Most PSOs Stall on Productization — SPI’s New SLM³ Report Maps the Path Forward
Knoxville, TN — October 2025 — Service Performance Insight (SPI Research), the global authority on professional services performance improvement, today announced the release of the 2025 Service Productization Benchmark — a productization focussed update to SPI’s original SLM³™ framework introduced in 2012.
Based on survey input from 113 organizations, the 54-page report offers a data-driven look at how professional services organizations (PSOs) and embedded services organizations (ESOs) are structuring, pricing, and managing their offerings for scalable growth.
Thirteen years after SPI introduced SLM³, productization is now widely recognised as a growth enabler — yet consistent execution remains elusive. The research highlights that while intent and investment are rising, few firms have achieved disciplined lifecycle management that delivers predictable results.
Key findings include:
- 25.4% of total revenue now comes from packaged services, but process maturity varies widely.
- Firms with strong leadership alignment report up to 34% higher revenue per consultant and margins exceeding 41% on packaged offerings.
- High-performing firms consistently outperform on growth and margin — even when they don’t rate themselves as fully SLM³ mature.
- Sales teams organised by vertical or competency outperform those aligned by geography or account structure.
- CPQ and AI/ML adoption are on the rise, but PSA adoption has declined since 2012, suggesting cost pressures are reshaping 2025 investment priorities.
The report delivers 38 data tables, 23 visuals, and an updated SLM³ maturity model — helping services leaders benchmark their progress and identify which capabilities most directly influence revenue and margin outcomes.
“Scaling services starts with structure,” said [SPI spokesperson or Dave Hofferberth, Founder of SPI Research]. “SLM³ gives firms the discipline to move beyond one-off projects toward sustainable, repeatable, and profitable offerings.”
The full report is available now.
👉 Access the 2025 Service Productization Benchmark here