It is still unclear if it is a true story or a myth but either way, the power of jobs-to-be-done and the way it shifts the focus from a bias towards customer centricity can be seen crystal clear.
It all began with a fast-food chain that had suddenly trouble selling its milkshakes. The numbers stagnated and no matter what the owner tried – changing the size of the cup, adding more flavors, selling it in combination with burgers – nothing really helped to get the sales up again. So the owner approach a former professor at Harvard University and the author of the book “The Innovator’s Dilemma” called Clay Christensen who started investigating into the matter. He and his team observed the consumer and found an interesting pattern. One group of customers consumes the milkshake in the morning while they are commuting to work. So they started to dig deeper and questioned the purpose this milkshake has during the commute. The customer explained that they are often bored while sitting in a traffic jam on their way to work and with a milkshake in their hand, they have something to do. In addition, it is – as they claimed – a healthier breakfast than a Snickers bar, easier to eat than a donut, time-consuming while drinking it because of the straw and you have longer energy than with a banana. The job, for which the customer hires this milkshake was therefore entertainment, nutrition, and comfort while consuming it.
I’m sure, a commuter stuck in a traffic jam on his or her way to work is not the typical milkshake consumer you had in mind when you started reading this story. And exactly this is the issue. We are biased and think we know what our customer looks like, how he or she behaves, and what they like when in fact this is only a stereotype and our own beliefs which can sometimes so much differ from reality. In addition, you might thought while reading the reasons the customer hired the milkshake are not suitable for you which can totally be. Remember that you can put a hole in a wall either with a drill or with a hammer! There is not one solution to get a job done, it is just not might the option you are thinking of.
Are you stuck in the middle with your own milkshake problem? That’s okay, we are happy to help you out! Drop us a message at email hidden; JavaScript is required and we will help you out.
All about Jobs-to-be-done at a glance
Blog Post 1: Wie beginnt Innovation? | How does Innovation start?
Blog Post 2: Verzerrte Wahrnehmung und ihre Auswirkungen | Having Biases – What are the reasons and how can you avoid them
Blog Post 3: Die Jobs-to-be-done Hierarchie | The Jobs-to-be-done Hierarchy
Blog Post 4: Podcast and Deep Dive
Blog Post 5: How it all started with a Milkshake
Blog Post 6: Jobs are stable
Blog Post 7: Job Metrics to define Customer Pain Points
Blog Post 8: Real-Life Example of Jobs-to-be-done
