I Saw A Tesla Model 3 & Jobs to be Done Theory Happened
I’ve previously written about two things I find fascinating on Medium: Tesla and Jobs to be Done. This week I saw something that sparked an idea in my head this morning to combine the two. Despite being a strategic planner for many years, I don’t think I’ve ever put much planning into any of the pieces that I’ve written. They pop into my head on a Saturday morning, and they have to get out quickly or they go away.
I had a meeting outside the office this week and became mesmerized by a thing of beauty in the parking lot:
Not only a Tesla Model 3, but a Tesla Model 3 with white exterior and white interior! It felt weird to take pictures of someone else’s car in a parking lot, but not so weird that I didn’t do it. I did it really fast in hopes that no one saw me.
I’ve been fascinated by Tesla for a few years now. I find Elon Musk’s grand aspirations inspiring and am amazed how he has accomplished so much with seemingly crazy ideas. Tesla, the automobile, has always captured my attention due in part to the design. I’m a die-hard Apple consumer, and there’s something about Tesla that feels very Apple-like, particularly the minimalistic interior of the Model 3. I also love the smooth lines and the lack of a grill.
So why don’t I just go buy one? Well, it’s complicated, and that’s where Jobs to be Done (JTBD) theory comes in. As my JTBD sensei, Bob Moesta, says, “once you see it, you can’t unsee it.” As an analytical person to begin with, it is rare that I do not wear the JTBD lens in my work and personal life. For me, that means thinking deeply about the Forces of Progress. These forces are the pushes, pulls, habits and anxieties that work upon a consumer as they are trying to make progress in their lives and as they make (or don’t make) purchasing decisions. By the way, if you are unfamiliar with JTBD theory and practice, just start on The ReWired Group’s website — there’s plenty of great resources there: https://therewiredgroup.com.
Let me explain a bit about the car-buying process my wife and I have established, and my prior purchase. Our schedule is such that we each drive our cars approximately eight years, staggered such that we buy a car for one or the other every four years. We aren’t completely rigid on the timing — we’ve ranged from about seven to nine years. I purchased my last car, a Hyundai Genesis, in December 2012, so I’m “due” late next year. I won’t completely analyze that purchase, but I believe my JTBD at that time was something like:
When my commute time is getting longer, and I believe that I deserve some luxury, help me have a pleasurable driving experience, so that I feel more peaceful and secure from the outside world.
By the way, for JTBD practitioners who say, hey, you said driving, which implies a car, which is a solution, I get it. However, given where I live and work which has been stable for over 25 years, my consideration set does not include anything other than car ownership. There is no rail option, it’s way too far to bike, and the bus route is incredibly impractical for me, as is ride-sharing.
While I’ve had a couple of unexpected and frustrating repairs on my car, I am absolutely delighted with my daily driving experience. The exceptional noise dampening, smooth ride and incredible sound system of the Genesis creates a peaceful sanctuary for my 30–60-minute commute. I was able to purchase the vehicle at a significant year-end discount, giving me tremendous value. The luxury features of the car at the time were commensurate to far more expensive vehicles such as Infiniti and Lexus.
My JTBD has been fairly stable. The continued growth of Charlotte keeps increasing my commute time from Gastonia with no end in sight. When it comes time over the next year or so, I will certainly consider another Genesis, particularly if I can get another good year-end discount. However, if the Tesla Model 3 were to offer a pleasurable driving experience, I would be drawn to it strongly. (I haven’t driven one yet.) I will probably need to trade off a bit of luxury from the Genesis, but I expect the Model 3 to be a very comfortable vehicle.
Here are the Forces of Progress that I think are acting upon me in this early “passively looking” phase of my car-buying process:
The pushes are the least significant right now. I don’t need a new car and may not for some time. The pulls are significant but relatively straightforward, so I won’t spend much time on them. I should say that I did purchase a Toyota Prius Hybrid in 2005, so I have made a more “progressive” automobile purchase in the past. Therefore, it’s logical that my next car might be a blend between luxury and innovation. As a side note, I think our government should expand the electric vehicle tax credit to hasten our shift away from internal combustion engines. Selfishly, I’d like the credit for myself, but I think it’s good, forward-looking policy.
