To Package Or Not?

To Package Or Not?

by Jane Sehr

I’m in the ad sales packaging business, so I spend a lot of time thinking about them. Are packages perfect for every client? No. But they can be perfect for lots of clients.

Look at it this way; if you need a new suit, you can go to a tailor and have one custom made. It will cost you more, but it will be designed precisely for you. Exactly what you want–right down to the color of the buttons. Or, you can go into a store and buy a really nice suit off the rack for a lot less.

Ever remodeled a kitchen? You can have custom cabinets made. Again, they will be made to order just for your kitchen. They will cost a lot more than stock cabinets. What do most people do? They take the stock cabinets. Why? The stock cabinets look good, they have lots of options, they cost a lot less.

And that’s what got me thinking about customized solutions as a sales strategy. Should we be doing customized solutions for every client? Every pizza parlor, restaurant, car dealer, auto-body shop? Shouldn’t we have off-the-shelf solutions at the ready?

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t believe in customized solutions. I absolutely do. What I don’t believe is that every client requires one. Should there be a premium on custom solutions? Should there be a discount for off-the-shelf solutions (packages)?