The Hidden Problem That Stops Most Innovation In Its Tracks

Misunderstanding Customer Needs = Innovation Failure

Innovation often fails because companies don’t truly understand what their customers want. Too many companies optimize existing products, chase fleeting trends, and build features based on gut instinct. This approach turns innovation into a frustrating, costly guessing game.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

This past Wednesday, I had the privilege of speaking at a TIGER Talk on Lean JTBD to 39 dynamic entrepreneurs and business leaders at Innovate New Albany. The session was a great success, and it sparked valuable discussions on how to unlock the secret to creating products that truly resonate with customers.

Here are three key takeaways:
1️) People don’t buy products or services—they hire them to get their jobs done.
2️) Customers can tell us what they want—but only if we ask the right questions.
3️) If you don’t understand the job your customers are hiring your product or service to do, and where their needs remain unmet, you’re inevitably missing the mark. And that’s a completely avoidable mistake.

Don’t ask customers what features they want; ask them what they need to accomplish. True innovation begins here, not with a “good idea.” To make innovation a repeatable business process, it must start with understanding your customers’ needs in concrete terms.

The fastest way to innovate with confidence?
Identify your target customers’ important unmet needs before building anything. This eliminates guesswork, ensures strong market fit right from concept creation, and dramatically increases your chances of success.

I’m putting these insights into a free PDF guide—The Lean JTBD Playbook—a simple, three-step process to help you:
1)  Choose the right growth strategy for product differentiation
2)  Redefine your market for innovation
3)  Obtain customer insights that truly matter

Stay tuned for its release.