Jobs-to-be-Done for SMBs: Finding what your customers actually hire you for
Your customers aren't buying your product.
They're hiring it to do a job.
This distinction sounds subtle, but it changes everything about how you build, position, and grow your business.
I've used the Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) framework throughout my career—including at Microsoft, where understanding the real "job" behind Windows 365 adoption revealed insights that shaped features used by millions. The framework is powerful, but it's also widely misunderstood and often over-complicated.
This guide demystifies JTBD for small and medium-sized businesses. No academic jargon, no $50k consultant engagements—just a practical approach to discovering what your customers are actually hiring you to do.
What Jobs-to-be-Done actually means
The core insight of JTBD is simple: people don't want products—they want to make progress in their lives.
When someone "hires" your product, they're trying to move from their current situation to a better one. They have a job they need done, and your product is the tool they've chosen to do it.
Here's the key: The job is not your product category. The job is the progress they're trying to make.
Common mistake:
"Our customers hire us for project management software"
JTBD thinking:
"Our customers hire us to help distributed teams stay aligned without constant meetings"
See the difference? The first describes what you are. The second describes what progress customers are trying to make—and why they might fire you if something else helps them make that progress better.
Why this matters for your business
Understanding the job changes everything:
It changes your competition. You're not just competing with similar products—you're competing with every other way customers might get the job done. A meal kit service competes with restaurants, grocery stores, cooking classes, and ordering takeout. They're all alternative solutions to the same job: "Get a satisfying dinner on the table without the hassle."
It changes your positioning. When you understand the job, you can message to the situation that triggers the need rather than just listing features. Instead of "collaboration tools for teams," you might say "Stop wondering if everyone's on the same page."
It changes your product strategy. Features matter only if they help customers do the job better. Understanding the job helps you prioritize ruthlessly based on what actually moves customers toward their desired outcome.
It changes your growth strategy. When you know the job, you know what situations trigger the need, what customers are doing before they hire you, and what might cause them to fire you. This clarity drives better acquisition, onboarding, and retention.
The JTBD framework: Key concepts
Before we dive into the how-to, let's clarify the essential concepts:
The Job Statement
A well-defined job follows this structure: "When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [outcome]."
Example: "When I need to coordinate my remote team's work, I want to see who's working on what without interrupting them, so I can ensure we hit our deadlines without becoming a micromanager."
Functional, Emotional, and Social Jobs
Every hire has multiple dimensions:
Functional: The practical task ("get the project done on time")
Emotional: How they want to feel ("feel in control without being overbearing")
Social: How they want to be perceived ("be seen as a good manager who trusts their team")
The most powerful insights often come from understanding the emotional and social jobs, which customers rarely articulate directly.
The Hiring Moment
This is the situation that triggers the decision to find a solution. It's not when they buy—it's when they first realize they have a problem that needs solving. Understanding this moment is crucial for acquisition strategy.
Competing Alternatives
What else could customers do to get the job done? This includes:
Direct competitors (similar products)
Indirect competitors (different solutions to the same job)
DIY approaches (doing it themselves)
Non-consumption (living with the problem)
Switching Costs and Anxieties
What holds customers back from hiring you? What would cause them to fire you? Understanding friction points helps you reduce barriers and increase retention.
Real example: How JTBD changed our strategy
At Microsoft, when researching Windows 365 adoption, we initially thought the job was "Access Windows from any device."
But through JTBD interviews, we discovered the real job was more nuanced: "Enable my team to work securely from anywhere without overwhelming our IT department or compromising security."
The difference seems subtle but it completely changed our approach:
What changed:
Messaging: Shifted from "flexibility and access" to "security and simplicity for IT"
Features: Prioritized IT management tools, task efficiency, and security controls over flashy IT features
Target audience: Focused on IT decision-makers worried about security, not just end users wanting flexibility
Success metrics: Tracked IT admin ease-of-management alongside user satisfaction
This wasn't about ignoring what users wanted—it was about understanding that the real buyer (IT) had a different job than the end user. Both jobs mattered, but the purchasing decision hinged on solving IT's job first.
How to use JTBD insights strategically
Once you understand the job, here's how to put it to work:
For Product Development
Prioritize features that help customers make progress on the job, not just features that sound cool
Eliminate features that don't serve the job (even if they took effort to build)
Design onboarding that guides customers to the outcomes they hired you for
Measure success based on job completion, not just product usage
For Marketing & Positioning
Message to the situation that triggers the need, not just the product category
Speak to struggles customers experienced before finding you
Address anxieties that hold people back from switching
Highlight outcomes customers achieve, not just features you offer
For Sales
Qualify leads based on whether they have the job and triggering situation
Handle objections by addressing the real anxieties uncovered in research
Tell customer stories that mirror the job journey prospects are experiencing
Differentiate based on how you solve the job better than alternatives
For Customer Success
Identify at-risk customers who haven't achieved the outcomes they hired you for
Intervene proactively when customers show signs of the struggles that precede churn
Measure health based on progress toward the job, not just engagement metrics
Guide activation by helping customers experience early success with the job
Getting started today
You don't need a massive research budget or months of time to start uncovering jobs. Here's how to begin this week:
Day 1: Identify 5 recent customers who successfully onboarded and are actively using your product.
Day 2: Reach out and schedule 30-45 minute interviews. (Offer a gift card or discount as a thank-you.)
Day 3-5: Conduct Jobs-To-Be-Done interviews. Focus on listening for the story, not validating your assumptions.
Day 6: Review your notes and look for patterns in triggering situations, struggles, and desired outcomes.
Day 7: Draft your first job statement and share it with your team. Ask: Does this change how we think about our customers?
Even 5-7 interviews will reveal insights you didn't have before. You don't need perfection—you need to start understanding the job.
The real power of JTBD
Understanding what customers hire you to do isn't just an interesting research exercise. It's the foundation for every strategic decision you make.
When you know the job:
You stop building features customers don't need
You message to situations that trigger the need
You compete based on the progress you enable, not just the features you have
You retain customers by ensuring they achieve the outcomes they hired you for
The businesses that grow sustainably aren't the ones with the most features or the biggest marketing budgets. They're the ones that deeply understand the progress their customers are trying to make—and relentlessly focus on enabling that progress better than any alternative.
Your customers are already hiring you to do a job. The question is: do you know what it is?
Ready to uncover what your customers are really hiring you for? Let's talk about running JTBD research that reveals the insights driving your next growth phase.
