Are you certain you understand what your customers value most and why?

On February 18, 2022 Storm Eunice ripped through the United Kingdom causing a fair bit of destruction and disruption. Being a fan of aviation I rather enjoyed watching BigJet TV record the events of flights at London Heathrow.  

The events of the day provide an interesting and relatable look at one of my favourite frameworks: Jobs, Pains, and Gains. 

I often ask customers to think about what jobs people are trying to do. Explaining Jobs by examples is more effective than explaining the concept. Here we go… 

On February 18, 2022 commercial passenger jet pilots attempting landing at Heathrow in Storm Eunice had several jobs to do. One job was more valuable than all the others: landing the plane without loss of life. Commercial pilots have plenty of other jobs to do: landing on time, landing without any damage done to the plane, communicating with air traffic control,  keeping their copilot(s) informed, keeping flight attendants informed and calm, staying calm and in control themselves, taxing safely to the gate, safely evacuating in an emergency, following all operating procedures, powering down the engines, proving maintenance crews with details of any concerns or issues, etc.

All of these jobs have value, but some have more value than others depending on their role.

In the case of planes landing, it’s easy to see that the ‘Optimum Value’ is landing without loss of life. Everyone benefits from this outcome. After this job is done, the value of the other jobs differ. For the airline, a delayed landing can lead to great knock-on expenses. For the passengers the delays could mean a missed opportunity or event which has no price tag.

Now from a business perspective let’s consider the various jobs that different airlines sell around the flight experience to create more gain or reduce pain: 

•  feeling glamour, style, luxury

• feeling a sense of pride in membership

• experiencing a lifestyle 

• building loyalty 

• having a comfortable flight 

• feeling their chosen airlines gives them a unique experience 

• making people feel as they are getting a better flight experience than other airlines

• making some people feel that they are getting the best value 

• giving some people a feeling of exclusivity

• selling scarcity of an experience 

• feeling good about flying for cheap 

• feeling good about spending above beyond for their seat

• timely arrivals 

• making passengers feel safe 

• making passengers feel respected 

Surely there are more. But again, above all else is the job of landing without loss of life. 

One flight was 20 feet off the tarmac before being hit with so much wind shear the pilot’s only safe option was to pull up and thrust back up in the sky, which could be see on BigJet TV. What we couldn’t see was that the turbulence and thrust caused a lot of passengers to experience motion sickness.

I suspect that when disembarking that plan, if a passenger had complained they hadn’t gotten the value of their ticket having experienced so many people vomiting around them, the airline would have been happy to lose out on that customer’s future business. There are customers you simply cannot please while maintaining gain for the greater of other customers and the company’s stakeholders. Airlines train their flight crews for such experiences from severe turbulence to various onboard emergencies, and even preparing passengers for rough landings. The flight crew delivered ‘gain’ to the passengers through having the skills to cope with passengers succumbing to motion sickness, informing passengers about what has happening, reassuring them, preparing them, and being prepared to handle much worse outcomes. 

Here’s what to reflect on: do you focus on the jobs that are the most important? Do you understand the importance?

Suggested next steps: Brainstorm the various jobs your customers and ecosystem partners are trying to do. Think of the jobs from the views of function jobs, emotional jobs, social jobs. Think as creatively and analytically as you can. Then think through why they are doing these jobs and consider if you really understand what they’re trying to accomplish. Try ranking the value for each of your audiences. Do you have a new perception of what people are trying to do, and therefore what they need? 

If you’re using a DXP like Sitecore your marketing campaigns will be much more effective as you master understanding what jobs people are really trying to accomplish and why.