Ep. 103 - Jobs To Be Done - Jim Kalbach
Justin is joined by Jim Kalbach - author, speaker, and leading voice in strategy and innovation - to demystify Jobs to Be Done (JTBD), a powerful framework that's still underutilized in the marketing world. Jim explains how JTBD moves beyond traditional product thinking by focusing on the core outcomes customers seek to achieve, whether in daily life or professional settings. He shares actionable ways JTBD can drive innovation, align cross-functional teams, and sharpen customer focus.
Whether you're in marketing, product, or leadership, this conversation will help you rethink how your organization defines value - from the customer’s perspective.
Guest Bio
Jim Kalbach is a noted author, speaker, and instructor in innovation, design, and the future of work. He is currently Chief Evangelist at Mural, the leading online whiteboard.
Jim is the author of several books: Designing Web Navigation (O’Reilly, 2007), Mapping Experiences, 2nd Ed. (O’Reilly, 2020), and The Jobs To Be Done Playbook (Rosenfeld, 2020). In 2023 he co-authored Collaborative Intelligence (Wiley, 2023) with Mariano Battan. Jim is also the Co-founder and Principal at the JTBD Toolkit, an online resource with learning, training, and content.
Takeaways
- JTBD helps organizations uncover what customers really want to achieve - not just what products do.
- Success lies in separating your solution from the customer’s actual goal.
- Understanding unmet needs can create more resonant marketing and better product-market fit.
- JTBD can foster cross-functional alignment with a shared language across product, marketing, and sales.
- The core "job" customers want to complete remains timeless, even as technology changes.
Chapters
00:00 Welcome and Introduction to Jim Kalbach
01:04 What is Jobs To Be Done?
02:07 The Drill vs. the Hole Analogy
03:45 Why Focusing on Jobs Unlocks Innovation
05:52 The Role of Time in B2B Buyer Behavior
08:00 Timeless Nature of Customer Jobs
09:51 Fixing the Agency Pitch Problem with JTBD
11:20 The Power of Diagnosing Unmet Needs
13:25 Creating Cross-Team Alignment Through Shared Language
16:04 Building JTBD as an Organizational Muscle
17:28 Jim’s Writing Process and Book Journey
21:18 Collaborating with Practitioners and the JTBD Toolkit 24:32 Why Teaching Sharpened Jim’s Expertise
26:00 Where to Learn More: JTBD Toolkit & LinkedIn
27:14 Closing Thoughts and Sign-off
Follow Jim on LinkedIn here
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