Ehsan Jahandarpour
Jobs to Be Done (JTBD)Series A

Jobs to Be Done (JTBD): JTBD for Product Positioning

Using Jobs to Be Done to reposition your product around the actual jobs customers hire it for, improving messaging and conversion.

How to Apply

1

Interview 10-15 recent customers about the moment they decided to use your product.

2

What functional job, emotional job, and social job drove the switch?

3

Document push (pain), pull (desired outcome), anxiety, and habit for each switch.

4

Create: "When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [outcome]" statements.

5

Align product messaging, landing pages, and sales pitch with the primary job.

Expected Outcomes

  • ✓ Messaging that resonates with buyer motivation
  • ✓ Higher conversion rates on landing pages
  • ✓ Clearer product positioning

Real-World Examples

Common Pitfalls

⚠Assuming you know the job without interviewing customers
⚠Finding too many jobs and not prioritizing

Ehsan's Insight

JTBD for positioning reveals that your competitors are rarely who you think. When Intercom applied JTBD research, they found their competition was not other chat tools — it was email, spreadsheets, and sticky notes. The "job" was "quickly answer a customer question" and most businesses "hired" their email inbox for that job. This changed Intercom's entire positioning from "better chat widget" to "the fastest way to resolve customer questions." The positioning shift doubled their conversion rate on the homepage. The method: interview 10 recent customers and ask "what were you using before us, and what was the specific moment you decided to switch?" The answer is almost never a named competitor — it is a cobbled-together workflow. Your positioning should contrast against that workflow, not against competitors' feature lists.

EJ

Ehsan Jahandarpour

AI Growth Strategist & Fractional CMO

Forbes Top 20 Growth Hacker · TEDx Speaker · 716 Academic Citations · Ex-Microsoft · CMO at FirstWave (ASX:FCT) · Forbes Communications Council

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I use Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) for product positioning?
Using Jobs to Be Done to reposition your product around the actual jobs customers hire it for, improving messaging and conversion.
What are the steps in JTBD for Product Positioning?
There are 5 key steps: Conduct switch interviews, Identify primary jobs, Map forces of progress, Write job statements, Rewrite positioning.
What results can I expect from JTBD for Product Positioning?
Messaging that resonates with buyer motivation. Higher conversion rates on landing pages. Clearer product positioning.
What are common mistakes with JTBD for Product Positioning?
Assuming you know the job without interviewing customers. Finding too many jobs and not prioritizing.
Can I combine Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) with other frameworks?
Yes, Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) works well with other growth frameworks. Many teams combine it with AARRR metrics and ICE scoring for a comprehensive growth system.