Picture this. You walk into a DIY store, approach a consultant, and ask, “Hey, could you show me around those power tools? I want to learn what they can do since I’m planning a renovation and want to see where this could lead”
Doesn’t that sound absurd? But that’s exactly what I hear every second time somebody turns to me. People ask me for a demo, a review of a tool’s capabilities, so they can decide where to lead their company’s digital transformation.
No, I get it – it makes sense to learn at least something about the tools to plan your change, but your change should not be led by the tools.
Another issue is the hype around technology. It generates so much noise that it’s sometimes impossible to hear your own thoughts.
The Problem with the Hype Cycle
Just think about it: You’re running a solid business. You’ve got customers, revenue, and you’ve built something real. But suddenly, a nagging voice appears in your head. It whispers that you’re falling behind. AI is everywhere. Your competitors are posting about their tech stack on LinkedIn. A new must-have tool pops up every single week. And that voice keeps repeating that you need an expert who will tell you what tools to buy.
I bet many of you recognize yourselves! True? If so, you’re not alone.
But here’s what I’ve learned after working with dozens of businesses: You don’t actually need someone to tell you what to do. What if the expert you’re looking for is already in the room? And it’s you. You just need a little mind shift when it comes to technology.
Ready to look at technology from a new perspective? Let’s get into it!
But first, if this is your first time on our blog, let me quickly introduce myself. I’m Jeff Tilley, and I help small and mid-sized businesses design systems that attract customers and reduce reliance on individuals.
In this article, I’ll share how I learned to select tools for business – the hard way. I lived it. So, let’s get started!
The Mind Shift: Start with Your Business, Not the Software
When I was about 18 or 19, I started my career in my parents’ business. They made – and still make – jackets and outerwear. I started in sales. And I quickly realized that the amount of information I needed to remember about clients was insane. It was just impossible to keep it all in my head. I knew I needed a kind of system for this mess.
However, I was young, and let’s be honest, pretty naive. I couldn’t even put the problem into words. So, what did I do? I did the worst thing possible: I started googling different tools. And that led to two huge problems:
- I Became a “Tool Guy”
I got hooked. I started looking for tools for the sake of tools. I literally became a “tool guy.” I didn’t sit down and think about what I needed. Instead, I started googling for the best CRM, best sales tracking software, and best customer management tools. At first, it was exciting – you know this feeling when you are unlocking a new level in a game. But it was actually a trap which I realized only in my mid-20s. I simply wasted tons of time and money implementing tools that looked cool but didn’t solve my problems. These tools only created new processes I didn’t need.
- I Bought Blindly
I bought it blindly. The vendors, the developers of these tools, are incredibly good marketers. They sell you the idea that their tool is absolutely essential, that you can’t live without it. And since you don’t fully understand how exactly it works, you buy. But in reality, you are investing in the magic beans, which will never grow.
If you are nodding along, you have definitely bought a software tool that just ended up collecting digital fairy dust. I know I’m not the only one. After reading this article, let me know in the comments which tool you purchased but never used.
Now, I want to explain what I mean when I say you need a little mind shift when it comes to technology.
Digital Tools Are Not Magical
When you want to buy a physical tool in a store, you know pretty well what you can do with it. When you look for a shovel, you know you need a tool for digging. You don’t think about what shape of trench you will dig with it. You look for a core function. And if it comes with more features, it’s just a wonderful add-on.
We always think about physical tools that way, and it’s absolutely right, as a tool is a practical thing. A shovel is for digging. A rake is for raking. A hammer is for hammering. It’s all very simple.
But for some unknown reason, we change our approach when we choose digital tools. We often see them as something magical and mystical. We don’t demand the same practical parameters.
But we should.
So, when you need a digital tool, you must already know what you will use it for. You have to start from the business problem. The business goal.
Treat Sales Like Digging a Trench
Before we go to the main idea of this article and talk about the business goal, let’s make sure you know exactly where to start. I’ve prepared a short quiz that walks you through the five essential areas to evaluate before adopting new tools. Take the quiz now and see which areas of your business are ready for growth – and which ones need attention.
With that in mind, let’s move to the core of this article – defining your business goal. Let’s say you want to sell more. We can compare this universal goal to digging a trench.
