JTBD Framework Sales Roles All frameworks

North Star Jobs

Sales Rep

When I log in each morning, I want to immediately see what needs my human attention today (prioritized by urgency × value), so I can move high-value deals forward without losing any in the noise.

Sales Manager

When I log in each morning, I want to see which team members need intervention and whether we have enough pipeline to hit targets, so I can unblock reps and avoid surprises at month-end.

Functional Jobs

Ranked by daily frequency × emotional stakes.

1

Respond to New Inquiries Before They Go Cold

When: A new group inquiry comes in
I want to: Draft a response, check availability, and send a quote within hours
So I can: Keep the conversation alive (dating app principle)
Current struggle:
  • High-value inquiries (£50,000) buried under low-value noise (£50)
  • Manual qualification of "bumps" wastes time
  • Digging through messages for context before responding
  • No availability checking without manual calendar work
Emotional stakes: ★★★★★ Daily frequency: ★★★★★
2

Chase Stalled Deals That Need My Attention

When: A proposal has been sent but no response, or a contract is unsigned
I want to: See which deals are at risk and what the last interaction was
So I can: Revive conversations with relevant follow-ups at the right moment
Current struggle:
  • No visibility into proposal/contract status without manual checking
  • Don't know which to chase vs which to let sit
  • Can't see "time since last contact" at a glance
Emotional stakes: ★★★★☆ Daily frequency: ★★★★☆
3

Chase Payments Without It Taking My Whole Day

When: Deposits are unpaid or final balances are overdue
I want to: Automatically remind customers and escalate only exceptions to me
So I can: Ensure no overdue payments at week-end without manual admin work
Emotional stakes: ★★★☆☆ Daily frequency: ★★★★☆
4

Prioritize My Day Across Pipeline Stages

When: I log in each morning facing 50+ active leads in different stages
I want to: See what needs doing in what order (urgency/value/heat)
So I can: Work on highest-impact activities instead of firefighting reactively
Emotional stakes: ★★★★★ Daily frequency: ★★★★★
5

Respond to Customer Messages Without Losing Context

When: A customer replies to a previous conversation
I want to: See the full conversation history and what I promised last time
So I can: Give a coherent response without asking them to repeat themselves
Emotional stakes: ★★★★☆ Daily frequency: ★★★★★
6

Capitalize on Freed-Up Capacity from Cancellations

When: A cancellation frees up a previously unavailable slot
I want to: Surface previously rejected inquiries that couldn't be accommodated
So I can: Fill the slot with revenue instead of leaving it empty
Emotional stakes: ★★☆☆☆ Daily frequency: ★☆☆☆☆
7

Manage Post-Close Customer Changes

When: A customer wants to add/remove people or change event time after booking
I want to: Make edits quickly without breaking the booking
So I can: Keep customers happy without creating work for venue team
Emotional stakes: ★★★☆☆ Daily frequency: ★★★☆☆
8

Hand Over Event Details to Venue Team Cleanly

When: An event is approaching and venue team needs to prep
I want to: Generate handover documentation automatically
So I can: Ensure smooth event execution without manual documentation work
Emotional stakes: ★★★☆☆ Daily frequency: ★★☆☆☆
1

Identify Team Members Who Need Intervention

When: I log in each morning or throughout the day
I want to: See which reps are stuck, struggling, or at risk of missing targets
So I can: Unblock them before deals are lost or targets missed
Emotional stakes: ★★★★★ Daily frequency: ★★★★★
2

Ensure Pipeline Coverage is Sufficient to Hit Targets

When: I'm planning the week/month ahead
I want to: See if there's enough money in each pipeline stage to hit team targets
So I can: Identify coverage gaps and adjust strategy before it's too late
Emotional stakes: ★★★★★ Daily frequency: ★★★★☆
3

Spot-Check Message Quality and Capacity Commitments

When: Reviewing team activity
I want to: See if reps are maintaining quality standards and not overselling
So I can: Catch issues before they become customer problems
Emotional stakes: ★★★★☆ Daily frequency: ★★★☆☆
4

Track Team Velocity and Performance vs Machine Efficiency

When: I'm reviewing team performance
I want to: See if reps are working fast enough AND negotiating well
So I can: Coach on both efficiency and effectiveness
Emotional stakes: ★★★★☆ Daily frequency: ★★★☆☆
5

Maintain Team Accountability During Absences

When: A team member is on holiday or out sick
I want to: See what's in their pipeline that needs coverage
So I can: Ensure no deals fall through cracks due to absence
Emotional stakes: ★★★☆☆ Daily frequency: ★★☆☆☆
6

Generate Management Reports Without Manual Work

When: I need weekly/monthly performance summaries
I want to: See team performance by stage, custom data automatically
So I can: Report to leadership without manual Excel work
Emotional stakes: ★★★☆☆ Daily frequency: ★★☆☆☆

Emotional Jobs

How they want to feel.

