Understanding your customers is the key to success. Yet, many founders and marketers struggle to truly grasp what drives their customers’ decisions.
This is where the Job to Be Done (JTBD) theory comes in — a powerful framework that shifts the focus from who your customers are to why they buy and use your product. By applying JTBD, you can improve your product, deepen customer engagement, and ultimately drive sustainable growth.
Note: For readability, I’m using the term “product” for both products and services. JTBD is as important for optimizing services as it is for products.
What is the Job to Be Done Theory?
Developed by Clayton Christensen and popularized in his book Competing Against Luck, the Job to Be Done theory posits that customers don’t buy products or services for their features alone. Instead, they “hire” products to accomplish specific jobs or tasks in their lives. These jobs can be functional, emotional, or social, and understanding them is critical to creating products that resonate with your audience.
For example, when someone buys a drill, they’re not buying the drill itself — they’re buying the ability to make a hole in the wall. The drill is just a means to an end.
Similarly, when someone subscribes to a meal delivery service, they’re not just buying food — they’re buying convenience, time savings, and perhaps even the feeling of being a responsible, health-conscious person.
By focusing on the job your product is hired to do, you can design solutions that align more closely with your customers’ needs and motivations.
Why JTBD Matters
JTBD offers a clear path to improving your product and deepening customer engagement. Here’s why:
It Shifts the Focus from Demographics to Needs – Traditional marketing often relies on demographic data (age, gender, income) to segment customers. But demographics alone don’t explain why people buy. JTBD digs deeper, uncovering the underlying needs and motivations that drive purchasing decisions. This allows you to create more targeted and effective marketing campaigns.
It Helps You Identify Unmet Needs – By understanding the jobs your customers are trying to accomplish, you can identify gaps in the market and opportunities for innovation. This is especially valuable for brands looking to differentiate themselves in competitive industries.
It Encourages Customer-Centric Product Development – JTBD forces you to think from the customer’s perspective. Instead of building features based on assumptions, you can design products that directly address the jobs your customers need to get done.
It Deepens Customer Engagement – When your product consistently helps customers achieve their goals, they’re more likely to stick around. JTBD helps you create experiences that foster loyalty and long-term engagement.
How to Apply JTBD to Improve Your Product
So, how can you use the Job to Be Done theory to improve your product? Here are four actionable steps:
1. Identify the Jobs Your Customers Are Hiring Your Product to Do
Start by conducting customer interviews or surveys to uncover the jobs your customers are trying to accomplish. Ask open-ended questions like:
- What problem were you trying to solve when you bought our product?
- What were you using before, and why did you switch?
- How does our product fit into your daily life or workflow?
- What does success look like?
Look for patterns in their responses. What jobs keep coming up? These are the opportunities to focus on.
2. Map Out the Customer’s Journey
Once you’ve identified the key jobs, map out the steps your customers take to accomplish them. This includes the triggers that lead them to seek a solution, the alternatives they consider, and the outcomes they hope to achieve.
For example, if you run a fitness app, the job might be “lose weight and feel healthier.” The journey could include steps like researching workout plans, tracking progress, and staying motivated.
If you’re a branding consultant, the job might be to increase customer engagement. The journey might start with a decline in customer engagement, followed by contracting a consultant and building a stronger brand identity.
By understanding this journey, you can identify pain points and areas where your product can add more value.
3. Design Solutions That Address the Job
With a clear understanding of the job and the customer journey, you can start designing solutions that directly address the job. This might involve:
- Adding new features or customizing your offers to make it easier to accomplish the job.
- Removing friction points in the customer journey.
- Creating content or resources that help customers achieve their goals more effectively.
- Simplifying the process to make it easier for customers to buy/hire.
For instance, if you’re a business consultant and your client’s job is to “scale operations without losing company culture,” you could offer a package that includes process optimization, leadership training, and team-building workshops.
4. Communicate Value in Terms of the Job
When marketing your product — especially if you’re a service provider — focus on the job your clients are hiring you to do, rather than just listing your capabilities. For example:
- Instead of saying, “We offer social media management,” say, “We help businesses build loyal online communities that drive sales.”
- Instead of saying, “We provide financial consulting,” say, “We help startups secure funding and manage cash flow to achieve sustainable growth.”
This approach resonates more deeply with potential clients because it speaks directly to their needs and goals.
5. Measure Success Based on Job Performance
Finally, measure your product’s success based on how well it helps customers get the job done. Instead of focusing solely on metrics like revenue or user acquisition, track indicators that show how well your product is meeting customer needs:
- Customer satisfaction with the job outcome.
- Frequency of use (are customers hiring your product repeatedly?).
- Net Promoter Score (NPS) or customer loyalty.
For service providers, success should be measured by how well you help clients accomplish their jobs. This means:
- Setting clear, job-focused goals at the start of the engagement (e.g., “Increase lead generation by 20% within six months”).
- Regularly tracking progress and adjusting your approach as needed.
- Soliciting feedback to ensure you’re meeting the client’s expectations.
By tying your success metrics to the client’s job, you demonstrate your commitment to their outcomes and build trust.
Deepening Customer Engagement with Job to Be Done
Improving your product is just one piece of the puzzle. To truly deepen customer engagement, you need to create experiences that keep customers coming back. Here’s how JTBD can help:
Become a Trusted Partner – When you consistently help clients achieve their goals, you become more than just a provider — you become a trusted partner. This strengthens the relationship and increases the likelihood of repeat business or referrals.
Personalize the Experience – Use your understanding of the job to tailor your messaging and offers. For example, if you know your customers are hiring your product to save time, highlight time-saving features in your marketing campaigns.
Build a Community Around the Job – Create spaces where customers can share tips, success stories, and challenges related to the job. This could be a Facebook group, a forum, or even a series of webinars. By fostering a sense of community, you’ll strengthen the emotional connection customers have with your brand.
Continuously Iterate Based on Feedback – JTBD is not a one-time exercise. As customer needs evolve, so should your product. Regularly collect feedback and use it to refine your offering. This shows customers that you’re committed to helping them succeed.
Real-World Examples of Job to Be Done in Action
Netflix: Netflix understands that its customers hire its service to be entertained. By focusing on this job, Netflix has invested heavily in personalized recommendations and original content, keeping customers engaged and reducing churn.
Uber: Uber’s job is to provide reliable, convenient transportation. By continuously improving its app and expanding its services (e.g., Uber Eats), Uber has deepened its relationship with customers and created multiple touchpoints for engagement.
Slack: Slack’s job is to make workplace communication more efficient. By integrating with other tools and offering features like channels and bots, Slack has become indispensable for many teams.
A Marketing Agency: Imagine you run a marketing agency, and a client hires you to “improve their social media presence.” Using JTBD, you dig deeper and discover that the real job is to “attract more high-quality leads to grow their business.” With this insight, you:
- Design a campaign focused on lead generation, not just engagement.
- Offer additional services like email marketing and landing page optimization to support the broader goal.
- Measure success based on the number of qualified leads generated, not just likes or shares.
By focusing on the job, you deliver more value and position yourself as a strategic partner.
A New Approach to Product Development
The Job to Be Done theory is more than just a framework — it’s a mindset shift. By focusing on the jobs your customers are hiring your product to do, you can create solutions that truly resonate, improve your product, and deepen customer engagement.
So, the next time you’re brainstorming new features or crafting a marketing campaign, ask yourself: What job is my customer hiring my product to do? The answer might just be the key to your next big breakthrough.
