# From the Stage: You Aren’t Selling a Widget Anymore
By 

## Article Content
From the stage Speaking to the Philips sales team, I put the challenge bluntly: "competing on price no longer counts." Every global company I work with is wrestling with the same shift: "We've got to move from widgets to service." For a sales force, that changes everything about the conversation with a customer: "You aren't selling devices. You are selling solutions." Why it matters When products become commodities, the margin moves to the outcome: uptime, results, a problem solved. That's true whether you sell medical equipment, software or trucks. But it only works if the sales team is equipped and rewarded to sell the solution rather than the box. I told the room the real question was this: "How do we challenge what is in our sales kit bag" Most organizations announce the strategy shift but never change the kit bag. The takeaway If your customers compare you on price, you're still selling a widget. Change what the sales team carries (stories, tools, metrics) before you change the slogan. Ask: what outcome would our customer pay more for than the product itself? Related: Case Study: Philips — Connected Care Was Arriving Fast · Earlier: Disruptive Value Propositions: You Aren't Selling a Widget Anymore! (2021) · Instant, Faster Obsolescence (2022) · Healthcare & Pharma From the Stage is a weekday series of short clips from more than 30 years of keynotes, and the leadership lessons that still matter.

---
Source: https://jimcarroll.com/2026/10/from-the-stage-you-arent-selling-a-widget-anymore/