Cold outreach is a challenging yet essential part of B2B sales. However, there is one common mistake all businesses make and I’m sure you’ve made too. B2B business sector can vary in terms of industries, companies. approaches, etc. But I’m ready to bet money that at least once but you have targeted the wrong prospects.
Instead of reaching out to broad industry segments, companies should refine their lead search using the Jobs-to-Be-Done (JTBD) methodology. Let’s explore this methodology in greater depth and uncover the core principles of JTBD.
The main idea behind JTBD is to move beyond traditional demographics to understand the core tasks and problems that potential customers are trying to solve. It means that “People don’t buy products; they hire them to get a job done.” (quote of one of JTBD pioneers – Clayton Christensen).
If you analyze the process of lead generation from the perspective of JTBD you can identify leads not just by industry or job title, but by their underlying needs and motivations. That’s the one secret ingredient that can make your cold outreach more relevant and effective.
Case Study: A Framework for Lead Segmentation
Let’s explore customer segmentation for cold outreach using JTBD for a financial analytics tool. The first step is identifying the “jobs” that financial professionals need to accomplish. To do this, let’s answer four key questions:
- What are customers trying to achieve in their work? (Functional job)
Financial analysts need to forecast financial results accurately and on time.
- What personal or emotional factors influence their decision-making? (Emotional job)
They seek timely and precise forecasts, because their bonuses and professional reputation depend on them.
- How do their choices affect their reputation or relationships? (Social job)
Mistakes or delays can lead to written warnings, job insecurity, or exclusion from important projects.
- What obstacles prevent them from success? (Pain points)
Manual processes, data inaccuracies, tight deadlines, and lack of advanced tools hinder efficiency.
Instead of segmenting by industry, size or revenue like “finance managers” or “large enterprises,” you can break down segments like:
Segment 1: CFOs in mid-sized companies struggling with manual financial forecasting.
- Job-to-Be-Done: Automate financial predictions to reduce errors and save time.
Segment 2: founders of venture-backed startups looking to optimize cash flow.
- Job-to-Be-Done: Gain real-time insights into financial health to satisfy investors.
Segment 3: Compliance officers needing better audit readiness.
- Job-to-Be-Done: Ensure financial reporting compliance without increasing workload.
Each segment has unique motivations, pain points, and triggers, which should be directly addressed in cold outreach messages. Moreover, this segmentation results in more specific job titles, such as CFOs, startup founders, and compliance officers—rather than the generic “financial managers.” This precise targeting increases the likelihood of acquiring highly relevant leads and improves outreach effectiveness.
Why this approach works
- You target prospects with specific pain points that your product directly addresses.
- Your outreach aligns with the actual job they need to accomplish, making your message highly relevant.
- When prospects feel understood, they are more likely to respond and engage, leading to higher conversion rates.
- Sales teams focus only on leads actively experiencing a problem they can solve.
Next steps: crafting the perfect outreach message
Once you’ve identified the right contacts using lead generation tools, the next step is to craft tailored offers that resonate with each segment’s needs.
According to JTBD, every purchasing decision is influenced by four forces:
- Push of the current situation – The pain, frustration, or inefficiency in the customer’s existing solution that motivates them to seek a better alternative.
- Pull of the new solution – The perceived benefits, improvements, or desirable outcomes of adopting the new product or service.
- Anxieties of the new solution – The doubts, risks, or uncertainties that make the customer hesitant to switch (e.g., complexity, cost, or learning curve).
- Habit of the present solution – The inertia or comfort of sticking with what they already use, making change difficult even if a better option exists.
A successful product adoption happens when the Push + Pull forces outweigh the Anxiety + Habit forces.
Now, let’s create an outreach message for a financial analytics tool based on these four forces.
Subject: Struggling with Inaccurate Forecasts? This Can Help
Hi [First Name],
I noticed that financial teams like yours at [Company Name] often deal with time-consuming forecasting and unpredictable market shifts. If you’re tired of wrestling with spreadsheets and outdated reports, I’d love to introduce [Financial Tool Name]—a financial analytics platform designed to boost accuracy, automate data insights, and reduce forecasting errors by up to X%.