The learning of this thought exercise for me, and I hope for others, is that the forces of habits and anxiety are incredibly strong and influential over a purchasing decision. My wife and I are definitely creatures of habit in terms of daily, weekly and vacation routine. We will certainly try new things here and there, but the safety and security of routine is important to our lives. For instance, for the last 12 years or so, we’ve vacationed at Kiawah Island — typically two times each summer. It is approximately 250 miles, or 4 ½ hours. We dislike car trips over this length and rarely take them. The standard range Model 3 is rated for 220 miles, and the long-range version is rated for 325 miles. The great thing — there is a Tesla charging station on Kiawah Island.
While the standard range Model 3 is significantly less expensive, I wouldn’t consider it. In order to get to our vacation destination, we would need to stop in Columbia, South Carolina for a charge. Maybe that doesn’t sound so inconvenient, but when we’re on the road for vacation, we just want to get there. We don’t want to sit around Columbia for 30 minutes or longer at a Supercharging station.
In theory, the long-range version should get us there. Where I have anxiety is — will we really get the battery range we need? When you’re driving through South Carolina during the summer, it can be in the mid to upper 90s, placing a load on the battery to cool the car. I haven’t researched the impact of this yet. In addition, sometimes there are wrecks on the highway and the trip takes longer than expected. I need a big enough battery range cushion to feel safe. I recently read an article indicating that Tesla will likely get the battery range closer to 400 miles in the near future (which I think would be great), but the author said this just isn’t necessary given the ability to use charging stations. I get their point, but they discount the level of anxiety that some consumers will have about being stranded on a trip in a remote area with a dead battery. And the level of convenience that consumers seek.
The bottom line is, if I don’t feel certain that the Model 3 will get us to Kiawah Island on a single charge, I’m pretty sure I won’t buy it. Maybe that sounds nuts, but it’s central to my hiring criteria. Kiawah Island is our favorite spot on Earth, and we plan to keep going there. The Tesla Model S would offer a 370-mile range, but it’s simply out of my price range. The Model 3 would already be a much more expensive vehicle than we’ve ever purchased. I feel like it is partially justified by the elimination of gas purchases, though I haven’t actually done the math.
With regard to my anxiety of how the Model 3 would compare to my Genesis in terms of ride, the Tesla policy of allowing a return within 7 days of purchasing the vehicle is a big satisfier to me. I could try it out over several commutes and make sure it delivers a pleasurable experience. Heck, I could probably even try driving it to Kiawah, but that might be going overboard, and the timing might not be right.
In addition, I do have anxiety over the long-term viability of Tesla. I’ve previously written about my enthusiasm for their business model, but they face real challenges. The thought of buying a $50,000+ car from a company that lives on the financial edge gives me pause. It does relieve my anxiety a bit that if they truly struggled, a large incumbent car company might rescue them. Furthermore, since I don’t need to buy a new car for a while, Tesla has some more time to get things right. Properly scaling their service model is important to me.
Habit and anxiety are those forces lurking below the waterline. And they are so powerful. Tesla has already captured many consumers who had pent-up demand for an electric vehicle — and a Tesla specifically. To sustain strong growth rates, they will need to increasingly change the habits of combustion engine drivers and alleviate the anxiety of people who fear running out of a battery charge. For instance, it would be really helpful to me to easily understand what the practical margins are for battery range — e.g., how much battery efficiency is lost under hot or cold conditions? For some, perhaps, it would be the ability to get remote service quickly if stranded.
I’d love to hear from (1) people who’ve bought a Tesla and encountered similar (or other) anxieties, (2) people like me thinking of buying a Tesla, and (3) JTBD enthusiasts with thoughts about how I’ve framed this. In a recent podcast, I’ve heard Bob Moesta say that he hopes that understanding JTBD makes us all better consumers. Understanding the Forces of Progress that work upon you is a valuable exercise in making a purchasing decision.
Thanks for reading this!
You can find me on Twitter: @JayGerhart
I’ve written some other things on Medium about Disruptive Innovation, Jobs to be Done & Improv under Things Jay Writes:
https://medium.com/things-jay-writes
I also produce and sometimes appear on A Sherpa’s Guide to Innovation Podcast. You can hear Bob Moesta and lots of other great people:
