On Jobs to be Done, Part 1

Are there benefits of improving a product when it still has a market and the pricing won’t change? What are the factors contributing to consumers adopting a new product and abandoning what they were using?

In this episode, Jenny speaks with Alan Klement as he dives deep into the topic of consumer needs and voices and how they affect their purchasing choices. Alan Klement is known for developing the theories of jobs to be done and market modernization and for inventing new methodologies and methods for engineering growth. Alan’s results include leading efforts to create award-winning products, increasing revenues by millions of dollars, bringing internal alignment through an entire organization, and stopping costly initiatives that would’ve wasted time and millions in R&D. 

He is the owner of Revealed, a market research and growth guidance that helps organizations grow, align, and reveal market insights. He is the author of When Coffee and Kale Compete and is in the process of writing a follow-on book, Jobs to be Done. 

Listen in to learn why the dynamic consumer needs cannot be described and the importance of thinking beyond just product functionality because it’s not the only factor consumers consider when purchasing. You will also learn consumer voices and how to recognize where they come from as the producer. 

“That’s the only time I always say growth strategy works, where incremental improvement on an existing product works.” — Alan [42:14]

Show notes

• [1:03] Intro
• [2:13] OKRs explained! The guidance that a worker internalizes to understand that their direction and individual effort contribute to the whole making progress.
• [8:04] How the discrepancy and the constricts stop us from reaching a goal. How a need is created for the consumer. 
• [18:58] How a producer creates a needing consumer by persuading them to move a goal post.
• [20:32] Alan explains why the job to be done is helpful as a response to the voice of the customer.  
• [31:20] The Connor model. The more comfortable the product the better plus the exciters. These are voices of the consumer and the importance of recognizing where they came from as a producer. 
• [36:12] Learning to move beyond just thinking about product functionality. Why you cannot describe the ever-moving consumer needs.
• [40:35] The strategy of improving existing products- when it works and doesn’t work. 
• [44:00] Describing the equation of product adoption and embodiment- the factors that cause someone to adopt something new and abandon what they were using.