The foundational knowledge you’ve gained through Jobs-to-Be-Done (JTBD) interviews helps you see what your customers truly want and need. Next, you can use the Four Forces of Progress analysis to turn these insights into actionable strategies. These forces will illuminate why customers make their choices and how you can influence their decisions effectively.
What Are the Four Forces of Progress?
The Four Forces of Progress framework helps to explain the dynamics that influence customer behaviour.
- Push of the Situation
- Pull of a New Solution
- Anxieties of the Change
- Habits Holding Them Back
Imagine you run a physiotherapy clinic in Edinburgh, Scotland:
Push of the Situation
Clients often seek physiotherapy due to pain, discomfort, or physical limitations. For instance, a client might be frustrated with persistent ankle pain that limits their ability to enjoy activities like golf or hiking. Or back pain that limits them from joining their friends and family at social events.
Through JTBD interviews, you might uncover insights such as many potential clients investing in private medical insurance, recovering from specific surgeries now that the local hospital is clearing their waitlist, or being dissatisfied with the lack of progress with their current physiotherapist. These insights give you a direct window into what’s driving your clients towards change.
Pull of a New Solution
Once the push has set the client in motion, the pull of a new solution attracts them. This is where the promise of a better future comes in.
The allure of a new, more effective treatment can be a strong motivator. Your clinic’s advanced techniques, personalised treatment plans, and holistic approach might be the pull factors. Clients might be drawn to the promise of faster recovery, reduced pain, and improved quality of life. Highlighting your clinic’s state-of-the-art equipment, expert therapists, and success stories can enhance this pull.
Anxieties of the Change
Change can be daunting. Switching to a new physiotherapy provider can come with concerns. Potential clients may worry about the cost, the effectiveness of the treatments, or the inconvenience of frequent visits. They might also be anxious about whether the new therapy will actually work for their specific condition.
These anxieties can be a significant barrier to adoption. You could address these anxieties head-on by providing transparent pricing, offering initial consultation discounts, and sharing detailed testimonials and case studies showing your clinic’s success track record.
Habits Holding Them Back
Even with a strong push and pull, old habits can hold clients back. They might stick to familiar routines, even inefficient ones, simply because change is hard.
Despite not seeing significant improvement, clients might be accustomed to their current routine or comfortable with certain aspects of their existing physiotherapist. To overcome these habits, you could make the transition to your clinic as easy as possible. You might consider offering flexible scheduling, creating a welcoming environment, ensuring your intake process is smooth and reassuring, and educating your clients on the benefits of your treatments compared to what they are currently receiving.
Bringing The Four Forces Together
To effectively use the Four Forces of Progress, integrate them with the insights from your JTBD interviews. Here’s how:
- Identify the Push Forces: Through JTBD interviews, pinpoint the specific frustrations and pain points driving your customers to seek a new solution. Tailor your copy/messaging to address these issues directly.
- Amplify the Pull Forces: Highlight your solution’s benefits and unique features that align with your customer’s needs and desires uncovered in the interviews. Use testimonials, case studies, and clear value propositions to enhance the appeal.
- Mitigate the Anxieties: Understand your customers’ common fears and uncertainties about switching to your solution. Provide reassurances, such as satisfaction guarantees, detailed product demos, and transparent pricing.
- Break the Habits: Make the transition as smooth as possible. Offer step-by-step guides, continuous customer support, and easy-to-use interfaces to help customers break free from their old habits.
This approach is particularly helpful for improving your copy/messaging. In the case of the physiotherapist, some copy ideas might be:
- Push Messaging: “Is your persistent back pain holding you back from enjoying hiking with your friends? We can help you get back to your active lifestyle faster.”
- Pull Messaging: “Experience personalised treatment programmes tailored around your work schedule. Hear why our clients rave about their recovery journey with us.”
- Anxiety Mitigation: “We understand you might be concerned about the cost of treatment. Learn about our flexible payment plans. Did you know you might have up to 10 physio sessions covered by private medical insurance?”
- Breaking Habits: “Starting your treatment is easy with our online booking and flexible scheduling. Be seen by our welcoming team and start your journey to an active summer.”
Understanding the Four Forces of Progress allows you to see beyond surface-level customer behaviour and tap into the deeper motivations and barriers. Combined with the detailed insights from Jobs-to-Be-Done interviews, this framework empowers you to craft effective growth strategies. This approach doesn’t just move the needle—it might just change the game.
Analysing and extracting insights using the Four Forces of Progress is a key step in our ROOTS methodology and Growth Marketing Programme.