I recently advised a firm on the product and development processes common in govtech SaaS companies. The big question was this: how much time do teams spend on custom features just to win new clients versus working on the core product? In many organizations, the answer is a shocking 60-70%.
This is the "one more feature" playbook in action. It's a sales-driven cycle that signals a lack of product confidence and ultimately undermines a product's long-term value.
Healthy Iteration vs. The Playbook
To be clear, iteration and improvement should always be a part of development. Listening to customers and enhancing your product based on broad feedback is essential for growth. However, there is a vast difference between that and tacking on an unrelated function that only one client understands or needs. The "one more feature" playbook isn't about product improvement; it's about closing the next deal at any cost.
This dynamic hijacks the crucial process of refining your core offering. It signals a lack of maturity in the product teams or higher management because it fails to factor in the long-term ROI, the value added to the product as a whole, or the core identity of the solution.
Instead, the product begins a slow, painful journey to becoming a Swiss army knife of minimally useful tools. The roadmap is dictated by the next deal, bloating the software with half-baked features that better, cheaper products already provide.
The Strategic Alternative: Integration Over Duplication
The most successful and scalable products don't try to do everything. They focus on doing a few things exceptionally well and integrate seamlessly with the other tools their customers rely on. This approach demonstrates confidence in your core value proposition. It respects the customer's existing workflow instead of trying to force them into a new, often inferior, one.
In many cases, building your product to easily interact and integrate with those best-in-class tools is a far better, more sustainable approach than trying to poorly recreate their functionality. This is what sets highly scalable, quality products apart from do-it-all solutions.
The Two Conversations
Ultimately, it comes down to the kind of conversation you want to have with a potential customer.
Imagine a prospect says, "We really like using this specific reporting tool. Is your product compatible?"
You have two possible answers:
-
Answer A (The Integrator): "Yes, we have a seamless integration so you can continue using what you prefer, completely uninterrupted."
-
Answer B (The Duplicator): "Oh, we do part of that too, but in a different way. We can train you to use our version."
Answer A is confident, user-centric, and removes friction. It builds trust and closes deals. Answer B is defensive, company-centric, and creates a new learning curve. It creates friction and doubt. The choice you make between these two philosophies will define the future of your product.