In 2020, I started studying this topic, learning from a group in Singapore through a Facebook community.
I understood that not every service needs to become a product. But many can. Especially when you find patterns, repetitions, and learnings that can be transformed into something more scalable.
Productizing is NOT about packaging and selling as if it were almost a commodity. It's about transforming the service into an offering with clear scope, predictable delivery, and more efficient operation, always with value delivery.
This was our case at Hubee - we created a process with high value delivery serving even enterprise clients!!! And I could talk for hours about what's possible to do, as well as how much I still have to learn.
Let's take CRMs as an example: some of them, before becoming SaaS, were sales consultancies - what did they do? They transformed the methodology into a product: when you access a CRM, there's not just a tool, there's an embedded methodology that guides the client toward best practices, and that's where the product's value lies.
We can also use consultancies, agencies, and training programs as examples.
Signs that your service can be productized:
- Your team executes the same type of delivery multiple times
- Your ideal client shares similar pain points
- There's a process that can be documented and replicated
- The value lies more in the methodology*** than in customization
Simple practical examples:
- Consultancies become "sprints" or "bootcamps" with closed scope
- Agencies create monthly plans with defined delivery packages
- Mentorships become platforms with methodology + community + support
- Manual diagnostics become interactive tools or SaaS
Steps to productize:
- Map patterns of what you already deliver frequently
- Design a standardized journey with beginning, middle, and end
- Name the "package" with clarity of value and delivery
- Test fixed pricing per package (instead of hourly)
- Document internal processes to gain scale
- Refine based on feedback and indicators like NPS, average delivery time, and repurchase rate
- Understand costs and productivity per "package" and evaluate financials
👀 Questions for founders:
- Is there something in my service that could be repeated without losing value?
- Which deliveries could be done with less customization?
- If I received 100 identical clients tomorrow, could I serve them?
The goal of productization is to improve the customer experience and business efficiency at the same time.
In very simple and direct terms, folks: It's about refining what you already do well, to do even better and for more people.
| If you're just packaging... | If you're truly productizing... |
|---|---|
| Change the name, but delivery remains manual | Have a clear method and standardized steps |
| Fixed price, but scope changes all the time | Well-defined deliverables and boundaries |
| Founder still needs to be 100% involved | Process runs with team, tools, or automations |
| Client buys but doesn't really know what they got | Clear perceived value and results |
| Doesn't improve over time | Has feedback, evolution, and growing margins |
| Diagnostic Question | Status (Yes/No/Partial) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Is there a clear method/journey for this service delivery? | ||
| Can deliveries be made without the founder's direct involvement? | ||
| Are there templates, scripts, or materials that help standardize the process? | ||
| Does the client clearly understand what they'll receive (and when)? | ||
| Are the scope and price defined objectively? | ||
| Is it possible to deliver this service to 10x more clients without stalling operations? | ||
| Does the process collect feedback and improve over time? | ||
| Does your team know exactly what to do at each delivery stage? | ||
| Does the client see value before, during, and after delivery? | ||
| Are there efficiency or satisfaction indicators (NPS, etc.) that you track? |