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LAFLEY AND MARTIN
for us. And the “jobs” underlying most product purchases are re-
markably stable. Take communication: From smoke signals to the
Pony Express to the telegraph to the telephone to the communica-
tions technologies of today, our basic job—to send messages to other
human beings—has not changed. But how that job gets done has
changed dramatically. If incumbent companies stay focused on the
job itself—rather than on the specifics of how it gets done at this mo-
ment in time—they may be able to invent a better way before the
competition does.
This is a point that company leaders often miss. Customers can
easily “hire” another solution that does a given job better—just as
vast numbers of them are currently doing with razors bought by
subscription.
Originally published in January–February 2017. Reprint R1701B
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