If you’ve ever outsourced your technology decisions to the comments section of a Facebook post, this article is for you. When you’re done, you’ll understand exactly how to get good advice to choose the right technology for your business that can grow with you for the next 5-10 years.

Get Your Technology Advice from Knowledgeable Sources Who Understand Your Business

If there’s one thing I wish more business owners understood about getting tech advice, it would be the importance of considering the source when asking for technology advice. 

Web developers, designers, and automation specialist all have our biases and preferences when it comes to software. The problem comes when the professionals advising you are not aware of their biases and their technology choices don’t align with the client’s goals.

Here’s how this shows up in the real world: 

Your coaching mentor suggests you use Kajabi because that’s what all the other coaches are using and they have an affiliate link. They don’t stop to ask where you want your business to be in 3 years and whether this tool will serve you for the long haul. 

Your Squarespace designer says you don’t need WordPress because they don’t want to lose your business. 

The student you went to for a free website uses an overly complex CMS to build it because that’s what she’s studying, and it’s hard for you to actually use the site because it’s so complex. (2010 me apologizes - sorry!)

Software Decisions Start with Your Needs and Goals.

Software decisions start with your needs and goals.

Yes, I repeated myself on purpose. Every time I see someone throwing out requests to random people in Facebook groups, a little piece of me groans inside. 

Those people don’t know your situation, your business, the skills on your team or your goals. Subjecting yourself to the firehose of advice-by-comment-section is a recipe for increasing your overwhelm. 

Stop Buying Technology and Start Hiring Technology

If you're going to choose the right technology for your business, it’s time to start thinking about software as a part of your team.  With the rise of AI, this is becoming more true than ever! We’re probably only a few years away from a T-1000 showing up to rescue John Conner. 

When you decide to bring a new person onto your team, you likely start with a role in mind and a list of duties that person would be responsible for. 

Keep that same energy when you’re thinking about your software. 

This requires that you step away from the technology completely and really think about what your business needs. Most people get this backwards and it results in you trying to stuff your business into the capabilities of your software and a lot of frustration. 

No software is perfect and it will all disappoint you at some point, just like people. But starting from a place of desired business requirements will get you much closer to your goal. 

A Solid Tech Strategy Will Reduce Overwhelm and Save Money

Back away from that AppSumo tab sis. The age of ‘I might use this someday’ buying is over. 

Here are a few questions to ask when you’re trying to determine what software your business needs: 

What technical headaches do you have right now? Is there something that it’s working well? Something you’re not using to the fullest due to lack of time or skill? 

Which processes are working well but involve a lot of manual labor that could be automated? Have you mapped out that process so you can plan which steps can be taken over by machines? 

What are your goals for the next 3 months, 1 year, 5 years? How much do you plan to grow and can the tools you’re considering grow with you? 

This is not an exhaustive list but it’s a good place to start. 

Accept that you might not be the best person for this task

This is for my scrappy DIYers whether you’re just starting out or pushing multi-six figures or 1 million+. 

What got you here won’t get you there. If you’re a non-techie person, it’s OK to admit that you’re not the best person to make these decisions. Get help so you can stay in your zone of genius. 

A business tech stack is a lot like a small house that keeps getting add-ons over the years until suddenly you’re living in a franken-house and wondering how you got here. 

There comes a time when you need to step back and look at the whole picture and decide how to move forward. 

This doesn’t always mean drastic changes. My mentor helped save one of his clients $8000 / month just by evaluating the plan they were on and switching to a lower one. 

Investing a little bit now on getting advice from a qualified source can save you a lot of time, money and headaches. As Certified Automation Service Provider™ part of our expertise is ‘tech-mating’ or matching your business processes to the proper software. 

Avoid these mistakes when choosing business software

Don’t make decisions based solely on emotion

A lot of people will make software changes based on frustration but it’s important to evaluate neutrally when making these decisions. 

Migrations are expensive, time consuming and usually slow down the execution of the business processes involved. Make sure to factor these in if you’re contemplating a major change. 

Make Sure Your Team Has the Skills to Manage Your Software

Make sure you have the expertise the make the most of your software. That might mean training team members or hiring an expert to manage things so you get the most out of your tools. 

Getting expert help with set up and then managing in-house can be a great way to make sure you create a proper foundation that will give you the most ROI while manage ongoing expenses.

Our clients have access to a growing resource vault where their team can access information on best practices for managing and growing their email marketing each month. 

Don’t Base Software Decisions Solely on Cost.

Earlier this year, Active Campaign raised their prices to be on par with other marketing automation platforms with similar features and this is one of the biggest complaints I see about the services. 

All those years of getting KEAP-level functionally for 30% of the price was great, but it was never going to last. A lot of business owners who weren’t paying much attention to their email list are now being forced into the best practices they should have been doing all along: 

• Paying attention to earnings per subscriber per month
• Regularly cleaning your list and removing disengaged contacts
• Cleaning up your CRM so you can increase sales by following up with hot leads.

If you really make the most of your email marketing and the earnings it could bring you, you will care less about the few hundred dollars per month you might be paying now. 

Is Your Tech Stack Working for You?

Now I want to hear from you. Is your tech stack working? Are you thinking about making changes? If you want a customized Tech Hiring Plan from a Certified Automation Service Provider™ book a Power Hour and let us take you from overwhelm to clarity.