✅ Say goodbye to manual data consolidation and slow reporting (Push)
✅ AI-powered forecasting that adapts in real time, helping you stay ahead (Pull)
❌ No complex setup—our team ensures a seamless, risk-free onboarding (Anxiety).
❌ We integrate directly with your current tools, so no need to change everything (Habit).
Would you be open to a quick 15-minute chat this week to see how [Financial Tool Name] can help [Company Name] make smarter financial decisions?
By combining segments with the Four Forces framework, we can craft three distinct messages tailored to our decision-makers.
CFO
Founder of venture-backed startups
Compliance officer
As CFO of [Company Name], you’re likely juggling complex financial forecasts, investor expectations, and volatile market conditions—all while ensuring accuracy and efficiency.
With [Financial Tool Name], we help finance leaders like you:
✅ Automate financial forecasting and reduce errors by X%
✅ Gain real-time insights for faster decision-making
✅ Streamline budgeting & reporting to save hours of manual work
We integrate seamlessly with your existing financial stack—no disruption, just results. Would you be open to a quick 15-minute call this week?
Raising capital is competitive and data-driven—and investors expect bulletproof financial projections. [Financial Tool Name] helps venture-backed founders like you:
✅ Build investor-ready financial models in minutes
✅ Accurately forecast burn rate & runway to optimize fundraising strategy
✅ Automate financial reporting so you can focus on scaling
If [Financial Tool Name] could save you hours of manual financial planning, would you be open to a quick 15-minute call this week?
Managing financial compliance and risk exposure is increasingly challenging, especially with evolving regulations. [Financial Tool Name] helps compliance officers at [Company Name] by:
✅ Automating financial reporting to meet regulatory standards
✅ Identifying anomalies and potential risks before they escalate
✅ Providing audit-ready insights—ensuring transparency & accuracy
We integrate effortlessly into your existing systems—reducing manual workload while enhancing compliance oversight. Would you be open to a brief chat this week to explore how we can help?
CFO
As CFO of [Company Name], you’re likely juggling complex financial forecasts, investor expectations, and volatile market conditions—all while ensuring accuracy and efficiency.
With [Financial Tool Name], we help finance leaders like you:
✅ Automate financial forecasting and reduce errors by X%
✅ Gain real-time insights for faster decision-making
✅ Streamline budgeting & reporting to save hours of manual work
We integrate seamlessly with your existing financial stack—no disruption, just results. Would you be open to a quick 15-minute call this week?
Founder of venture-backed startups
Raising capital is competitive and data-driven—and investors expect bulletproof financial projections. [Financial Tool Name] helps venture-backed founders like you:
✅ Build investor-ready financial models in minutes
✅ Accurately forecast burn rate & runway to optimize fundraising strategy
✅ Automate financial reporting so you can focus on scaling
If [Financial Tool Name] could save you hours of manual financial planning, would you be open to a quick 15-minute call this week?
Compliance officer
Managing financial compliance and risk exposure is increasingly challenging, especially with evolving regulations. [Financial Tool Name] helps compliance officers at [Company Name] by:
✅ Automating financial reporting to meet regulatory standards
✅ Identifying anomalies and potential risks before they escalate
✅ Providing audit-ready insights—ensuring transparency & accuracy
We integrate effortlessly into your existing systems—reducing manual workload while enhancing compliance oversight. Would you be open to a brief chat this week to explore how we can help?
As you see, cold outreach is most effective when it is rooted in deep customer understanding. The JTBD methodology ensures that sales and marketing teams don’t waste time on irrelevant leads but instead focus on prospects who have a real need for your solution.
With the help of GetLeads by Rainex, you can take this approach even further by automating lead generation and precisely filtering the right segments. By leveraging advanced data analytics and JTBD-driven insights, GetLeads ensures that outreach efforts target only high-intent prospects, maximizes efficiency and boosts conversion rates. This strategic filtering reduces wasted effort and allows you and your sales team to focus on building meaningful connections with decision-makers.
