Marketing: What Job Is Your Product Being Hired To Do
I recently read a book that posed this paradigm of marketing. When working on product development, and then when marketing a product, ask yourself, “What job will my customer hire my product to do?” In addition to looking at this from the marketing and business angle I also want to address how this applies to relationships and personal development.
Products and services are sold when they create specific value in the life of the customer. When your customers shop they have a need in mind for which they are trying to find a solution. What is the need or what are the various needs for which your product is suited?
If you can uncover what job the product is being hired to do then you can greatly improve the product and the marketing efforts. I recently met with a car dealership client of mine. I would have assumed that they product was a car and that people buy a car to be able to have transportation from point A to B. Under that assumption I would have launched a very awful ad campaign to help drive them more business… with the wrong message to the wrong people. This particular car dealer told me that isn't the case with their customers. Their customers buy a car from that dealership because they have no money to put down and/or because they have bad credit and they want to repair it. Knowing that, one can advertise to the right people at the right time with the right message.
Another car dealer client of mine tells me the job their customer is “hiring” the car to do is to make them look good. That particular car dealership specializes in luxury imports. If the customer wants a good deal on a reliable car they will go elsewhere.
Consider in your own marketing efforts, how well do you really understand what job your customers expect your product/service to perform. What need do they have that you are fulfilling? Use surveys and post sale calls to really identify these key insights to improve your ongoing product development and marketing efforts.
Perhaps you also need to consider for a moment your own relationships with your spouse, family members, coworkers, and others. Ask yourself, “what job am I hired to do?” For example, do I really understand what my wife expects from me. Do I know and understand what needs she has that she expects me to meet and solve? Relationships grow when we have a clear understanding of what the other person needs from us and we work to be that person for them.
If you are wondering how you can best discover what the expectations and needs are of the other person in the relationship I suspect the best method is just to ask. Ask with a sincere intent to listen and understand and you may discover the most critical things that will help you grow a deeper and more valuable relationship with all those around you.