In this monologue Francis Wade, drawing on an article he wrote for the Jamaica Gleaner, explains why most new products in Jamaica fail and offers a practical, Jobs‑to‑Be‑Done‑based framework to improve innovation outcomes. He first critiques the common top‑down idea‑generation process, highlighting a power imbalance that leaves frontline staff with insights but no influence. He then introduces Tony Ulwick’s Jobs‑to‑Be‑Done theory and outlines three concrete steps: (1) elicit customers’ unmet needs using a three‑part psychological statement; (2) identify the substitutes customers currently employ, which reveal the real competition; and (3) craft benefit statements that close the psychological gap between need and substitute. Throughout, Wade uses vivid examples (e.g., searching TV, books, Facebook for ideas) and contrasts this approach with traditional demographic segmentation, arguing that unmet‑need‑driven innovation yields higher hit rates. The talk concludes with a call to adopt these insights to connect with hidden customer motivators and boost product success.
Chapters
Hello and welcome back to the Chronicle from a Caribbean Cubicle podcast. This is Francis Wade, and this is an article I wrote for the Jamaica Gleaner. It's entitled "The Power of Innovating on Unmet Needs." Innovation is hard. What is the hit rate like for new products and services in your organization? If the track record is poor, then you may need to delve into the hidden drivers of behaviors in your target market. Most innovation in Jamaica follows the same process. First, someone high enough in the company has a bright idea, a flash of insight. Their intuition tells them that there is revenue to be made from customers who will willingly pay for a new offering. Then, the idea is shared, but more often than not, a directive is issued. An employee in a lower position is given the job of evaluating the concept. They return with misgivings, but it soon becomes clear that the high-level originator won't be easily swayed. A final decision is made to proceed. However, when the product fails in the market, everyone is mystified except those employees closest to the prospect. They have their pulse on customer behavior and can see the shortcomings of the idea clearly. However, they lack enough clout to make a difference. Companies try to compensate for this power imbalance by surveying workers for ideas, but the truth is that lower-level staff often draw a blank when polled for new product suggestions. They just don't have the skills to speak to the executive suite. Fortunately, there's a better way. At the heart of Tony Ulwick's Jobs to Be Done theory is the idea that everyone is going about their daily routine trying to get certain tasks executed. Here is a method that links this notion to innovation. Number 1: Ask for unmet needs. An unmet need is expressed as a 3-part statement. When I feel or need blank, I want to blank so that blank. In other words, it's an expression of a psychological state lying deep within the customer's experience, which then leads to action. While this desire may be weak at the start, if it continues to be unmet, it grows until an actionable decision is made. Consider the customer's of your company are a walking bundle of unmet needs. Normally you would assign them to a defined market segment. Set that approach aside and instead look for emotional sources. The challenge is that customers usually cannot be surveyed directly about their deeper feelings. Why? People give unreliable answers in questionnaires, often telling the surveyor the answers they believe the person wants to hear. Alternatively, it's far better to have a conversation with customers about their actions, then gently probe them for the reasons behind them. Their explanations may be unclear, but their past behavior offers an important clue. Keep asking until a pattern of actions and underlying emotions emerges. 2. Look for substitutes. Strong unmet needs cause people to take concrete steps. Even if it only leads them to partial, temporary substitutes. By definition, the fact that the need persists means that the substitute is doing a poor job. For example, someone who has a feeling for some quick new ideas to use in their organization may go searching on television, the local bookstore, or Facebook. While these substitutes are all readily available and inexpensive, they are time-consuming and foreign, so the need never gets fulfilled. Therefore, your new product or service should be so well crafted that it displaces the substitutes currently in use. They are, in fact, your real enemies. Take this fortnightly business column as an example. At first blush, you may think that another newspaper represents the competition. However, when I performed the Ulbricht Analysis, I realized that the real competitors are television, books, and Facebook. From a traditional point of view, these conclusions make no sense. Yet, in the customer's world, the psychological gap that drives them to these substitutes has its own perfect logic. Number 3: Use benefit statements. Closing the psychological gap isn't easy. In fact, innovators often have a difficult time articulating the emotion-filled reasons their new product or service improves the customer's life. However, once the unmet needs and substitutes are known, the task becomes easier. For example, one benefit of reading this column regularly might be that, quote, "It gives you fresh ideas for your Jamaican organization with a minimum investment of effort, so you don't have to waste precious time searching the internet," unquote. Contrast this approach with that taken by traditional marketers who imagine distinct market segments. These are usually formed around demographic data such as "an employed woman between the ages of 30 to 45 with 2 children and a bachelor's degree." Unfortunately, segments don't work as well because people are actually individually and psychologically motivated by unmet needs in particular circumstances, not by generic characteristics. In summary, use these 3 insights to dramatically improve your connection with your prospects' hidden motivators.
