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Bob Moesta is the co-creator of the Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework, a close collaborator of Clay Christensen, and CEO and founder of The Re-Wired Group. He has helped launch more than 3,500 new products, services, and businesses and built and sold several startups himself. He is also a fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute and a guest lecturer at the Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan School of Entrepreneurship, and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. In this episode, we discuss:
• What Snickers and Milky Way can teach us about JTBD
• The various flavors of the JTBD framework
• Best practices for implementing the framework
• Advice on conducting interviews for B2B vs. B2C customers
• Common mistakes people make when implementing JTBD
• When not to use it
Listen now on Apple, Spotify, Google, Overcast, and YouTube.
Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-jtbd-bob-moesta-co-creator-of-the-framework/#transcript
Where to find Bob Moesta:
• Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/bmoesta
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobmoesta/
• Website: http://www.therewiredgroup.com/
Where to find Lenny:
• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
• Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/lennysan
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/
In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Bob’s background
(04:04) A simple explanation of the Jobs To Be Done framework
(07:29) Struggling moments and demand
(09:51) Understanding the context behind pain points
(11:14) Reducing friction in the sales process
(14:46) How Autobooks improved their buying process and 4x’ed conversion
(16:52) The six phases of the buying process
(18:30) The JTBD interview process
(21:55) How Bob’s TBI affected his reading/writing and how he is able to write books
(22:02) Why people switch companies
(27:18) Tips for JTBD interviewing
(30:07) Why you should not have a discussion guide
(32:48) The danger of looking at the customer through the product
(33:53) First steps in applying the JTBD framework
(36:25) Signs people are ready for a change
(37:43) Bob’s “layers of language”
(40:15) Examples of companies with a broad adoption of JTBD
(43:59) The different flavors of JTBD and common mistakes to avoid when implementing it
(48:19) Bob’s work with Clay Christensen on JTBD theory
(51:05) When not to use JTBD
(53:40) Common misconceptions about the framework
(55:55) What compelled Bob to spend so much of his life on JTBD
(58:07) Three big takeaways
(59:07) Lightning round
Referenced:
• Jason Fried on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-fried/
• Des Traynor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/destraynor
• Southern New Hampshire University: https://degrees.snhu.edu/
• Paul LeBlanc on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-j-leblanc-6a17749/
• Demand-Side Sales 101: Stop Selling and Help Your Customers Make Progress: https://www.amazon.com/Demand-Side-Sales-101-Customers-Progress/dp/1544509987
• Autobooks: https://www.autobooks.co/
• Intercom: https://www.intercom.com/
• Zendesk: https://www.zendesk.com/
• HubSpot: https://www.hubspot.com/
• The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University: https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/
• Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/
• Michael Horn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelbhorn/
• Ethan Bernstein on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanbernstein/
• Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It: https://www.amazon.com/Never-Split-Difference-Negotiating-Depended/dp/0062407805
• William Edwards Deming on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Edwards_Deming
• Basecamp: https://basecamp.com/
• Sriram and Aarthi on Lenny’s Podcast: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/hot-takes-and-techno-optimism-from-techs-top-power-couple-sriram-and-aarthi/
• Genichi Taguchi: https://www.qualitygurus.com/genichi-taguchi/
• Tony Ulwick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyulwick/
• The Clayton Christensen Institute on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clayton-christensen-institute/
• Shape Up: https://basecamp.com/shapeup
• The End of Average: Unlocking Our Potential by Embracing What Makes Us Different: https://www.amazon.com/End-Average-Unlocking-Potential-Embracing/dp/0062358375
• The Big Bang Theory on TBS: https://www.tbs.com/shows/the-big-bang-theory/watch-now
• Oppenheimer: https://www.oppenheimermovie.com/
• Kyota massage chairs at Costco: https://www.costco.com/massage-chairs-cushions.html?brand=Kyota&refine=%7C%7CBrand_attr-Kyota
• Paul Adams on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauladams/
• Matt Hodges on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattnhodges/
• Andrew Glaser on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glaserandrew/
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
The ultimate guide to JTBD | Bob Moesta (co-creator of the framework)
I've been a big fan of Bob and a practitioner of JTBD since I attended one of Bob's workshops many, many years go. In the afternoon portion of the workshop (I believe we were in Dublin, Ireland), he did a live JTBD interview with someone that had recently bought a new house, and that really opened up my eyes to a new way to talk to customers.
JTBD interviews are truly a game changer. And JTBD overall is such a useful framework to help dig into the "why" about any product (and individual features within it).
To help both the companies where I've worked and startups that I've mentored, I've given lots of workshops around JTBD, and made the slides available. You might find them useful to present the framework to colleagues or clients. Here they are:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/building-innovative-software-jobs-to-be-done-shape-up-arrigoni
Thanks Lenny for another great interview!