The Product and the Solution

Had a few recent conversations about “Selling” to customers and the Norm of what they are buying or expecting. No absolute answer but poses an interesting question.
The Package Deal
As a seller, it is way more efficient to re-sell product packages, more profitable with much less (if any) incremental costs. Granted, lots of resources have been invested into creating and supporting it.  Hence the need to sell more to recoup the investments and then some. In startup language: Product Market fit (before the scaling).
“Nobody gets fired for buying _ _ _”
“This is the market leading product used by ### of the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ### companies”
(Isn’t it funny I know you can fill in the blanks?)
Big shops have framework and models, tried and tested at companies like XYZ. If you want their results, you should use their tools, models, approaches, the whole package.
From a buyer standpoint, what’s not to like?
“So tell me what you are selling? What is this model called? What is the story?”
“I want to get my money’s worth, what’s the ROI?”
Does the solution truly or fully meet your needs?
Are you paying more (money and/or time) for something less relevant or too complicated?
Are you solving a problem you don’t actually have, while missing the real one?
“I know a Guy”
You got a problem – Need help with X.  You call up your friends (if not your favourite social network) and find someone with extended trust to solve a problem. He / she will listen to your situation and come up with a solution based on your needs. You may not be able to describe the “product”, but it is effective and not unnecessarily complicated (aka simple). It just works, and it works just for you (or your company).
“So – That’s it?  Just like that?”
You feel like walking into a restaurant, the chef asks how your day went, and say “I got the dish just for you, let me whisk something together” and that makes your day.
 
In my consulting and training work, I am very mindful of the benefits of selling products, but almost always ended up customizing. Every team, leader, individual is different, team challenges are different. The context and priorities are different.  I can execute a standard training program, but it may not address what they truly need, in a timeframe that will deliver results and keep their interest.  Taking a custom approach requires more time and risks, but I can marry the content, the delivery and application in a way they can apply right away, to address what is important to them, right now.  It is much more likely to deliver results that are meaningful to the recipient. That makes the time and effort worthwhile.