You hit the nail on the head. Talking to the customer in some way shape or form should be the first step that informs whether you take a more product or sales l

You hit the nail on the head. Talking to the customer in some way shape or form should be the first step that informs whether you take a more product or sales led approach and more importantly /why/. Without a customer centric approach, all you end up with is (as you point out) a solution in search of a problem -- a poor place to be.