Is your company's marketing and sales engine firing on all cylinders, or are you grappling with stagnant conversion rates and escalating customer acquisition costs? Many businesses invest heavily in reaching customers, yet their messages fail to connect, and sales efforts don't consistently translate into growth. The common culprit? A disconnect between what companies think customers want and the actual job customers are trying to get done. At thrv, we use our proprietary and patented Jobs to be Done (JTBD) methodology and AI-powered platform to bridge this gap, enabling our portfolio companies to achieve superior equity returns through precise JTBD Marketing Sales Enhancement. This article explores how our approach aligns marketing and sales strategies with deep customer understanding to significantly improve customer conversion online and systematically reduce customer acquisition costs.

Table of Contents

• Understanding Jobs to be Done (JTBD) for Marketing and Sales
• How thrv Uncovers Customer Jobs for Strategic Advantage
• Our Research Process
• Defining Customer Needs: Speed and Accuracy
• Applying JTBD to Transform Marketing Strategy
• Crafting JTBD-Based Messaging that Resonates
• Content Marketing Driven by Customer Jobs
• Smarter Customer Segmentation with JTBD
• Improving Sales Processes with JTBD Insights
• Aligning Sales Conversations with the Customer's Job
• Equipping Sales Teams for Success
• The Impact of JTBD on Key Business Metrics
• Boosting Customer Conversion Rates
• Reducing Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC)
• Using Customer Effort Score (CES) for JTBD Insights
• Measuring the Success of Our JTBD-Driven Approach
• Conclusion: Achieve Predictable Growth with JTBD
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
  
  
  

Understanding Jobs to be Done (JTBD) for Marketing and Sales

The Jobs to be Done theory posits that customers "hire" products or services to accomplish a specific "job" – to make progress in a particular circumstance. This is a fundamental shift from feature-focused thinking. Instead of asking "What product features do customers want?", JTBD asks, "What is the customer ultimately trying to achieve?"

JTBD is a theory that states that customers don't buy products or services for their features or benefits, but rather to achieve a specific job. This perspective is critical for marketing and sales. When we understand the underlying job, we can:

• Develop more relevant value propositions
• Create marketing messages that truly speak to customer motivations
• Design sales processes that guide customers effectively towards their desired progress
  
  

A "job" has functional, emotional, and social dimensions. For instance, someone might hire a project management tool not just to "organize tasks" (functional), but also to "feel in control of their workload" (emotional) and "be seen as a competent manager by their peers" (social). Traditional demographic-based personas often miss these nuanced drivers of behavior. Our JTBD method, refined through years of implementation within our portfolio companies, uncovers these deep-seated needs.

How thrv Uncovers Customer Jobs for Strategic Advantage

At thrv, our equity value creation platform is built upon a rigorous implementation of the Jobs to be Done methodology. We don't just theorize; we implement. Our process involves proprietary AI-powered software and expert services to pinpoint the exact jobs customers are trying to get done in our portfolio companies' markets.

Our Research Process

We use a multi-faceted approach to identify and prioritize customer jobs:

Customer Interviews: We conduct in-depth interviews, focusing on the "why" behind customer actions to identify the true job and any associated struggles. This qualitative research is foundational for uncovering deep customer insights.

Quantitative Analysis with AI: Our AI platform analyzes vast amounts of customer data to identify patterns and quantify the prevalence of different jobs and the effort associated with each step. This allows us to scale the analysis and move from insights to action quickly, giving our portfolio companies a critical speed advantage.

Job Mapping: We meticulously map every step of the customer's job, identifying all the actions and variables involved. This helps us pinpoint where customers experience friction.

Defining Customer Needs: Speed and Accuracy

Within our JTBD framework, customer needs are defined as metrics that measure how quickly and accurately customers can execute each step of their job. For example, instead of a vague need like "make scheduling easier," we would define specific needs such as:

• "Determine team member availability"
• "Identify suitable meeting times"
• "Confirm attendee responses"
  
  

This precise definition allows us to measure improvement and target innovation effectively. The goal is always to help the customer get their job done faster and more accurately.

