Years ago, we were so hungry for our customers to be happy, that we agreed to do more than our product strategy demanded. Customer prospects would say things like “Oh you have a point of sale? What we would like in addition is an accounting management platform!” Now this statement and scenario is exaggerated on purpose to demonstrate the sheer madness of even considering such requests!
This pressure is not only felt by smaller outfits. IT and product teams of larger organizations often feel the pressure from sales to add more features based upon customer demands, even if it does not align with their unique selling value in the market.
You are not meant to be every piece of the puzzle in the market. Solving customer needs first starts with understanding your unique selling value: Basically it is the need you are filling, for your addressable market. To solve for their extended needs, sometimes you integrate, sometimes you add some small features (again, it must align with your strategy) and sometimes you just say no.
Trying to be all things to every customer prospect is “NOT” a recommended product strategy for success.
