What job does your tool perform?

Your product or service is only a tool customers hire to perform a job. As Theodore Levitt once said, “people don’t want quarter inch drills they want quarter inch holes”.

So what job does yours do? This is perhaps the most important question you need to answer, as it not only defines your strategy but it focuses your people and resources much more effectively in the market. Furthermore, it is what positions you in the market, as your tool becomes identified with particular types of job(s) customers need to perform. (Tip 1: Your positioning is not what you think it is but only what customers associate you with).

So how do you define what job your tool performs? The common mistake is to describe the category of product or service you and your competitors are in. One example I researched recently was a “Social Collaboration” software business. Yes, this describes to staff and investors what ‘space’ the business is in and who its immediate competitors are. But it didn’t describe the job customers hire “social collaboration” software for and how well this particular firm performed in this context. In fact, customers were confused by the use of the word ‘social’ and ended up describing something completely different. Such gaps in understanding meant this particular firm was struggling to grow.

But ask customers and they’ll describe the specific reason they need a tool like yours,, the context of its use, the value they seek, what the competitive frame really is and how your brand stacks up. Their happiness is entirely driven by your tool’s success at helping them perform the job. When the Social collaboration business saw themselves as customers did, they fundamentally changed how they went to market. Because it is only by seeing your business as customers do, that you can grow your value ion the market.

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