As part of our Jobs-to-be Done Needs Framework, we know that when buying a product or service, the buyer (purchase decision maker) uses a set of financial metrics to decide whether or not to buy product A or product B, or to buy from supplier A or supplier B.

An understanding of the buyer’s financial needs informs the decisions that lead to product and business model innovation. It’s not uncommon to find that buyers consider 40 to 80 financial outcomes (metrics) when making the purchase decision.

For example, the hospital administrator responsible for buying medical devices may be looking for products that “reduce the patient’s length of stay”, or “reduce morbidity rates”. These metrics have cost implications that drive the purchase decision.

In the case where the buyer is also the user, it is important to make sure the buyer is wearing the buyer’s hat when describing the financial metrics used when making the purchase decision. Otherwise outcome statements regarding the core functional job may uncovered instead.

Jobs-to-be-Done Theory unlocks the mystery that has for decades been clouding the understanding of customer needs. Knowing how to classify all the customer’s needs changes everything.

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JOBS TO BE DONE: Theory to Practice
by Anthony Ulwick
IDEA BITE PRESS October 25, 2016