At Start of Day

  • In control, not overwhelmed — "I know exactly what needs my attention and in what order"
  • Confident nothing slipped through — "Inbox zero" mental state even with 50+ active leads
  • Empowered, not firefighting — Working proactively on high-value opportunities

Throughout Day

  • Fast and competent — Responding with full context
  • Strategic, not just busy — Time on relationship building, not admin archaeology
  • Reliable — System won't let me oversell or drop balls

At End of Day/Week

  • Progress visible — Movement toward targets, CX scores high
  • Clean slate for tomorrow — No overdue items haunting me into weekend
  • Winning — "I crushed my target, had time to not be reactive"

States to Avoid

  • Anxiety from not knowing what's most urgent
  • Embarrassment from losing customer context
  • Guilt from high-value deal lost in noise
  • Dread from manual admin mountain

At Start of Day

  • Aware, not blind — "I know where the problems are before they escalate"
  • Proactive, not reactive — Intervening based on data, not gut feel
  • Confident in team coverage — Even when people are out, nothing falls through

Throughout Day

  • Coaching, not firefighting — Time spent developing team
  • Strategic oversight — "Are we on track?" not "what happened yesterday?"

At End of Week/Month

  • Target confidence — Know we're going to hit before the deadline
  • Team credit — "My team performed because of how we used our tools"
  • Pride in performance — Team velocity and deal quality both high

States to Avoid

  • Surprise at month-end (targets missed without warning)
  • Firefighting mode (discovering problems too late)
  • Micromanagement burden (having to check everything manually)

Social Jobs

How they want to be perceived.

Login Moment

Specific JTBD at the moment they log in.

Design Implications

What must be surfaced at login.

5 Critical Signals (Sales Rep)

1. High-Value Inquiries Needing Quick Response

Underlying job: Respond before they go cold.

Data required: New inquiries in last 24–48 hours, deal value, inquiry date, current response time.

One-click action: "Draft response + check availability"

2. Stalled Deals at Risk

Underlying job: Chase deals that need my attention.

Data required: Proposals sent >3 days ago with no response, unsigned contracts >5 days old.

One-click action: "See last conversation + draft follow-up"

3. Prioritized Task List (Orthogonal to Pipeline Stages)

Underlying job: Know what to work on in what order.

Data required: All active leads ranked by urgency × value × seasonality × risk.

One-click action: "Work on this next" (with context pre-loaded)

4. Overdue Payments / Exceptions Only

Underlying job: Chase payments without it taking my whole day.

Data required: Only show payments that AI couldn't auto-resolve.

One-click action: "Review AI draft chase message + send"

5. Unread Customer Messages with Context

Underlying job: Respond without losing context.

Data required: New messages, full conversation thread, previous commitments made.

One-click action: "Read message in context + draft response"

4 Critical Signals (Sales Manager)

1. Team Members Needing Intervention

Underlying job: Identify who needs help before it's too late.

Data required: Reps with stalled velocity, unusual activity patterns, target risk.

One-click action: "View [rep]'s pipeline + suggest intervention"

2. Pipeline Coverage Analysis

Underlying job: Ensure we'll hit targets.

Data required: Money in each stage vs required coverage for target, forward-looking projection.

One-click action: "See coverage gap details + suggested actions"

3. Quality/Capacity Red Flags

Underlying job: Spot-check message quality and overselling risk.

Data required: Only show exceptions (potential oversells, quality outliers).

One-click action: "Review flagged message/booking + take action"

4. Team Performance Snapshot

Underlying job: Track velocity and effectiveness.

Data required: Team velocity by stage, deal value optimization, CX scores.

One-click action: "View detailed team performance dashboard"

What Should NEVER Be Shown First

Noise vs signal.

Sales Rep

  • ✕ "99+ actions" without specificity
  • ✕ All inquiries in chronological order (buries high-value in noise)
  • ✕ Generic pipeline view requiring manual hunting
  • ✕ Activity feed mixing trivial and critical updates
  • ✕ Reports requiring download/Excel manipulation

Sales Manager

  • ✕ Individual deal details (that's rep-level, not manager-level)
  • ✕ "Everything is fine" dashboards that hide problems
  • ✕ Vanity metrics without actionable insights
  • ✕ Equal treatment of all reps (should surface who needs attention)

Contextual Variations

How needs change by time and season.

Monday Morning vs Friday Afternoon (Rep)

Monday: "What came in over weekend that's urgent?" — Catching up, anxiety about what was missed. Need clear prioritization to get back in control quickly.

Friday: "What must be done before weekend so nothing dies over 2 days?" — Clearing decks, achieving "inbox zero" feeling. Need list of "close these loops before you leave" tasks.

Monday Morning vs Friday Afternoon (Manager)

Monday: "What happened over weekend? Is team on track for the week?" — Weekend activity summary + week-ahead pipeline coverage.

Friday: "Are we on track for month-end? What needs attention next week?" — Weekly performance summary + forward-looking target projection.

Seasonal (Christmas vs Summer)

Christmas (high season): Inquiry volume spikes, deal urgency increases, capacity constraints tighten. Rep needs: tighter prioritization, auto-qualification of noise, capacity alerts.

Summer (potentially quieter): Lower inquiry volume, more time for outreach to stalled deals. Rep needs: proactive suggestions to revive old opportunities, freed-up capacity alerts.