Are you Snickers or KitKat? Guide to finding perfect Jobs to be done for SaaS

Think of the last time you went to the store to buy a TV. 

Maybe you just got yourself a new apartment with a nice TV cabinet that looked weird being empty.

Maybe your old TV didn’t survive the redecoration process your cats tried to convey while you were at work (speaking from personal experience here), and you were afraid you were going to miss the next episode of GOT on HBO.

Maybe there was another season of Suits coming up, and you felt looking at Harvey Specter on your laptop is just not enough (which I totally get 🙌).

Whatever the reason — you went to the store not just to buy a TV. You went there to get a device that will get a specific job done for you. What job? Just look at those 3 sentences below. Each sentence represents a different kind of job buying the TV does for you:

• Finishing up the decoration of your new apartment
• Not missing the next season of your favourite series
• Not missing a single detail on Gabriel Macht’s body (who on Earth would want to miss THAT!!!)

And those reasons are precisely what we’ll be looking for when we prepare the content for your SaaS.

2 similar products — different jobs to be done

My dear friend (if you read this, you’re the best boo ❤️) shared with me a good riddle that I decided to pass on to you. It perfectly explains the concepts of JTBD and the way you should approach this framework when trying to find specific jobs your product does for the client.

The question is:

“Do Snickers and KitKat compete with each other?”

When we’re looking at those two names — we seemingly see the same thing: a chocolate bar. 

Of course, they differ in terms of specific ingredients or textures — but at the end of the day… they both are chocolate bars! There’s no difference between the two of them, right? So, they are direct competitors.

Okay then, let’s see then how both of them are presented in their ads:

In the Snickers commercial, the story revolves mainly around the feeling of hunger (and ofc Betty White 😍). Snickers are a way to power yourself up and feel great when a sudden drop of energy hits you. It’s even mentioned in their slogan:

“You’re not you when you’re hungry”

Before we conclude, let’s look again at the KitKat ad.

Did you notice anything different when it comes to the mood of both of those ads?

Here, the main story focuses on the pleasure of taking a break. Look again at how the slogan corresponds to the rest of the commercial: “Have a break. Have a KitKat”.

KitKat = a nice break.

The main responsibility of every KitKat bar is to bring a little more pleasure into your work break.

In other words, Snickers’ main job to be done is to make you less hungry. KitKat’s job however is to make your life more pleasurable. 

Are they direct competitors then?

Nope.

They give us completely different experiences — they perform different jobs. Even if they look similar at the first glance, their unique value proposition is completely different.

Now, coming back to the SaaS world and the sole reason I’m telling you all this.

How to find the Jobs-to-be-done for SaaS?

in both examples I gave you so far that each JTBD was focused on 3 values:

• feelings, 
• expectancies,
• objectives,

Of course, each of those things belonged to the customer 😉

To define a good JTBD for your SaaS product, you need to look at your product from a broader perspective. Think outside of the narrow circle of your closest competitors. 

Don’t think of specific features. Rather, try to find some qualities in your whole product that address the 3 things mentioned above. That way you’ll avoid marketing specific features and will treat your product as a whole package.

To help you do all that, I’ve prepared a questionnaire for you to fill out in order to find good jobs to be done for your SaaS product. Let’s dive right into it:

The Jobs-to-Be-Done questions for SaaS products

PART 1: Research

Before you find your product’s JTBD you must know what’s happening around you. These 3 questions will make it easier to get a hang on what your competitors are doing already — and where you can stand out!

WHAT are the alternative solutions that do the same jobs as your product?

HOW are they doing the job? Is there a way you can do it better? Or maybe you’re already doing it!

WHY are these alternative solutions your competitors? Which of the 3 values do they respond to?

PART 2: Self-reflection

After defining all JTBD of your competitors — it’s time to focus on your product. Here, you’ll put your imagination to work and find your product's true purpose.

WHAT should your customers feel when using your product?

HOW is your product making your customers’ lives better?

WHY should your customers choose you instead of other solutions doing the same job as you?

PART 3: Action

You already made some massive findings — way to go! Now, let’s put all the knowledge gathered into action and formulate your marketing strategy around JTBD of your product.

WHAT customers’ values will you address in your marketing?

HOW will you tell your customers about your product addressing these values?

WHY you chose those values instead of something else?