Job-To-Be-Done, Problem to solve, Immediate benefits and Future benefits
Key concepts for designing your value proposition
Customer: I want to buy a drill = need a drill.
Why does he want to buy a drill?
The customer wants a drill to make a hole in his living room wall.
But why does he want to make a hole in his living room wall?
He wants to make a hole in the living room wall to hang a picture.
But why does he want to hang a picture?
Job-To-Be-Done (JTBD)
He wants to hang a picture on his living room wall to :
- hide the peeling paint (=> to satisfy a utilitarian need)
- to get good vibes from a beautiful painting (=> to satisfy a hedonic need)
- to express his social status or to have something to talk about when he receives his friends (=> to satisfy a psycho-social need).
Problem = chipped paint on the living room wall
(There is no problem if there are no negative consequences of not solving the problem)
Negative consequences of not solving the problem.
What happens if he cannot find a drill? What if he can't make a hole in his living room wall to hang a picture?
Customer :
- the chipped paint on his living room wall will continue to be visible.
- he will feel bad emotions and be in a bad mood when he has to stay in his living room.
- he will lose value in the eyes of his friends, and he will have to start unpleasant conversations about the renovation of his home.
How will the product - the drill - solve the customer's problem?
Painkiller or immediate benefits
The drill will allow the customer to make a hole in their living room wall to hang a picture that will make them feel good and make them proud in front of their friends.
What are the client's expectations in terms of transformation and self-actualisation once they have bought a drill with which they will solve their problem?
Vitamin/Lifestyle/Candy type benefits or future benefits (gains)
- the feeling of autonomy, of being a good handyman (utility value)
- the good vibes from his painting will give him a boost of energy which he can use to do more useful things around the house, to be a better husband, fiancé, boyfriend, and son. (hedonic value)
- to be solicited more often by his friends for advice on DIY, and decoration and to be admired for his tastes and lifestyle (social value)
And if you don't have a product to sell (yet), dig into the problem.
What is the cause of the problem?
In our example: Problem = chipped paint on the living room wall.
Possible causes:
- Natural ageing of the paint?
- Poor quality paint?
- Good quality paint but ...
- Insulation problem in the house (thermal shock => humidity => peeling paint)?
- Water damage?
Dig into why customers still haven't solved it or are trying to solve it.
To identify your JTBD, your problem and the benefits your customers will get from your value proposition, I recommend the book Value Proposition Design by Dr. Alexander Osterwalder, CEO Strategyzer.
E² - Épistémê Entrepreneur: https://www.episteme-entrepreneur.com/