While many retailers have determined that offering shoppers as wide a choice as possible is the best way to get consumers to part with their hard-earned money (a typical grocery store, for example, carries 50,000 different products), some highly successful businesspeople are doing these companies one better. They're doing this by giving customers the ability to customize products to their exact specifications.

For years, savvy patrons of the West Coast's iconic fast-food palace, In-N-Out Burger, have known that there is a secret menu available that allows them to customize their orders in most any way they could ever imagine. Go to any In-N-Out, and you'll see only three different burger offerings posted on the wall: hamburger, cheeseburger, and double-double (two patties, two cheese). However, if you know the code, you can really have it your way. Here are some of In-N-Out's secret offerings:

• Veggie Burger: A hamburger with extra tomatoes instead of meat
• Extra Toast: This order toasts your bun a little bit more than usual making it extra crispy
• Protein style: Protein style removes the bun and wraps your burger in lettuce like a burrito.
• Grilled Cheese: A bun, tomatoes and onions, if you want them, grilled with melted cheese.
• Flying Dutchman: No bun, no veggies, just two beef patties and two slices of cheese.

As it turns out, people really like to get exactly what they want, and not be constrained by what some far-off focus group thinks they should want. It's therefore no surprise that businesses that offer customers the ability to customize products are increasingly gaining traction in the marketplace. Would you like to customize your energy bars or protein shakes? No problem -- there are companies that allow you to do both. How about jerky customized to your exact specifications? Yes -- you can do that. You can even get customized pet food if you want it. And these few selections are just the tip of the iceberg.

Not every business can offer custom solutions to each of its customers. However, for those that can, this is a trend that is worth keeping an eye on.