobs to Be Done theory?

Einstein's quote emphasizes the importance of understanding the problem before jumping to solutions. Similarly, in Jobs to Be Done, understanding the core customer problem is crucial before creating solutions.

What is a 'job story' in the context of Jobs to Be Done?

A job story is a succinct statement that defines the situation, motivation, and expected outcome for a customer in a given circumstance. It follows the format: 'When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [expected outcome].'

How did McDonald's use Jobs to Be Done to improve milkshake sales?

McDonald's used Jobs to Be Done by observing customer behavior and identifying that people were buying milkshakes for their long commutes. By changing the product to have a thicker formula, more protein, and a faster checkout process, they increased milkshake revenue by 700%.

What is the difference between 'buyer intent' and a 'job story'?

Buyer intent is essentially the job story. It refers to the motivation behind why a customer seeks to accomplish something, whether it's buying a product or using a service, in a specific situation to achieve an expected outcome.

How did Jobs to Be Done change McDonald's approach to marketing milkshakes?

Instead of focusing on flavors and toppings, McDonald's shifted their marketing to focus on the situation and motivation behind why people buy milkshakes, such as 'commute breakfast solved' and highlighting features like a thicker formula and faster checkout.

How did the Infatuation restaurant review platform stand out in a crowded market?

The Infatuation differentiated itself by focusing on situational guides for finding restaurants, such as 'best rooftop bar for margaritas on Cinco de Mayo.' It catered to users looking for a specific vibe or experience rather than just cuisine or location.

Why do Jobs to Be Done emphasize the consistency of the 'job' over time?

Jobs to Be Done theory posits that while personas and technology change over time, the fundamental job that a customer is trying to accomplish remains constant. For example, the job of getting from point A to point B has always existed, even though transportation methods have evolved.

Can a worse product sometimes do a better job according to Jobs to Be Done?

Yes, sometimes a simpler or 'worse' product can better fulfill a customer's job. For example, at Intercom, a stripped-down map feature with easy sharing capabilities outperformed a more complex, feature-rich version because it met the real job of impressing others with customer data.

How does prioritizing the right 'job to be done' affect product development?

Prioritizing the correct job to be done ensures that the product addresses the most important pain points of customers. For instance, at Intercom, focusing on scaling customer support rather than just improving the user experience helped the company meet the needs of its target market more effectively.