Now, let’s think. When you operate with physical tools, you normally calculate how many meters one person can dig per day. Then you can say how many days and people you need for a 200-meter trench. It’s simple math.
But with sales, we don’t do that math. For some reason, we skip the thinking part. We just say “we need more sales” and hope for the best.
You can easily fix that. Say your goal is to sell 100 units. First, think about how many deals one salesperson can close a week. If it’s roughly 5 deals a week, you need 4 people for 5 weeks, or 5 people for 4 weeks. It’s exactly the same math you used for digging that trench. Once you look at it this way, sales stop being a mystery. Yes, it requires a bit more thinking because a trench is physical and visible, and a sale is virtual and unclear. But it’s the same mathematical process and zero magic.
The point is, you don’t need a specialist to tell you which actions you need to take more often. You just need common sense. If you built a company, you already understand what makes it tick.
Maybe customers choose you because you’re more likable. Well, then you need a tool that helps you get in front of more people, more personally.
Maybe they chose you because of your quality. Then you need a tool that better showcases that quality.
I know what you’re thinking. You may feel overloaded with lots of things happening around. AI is taking over. New tools are launching every day. You simply feel you are falling behind. I know this is stressful. But here’s what I ask you to do: Forget the news. Forget the hype. Forget the informational noise.
Simple Questions, Clear Requirements
If you approach buying software the same way you buy physical tools, you are on the right track. You should ask yourself simple questions:
- What don’t I understand about my business right now?
Maybe you don’t have enough visibility into your sales pipeline. You can’t see what’s coming in the next month or quarter.
- What would I like to see?
Maybe you want to see potential sales in the near future. Maybe you want to track how clients are contacting you. Maybe you want to know which marketing channels actually work.
When you respond to these questions, you create a list of requirements. Specific needs. Not features but needs. And you will need to find a tool that will help you solve these tasks.
You’re the Expert on Your Business
The key idea I want you to understand is that you are the expert on your business. Not me. Not some software vendor.
And it’s a huge mystery to me why businesses approach it from the other side. I constantly meet people who say, “Show us a demo. We want to know what this tool can do and see if it’s good for us.” It’s backwards!
In simple words, when you want to implement tools, you are the one who is driving the bus. You go to a consultant or a vendor with your spec sheet and you say, “We want to achieve this result. What tools will help us achieve it?”
Think about buying a truck. You have a specific need. You need to haul materials from point A to point B. Maybe you need to carry heavy equipment. Maybe you need four-wheel drive for rough terrain. You have clear demands and look at trucks that meet them. You compare payload capacity, engine power, fuel efficiency, and reliability. You read reviews. You talk to people who actually use these trucks for similar purposes. You don’t get distracted by the entertainment system or the luxury seats, unless those actually matter for your use case.
And if you can’t find a truck that does exactly what you need? You have two options. You either custom-build something, which costs more, or you compromise on some feature that’s nice to have but not essential, and you buy something that’s ready to go and cheaper.
The same logic applies to technology. You need to track customer interactions and manage your sales pipeline. That’s your requirements, and the software must be able to manage these.
When you flip it around, everything changes. You stop being sold to, and you start buying. You stop being a passive consumer of tech trends, and you become an active architect of your own systems. You get tools that actually work for you, instead of you working for your tools.
I know that when I ask you to think about your business, it may feel a little abstract. Many of you do not even know where to start and what areas to look at. That’s why I created the free quiz mentioned earlier – it won’t give you a magic tool name, but it will help you identify which area needs attention first. Still haven’t taken it? Now’s your chance. Take the quiz and see exactly where to focus your efforts next!
Once you have that clarity, you’re ready to move forward. Will you make mistakes? Probably. I certainly did. But you’ll make fewer mistakes if you start with clarity about what you’re trying to solve. Will you still need help implementing? Yes. Technical expertise matters. But you’re hiring that expertise to execute your vision, not to create the vision for you. Will technology keep changing? Absolutely. But your business problems change more slowly than technology does. If you focus on solving real problems, you can adapt as new tools emerge.
If all of this feels a bit unclear or you’re unsure where to start, we can guide you. At Muncly, we work with businesses to pinpoint the areas that need attention, implement practical systems, and make technology work in a way that actually fits your operations. If you want hands-on support, reach out to us and we’ll help you map out the next steps!