Applying JTBD to Transform Marketing Strategy

Once we have a clear understanding of the customer's job and their unmet needs, we apply these insights to revolutionize marketing strategies for our portfolio companies.

Crafting JTBD-Based Messaging that Resonates

The most powerful marketing messages connect a product's capabilities directly to the customer's job.

Value Propositions: We help our portfolio companies translate JTBD insights into value propositions that highlight progress and solutions, not just features.

Focus on Progress: Marketing copy shifts from "Our product has X, Y, Z features" to "Our product helps you accomplish [Customer's Job] by enabling you to [achieve key steps faster and more accurately]." Using JTBD helps improve marketing messaging effectiveness significantly.

Content Marketing Driven by Customer Jobs

Our approach to content marketing is to provide genuine value by helping customers make progress on their job.

Problem-Solving Content: We guide portfolio companies to create guides, tools, webinars, and articles that directly address the challenges and needs customers face when trying to get their job done.

JTBD in SEO: Content is improved for the language customers actually use when they describe their job and their struggles. This improves organic visibility among high-intent audiences. Find out more about thrv's approach to content strategy.

Smarter Customer Segmentation with JTBD

JTBD allows for more meaningful customer segmentation than demographics alone.

Job-Based Segments: We group customers based on the specific job they are trying to do, or the specific struggles they face.

Tailored Campaigns: Marketing campaigns are then tailored to these segments, speaking directly to their unique context and needs, leading to higher engagement and customer conversion online.

Improving Sales Processes with JTBD Insights

A deep understanding of the customer's job is equally transformative for sales effectiveness. Our JTBD method ensures sales teams in our portfolio companies are equipped to have more meaningful and productive conversations.

Aligning Sales Conversations with the Customer's Job

Sales interactions shift from product pitches to collaborative problem-solving.

Understanding Desired Progress: Sales professionals are trained to first understand the job the prospect is trying to get done and the progress they seek.

Better Qualifying Questions: Questions are framed around the customer's job, their current process, and the pain points associated with it (i.e., high Customer Effort Score for specific job steps).

Equipping Sales Teams for Success

We provide sales teams with:

JTBD-Based Talking Points: Clear, concise language that connects product benefits to the customer's job.

Objection Handling: Strategies for addressing concerns by re-centering the conversation on how the solution helps them achieve their job more effectively than alternatives.

Focus on the "Hire": The sales process emphasizes why the company's solution is the best "hire" for the prospect's specific job. Explore thrv's sales enablement services.

This focused approach helps sales teams in our portfolio companies shorten sales cycles and improve close rates.

The Impact of JTBD on Key Business Metrics

The ultimate goal of our JTBD Marketing Sales Enhancement is to drive tangible business results and create significant equity value. We see this impact across several key performance indicators (KPIs).

Boosting Customer Conversion Rates

When marketing messages and sales conversations align with the customer's core job, relevance and persuasion increase dramatically.

Average e-commerce conversion rates hover around 2.5-3%. Lead generation form conversion rates can average between 2.9% to 4%, with improved forms boosting this further.

By focusing on the job, our portfolio companies attract more qualified leads and guide them more effectively through the funnel, leading to improved customer conversion online and offline.

Reducing Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC)

Understanding the customer's job leads to more efficient marketing spend and better targeting.

Targeted Messaging: Reduces wasted ad spend on audiences who are not trying to get the specific job done that a product serves.

Higher-Intent Prospects: Attracts prospects who inherently understand the value proposition because it speaks directly to their needs.

Strategies like improving the sales funnel with JTBD insights and using JTBD-aligned content marketing for organic acquisition contribute significantly to reducing customer acquisition costs. Learn about thrv's investment strategy.

Using Customer Effort Score (CES) for JTBD Insights

At thrv, the Customer Effort Score (CES) is a critical metric within our JTBD methodology. CES is the percentage of customers who report that it is difficult to satisfy a given step in their Job-to-be-Done, based on the effort, speed, and accuracy required.

What is CES? A high CES indicates significant unmet needs and high customer struggle – prime areas for innovation and targeted marketing. CES is a strong predictor of future purchase behavior.

