The ultimate guide to JTBD | Bob Moesta (co-creator of the framework)

Brought to you by Sidebar—Catalyze your career with a Personal Board of Directors | Merge—A single API to add hundreds of integrations into your app | Eppo—Run reliable, impactful experiments — 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 — 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/ • Podcast: https://pca.st/gg6goo1n — 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 [email protected]. — Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.

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