Alan Klement

A Job to be Done is the process a consumer goes through whenever she aims to transform her existing life-situation into a preferred one, but cannot because there are constraints that stop her. When Coffee and Kale Compete by Alan Klement helps you become better at creating and selling products that people will buy. Your joy at work will grow. You will know how to help companies increase profits, reduce waste, and remain competitive. In doing so, you will help economies prosper, and help provide stable jobs for employees and the families that depend on them. Top entrepreneurs, business owners, and Alan himself share their experiences of how they used Job to be Done to help them create successful products. Alan not only relates success stories but also gives examples of products and companies that failed. The experiences of others will help you make the best choices for your own company or the company where you work. You will also learn how to analyze the competition and make customers notice your product. The knowledge in this book will help you boost growth for your product and business.

Become Great at Making Products People Will Buy

When Coffee and Kale Compete

Fabian Beiner

We can't build the products of tomorrow when we limit ourselves to the needs and expectations associated with the products of today. Instead, we should focus on what never changes for customers: their desire for progress.

A Job to be Done is the process a consumer goes through whenever she aims to transform her existing life-situation into a preferred one, but cannot because there are constraints that stop her. (p. 41)

Harvard professor Theodore Levitt once pointed out, "People don't want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole!" Levitt's example of the drill implying that the goal is really a hole is only partially correct, however. When people go to a store to buy a drill, that is not their real goal. But why would anyone want a quarter-inch hole? Clearly that is an intermediate goal. Perhaps they wanted to hang shelves on the wall. Levitt stopped too soon. Once you realize that they don't really want the drill, you realize that perhaps they don't really want the hole, either: they want to install their bookshelves. Why not develop methods that don't require holes? Or perhaps books that don't require bookshelves. (Yes, I know: electronic books, e-books.)

Ask customers about what they've done, not just what they want. Confirm it if you can. Customers will often tell us what we want to hear, even if it's partially (or completely) untrue.

Learn what kind of progress customers are seeking. What's their emotional motivation (JTBD)? Use that to segment competition.

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