Identifying High-Effort Touchpoints: We use CES to identify specific steps in the customer's job where they experience the most friction. These are "jobs" not being done well by current solutions in the market.

Refining Marketing with CES Data:

• Targeting High-Effort Segments: Marketing campaigns can be designed to specifically address the pain points of customer segments experiencing high effort.
• Highlighting Low-Effort Solutions: Messaging can emphasize how a product or service reduces effort for specific job steps.
  
  

Reducing customer effort can lead to increased loyalty. Our AI-powered platform helps analyze CES data at scale, providing actionable insights for marketing and product development.

Measuring the Success of Our JTBD-Driven Approach

We believe in data-driven decision-making. For our portfolio companies, we track the impact of JTBD implementation on key metrics, including:

• Customer Conversion Rates (across various funnel stages)
• Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
• Lead-to-Customer Rate
• Customer Effort Score (CES)
• Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)
  
  

By attributing improvements in these metrics to specific JTBD-driven changes in marketing and sales strategies, we demonstrate clear ROI and the path to accelerated growth and enhanced equity value. Our commitment to product innovation is validated by these results.

Conclusion: Achieve Predictable Growth with JTBD

Moving beyond a superficial understanding of customers to a deep comprehension of their Jobs to be Done is no longer optional for companies seeking sustained growth and market leadership. At thrv, our systematic implementation of JTBD, amplified by our AI-powered platform and proprietary processes, allows our portfolio companies to improve their marketing and sales engines effectively. Our AI-driven method eliminates guesswork and aligns every initiative with measurable growth objectives. This leads to higher customer conversion rates, lower customer acquisition costs, and ultimately, superior equity returns.

If you are a private equity CEO or corporate executive aiming to accelerate growth through product innovation and customer-centric strategies, understanding and implementing Jobs to be Done is paramount.

Ready to see how a JTBD approach can transform your marketing and sales results? Explore thrv's services or read more about our methodology on thrv.com.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1: What is Jobs to be Done (JTBD)?

A1: Jobs to be Done (JTBD) is a theory asserting that customers don't buy products or services for their features, but rather to accomplish a specific "job" or make progress in a particular situation. Understanding this "job" is key to effective innovation, marketing, and sales.

Q2: How does JTBD help improve marketing strategies?

A2: JTBD helps improve marketing by enabling companies to:

• Craft messaging that resonates deeply with customer needs
• Create content that directly helps customers accomplish their job
• Segment customers based on the jobs they are trying to do, leading to more targeted and effective campaigns. This focus improves JTBD Marketing Sales Enhancement.
  
  

Q3: How can JTBD improve sales effectiveness?

A3: JTBD improves sales by:

• Aligning sales conversations with the customer's actual job and desired progress
• Equipping sales teams with insights to ask better qualifying questions
• Helping sales position the product as the best "hire" for the customer's specific job
  
  

Q4: What is Customer Effort Score (CES) and how does it relate to JTBD?

A4: Customer Effort Score (CES) is the percentage of customers who report that it is difficult to satisfy a given step in their Job-to-be-Done. Within thrv's JTBD framework, we use CES to identify high-effort (high struggle) points in the customer's job, which represent unmet needs and opportunities for innovation and targeted marketing. Lowering customer effort is a key goal.

Q5: How does thrv's approach to JTBD differ?

A5: At thrv, we don't just consult on JTBD; we implement it as operators within our portfolio companies. We use our proprietary and patented JTBD methodology, patented software, and an AI-powered platform to accelerate the identification of unmet customer needs and translate those insights into actionable product, marketing, and sales strategies that drive equity value.

Q6: Can JTBD help in reducing customer acquisition costs?

A6: Yes, significantly. By understanding the customer's job, marketing messages become more targeted, attracting higher-intent prospects and reducing wasted ad spend. Sales processes become more efficient, leading to better conversion of leads and ultimately reducing customer acquisition costs.

Q7: How is customer conversion online impacted by JTBD?

A7: JTBD improves customer conversion online by ensuring that website content, landing pages, and digital advertising speak directly to the job the customer is trying to do. This increased relevance and clarity makes it easier for customers to see how a product or service will help them, leading to higher conversion rates.