Last update: 17/05/2023

In a nutshell

"Pains & Gains," a sub-dimension of the Marketing Canvas, offers vital insights into the customer journey by identifying the frustrations (Pains) or satisfactions (Gains) experienced while accomplishing a Job-To-Be-Done (JTBD, see Marketing Canvas - Job To Be Done). By understanding Pains & Gains and leveraging specific tools to uncover them, businesses can develop strategic actions to improve their value proposition and customer experiences. This consolidated guide provides an in-depth understanding of Pains & Gains, tools for their identification, and strategies for translating these insights into action.

In the Marketing Canvas

The Marketing Canvas is a powerful tool for entrepreneurs and non-marketers to build a robust marketing strategy. It consists of six meta-dimensions, each with four sub-dimensions, for a total of 24 sub-dimensions defining your Marketing Strategy. One of these sub-dimensions is PAINS & GAINS, which falls under the CUSTOMER meta-dimension.

What is « Pains & Gains » ?

Let's delve into the Pains & Gains sub-dimension of the Marketing Canvas, which is nestled within the larger category of CUSTOMER. This component is often tricky to grasp, but with the help of some clear examples and straightforward breakdowns, we'll illuminate its significance in the marketing landscape.

At its core, Pains & Gains represent the elements of a customer's journey that cause annoyance (Pains) or provide delight (Gains) while they strive to accomplish a particular task, also known as the job-to-be-done (JTBD). The JTBD is the central task for which a customer is effectively paying for a solution, and Pains & Gains are the factors that impact their journey to accomplish this task.

Let's illustrate this using the case of a Green Clean, a hypothetical eco-friendly cleaning product company.

For Green Clean, the JTBD (Core Job) is to provide customers with cleaning products that are effective and environmentally friendly. Customers are paying for the ability to clean their homes without harming the environment.

The Pains and Gains relate to the experiences customers have before, during, and after purchasing Green Clean products. For instance:

Pain: A customer might be frustrated by the difficulty of finding eco-friendly cleaning products in their local stores (Green Clean's solution: wide availability and clear product labeling).
Gain: A customer could be delighted by the fact that using Green Clean products reduces their environmental footprint (Green Clean's solution: Reinforcing this benefit through marketing and product design).

These Pains and Gains occur at various stages of the 'job map'—a framework that outlines the steps a customer takes in accomplishing their JTBD. This map includes stages like Define, Locate, Prepare, Confirm, Execute, Monitor, Modify, and Conclude. Identifying Pains and Gains across these steps allows you to refine your value proposition and enhance the customer journey.

If you take IKEA by example:

The JTBD of IKEA (Core Job) is related to the pieces of furniture they are selling (what people are effectively paying for solving the problem they have).
The Pains and Gains are related to everything people experience before, during and after paying for what they are looking for:
- waiting in a furniture store is sometimes painful with kids (answer: kid playground)
- It could take hours for us to find what we need (answer: restaurant)
- I come from far away with my electrical car (answer: charging points)
- I don’t want to wait for my furniture (answer: take away and build yourself product).

Tools for Identifying Pains & Gains

Identifying your customer's Pains & Gains isn't a guessing game. Several tools and techniques can help you uncover these insights:

Customer Interviews & Surveys: Directly asking your customers about their experiences, frustrations, and delights related to your product or service is a simple yet effective way to identify Pains & Gains.
Focus Groups: This research method allows for an in-depth understanding of customer's perspectives. Hearing customers discuss their experiences can reveal Pains & Gains you might not have considered.
Customer Journey Mapping: This tool visualizes the process a customer goes through to achieve their JTBD, helping you identify potential Pains & Gains at each step.
Social Media Listening: Monitoring social media conversations about your brand or industry can yield insights into common complaints (Pains) and praises (Gains).
Feedback Analysis: Regularly review feedback from support tickets, product reviews, or any other customer touchpoint. This feedback often directly highlights Pains & Gains.

Let's take our example of Green Clean. By conducting a customer survey, Green Clean discovers that many customers are frustrated by the lack of clear instructions on how to dispose of the product packaging responsibly (a Pain). They also find that customers love the fresh, natural scent of their products (a Gain).

Translating Pains & Gains into Action

Once you've identified your customers' Pains & Gains, the real work begins: translating these insights into actions that enhance your value proposition and customer experience.

For Pains:

Prioritize: Not all Pains can or should be addressed at once. Prioritize based on factors such as the frequency of the Pain, the severity of its impact, and your ability to address it effectively.
Brainstorm Solutions: Once you've prioritized the Pains, brainstorm possible solutions. This can be done internally or with customer input.
Test & Implement: Implement the most promising solutions on a small scale first, gathering feedback and refining as necessary before a broader roll-out.

For Gains:

Amplify: Identify ways to enhance and emphasize the factors that customers already love about your product or service.
Communicate: Make sure your marketing messaging highlights these Gains, so potential customers understand the benefits they'll experience.
Expand: Look for opportunities to create additional Gains, either by improving existing features or introducing new ones.

For Green Clean, they could address the identified Pain by designing clearer instructions for disposing of packaging and including these in their product design. They could amplify the Gain by emphasizing the natural, fresh scent of their products in their marketing materials and considering new product lines with equally appealing scents.

Remember, identifying Pains & Gains is an ongoing process. As your customers, products, and the market evolve, so too will the Pains & Gains. Regularly revisit this part of your marketing strategy to ensure you're always meeting your customers' needs and expectations.

Question

It's crucial to remember that the Marketing Canvas Method is most effective when applied to a single brand and a single market—defined as a group of customers with similar needs and purchasing behaviors. Within this market, you'll likely identify 2 or 3 personas, each with their unique JTBD and Pains & Gains. These personas are semi-fictional representations of your ideal customers, and understanding their unique Pains & Gains can significantly improve your marketing strategy.

If you're new to this method, start with one persona to keep things manageable. As you become more comfortable with the approach, you can add more personas to flesh out your understanding of your target market.

To assess your understanding of each persona's Pains and Gains, consider these statements and rate your agreement on a scale from -3 (completely disagree) to +3 (completely agree):

The potential scores can be interpreted as follows:

Scores of -3 to -1: These scores suggest a strong to mild disagreement with the statements, indicating that you may be struggling to identify or address Pains & Gains effectively. It might be beneficial to revisit the customer journey and invest more effort into the research and identification phase.
Scores of 0: This score suggests neutrality or uncertainty, implying that there's room for improvement in understanding and addressing your customer's Pains & Gains. Re-examining your strategies or seeking external insights might help boost your score.
Scores of 1 to 3: These scores suggest a mild to strong agreement with the statements, indicating you have a clear understanding of your customer's Pains & Gains and are comfortable addressing them. However, constant monitoring and adjustment are essential, given the dynamic nature of customers' expectations and market trends.

By consistently evaluating your understanding and application of the Pains & Gains concept, you can ensure your marketing strategy stays relevant, robust, and customer-centric. Remember, the ultimate goal is to enhance your value proposition and optimize the customer experience continuously.

Marketing Canvas Method - Customers - Pains and Gains

Conclusion

Identifying and addressing Pains & Gains is an ongoing process, and regular revisits to this component of your marketing strategy are essential. By doing so, you'll ensure you're consistently meeting and exceeding your customers' needs and expectations, thereby driving your business's success.