Hello again. This is Brandy, your host, and you are listening to Elevated the Snackable Weekly podcast, helping kitchen and math designers build a better business. Us in this episode, we're developing your software Spidey sense. You know that gut feeling you get when you walk into a kitchen and it just feels wrong? Well, we're gonna build that same intuition for software selection. Think of it like teaching a client to spot quality cabinetry. Sure, you could give them a 50 point inspection checklist, but what they really need to understand is what quality looks and feels like. That's exactly what we're doing today. But with software, let me tell you about Melissa's recent software venture. She was looking at this super sleek project management tool and everything seemed perfect until she started noticing some tiny red flags that added up to one expensive mistake. But don't worry. Her pain is about to become your gain. Grab your worksheet@ireeffects.com slash choose if you need it, and let's develop your software evaluation radar. So first off, the red flag parade. Just like those luxury cabinets with chipboard sides, some software problems are hiding in plain sight. Here's what made Melissa's spidey sense tingle. Um, first off was like the pressure cooker, the scarcity tactic. That gets used a lot because. It works. Even we, when we know what's happening, the pressure to purchase can sound or look like this special price ends tomorrow. Only two spots left in onboarding. Sign up now before the price increases. A barrage of emails, calls and texts, messages from salespeople. Real quality doesn't need artificial urgency, period. Next up is, um. The mystery meat pricing, you know, custom pricing for your needs. Contact sales for quote, enterprise features available, or a pricing page that looks a more like a scientific calculator with tiers and add-ons that are hard to follow if they can't be straight with you about costs. Maybe there's some other things that they aren't being straight with you about. Uh, third up the empty promise menu. Certainly software might list some coming soon features. But if what you need is on that list, then think twice. That could be like the AI integration coming in Q2, advanced reporting and development, new interface, launching soon. Never buy software for what it might become. You need to buy it for what it is today. And fourth, the Data Hotel California, you can check in, but can you check out if there's no clear data export options, or if they give you vague answers about moving your information or they talk about proprietary file formats. That's a problem. Your data belongs to you no matter what system you use. If they don't make it easy to leave, think twice about going in there. Uh, okay, so now we've talked about the red flags. Let's talk about green lights. Uh, the first one I call the confidence show. These are signs that the software is being upfront about its capabilities. So something like, here's your 30 day trial, let's schedule a personalized demo, or check out our help documentation. Good software sells itself by letting you actually use it next. Um, I say it's the transparency trophy. These aspects can build your confidence that there won't be surprises later if they have clear. Simple pricing, a public product roadmap. If they have an active user community, then these are good signs that there's no smoke, no mirrors, and just straight talk. Third, the support swagger. In an ideal world, you don't have to ask for much help, but if you do need help, you want it to be there. So look for quick response times from support. Detailed help articles and training resources. These are signs that they're ready to help you succeed. So let's wrap up talking about your evaluation radar. Here's what I tell my clients. Rate each interaction on the uhoh two awesome scale. So that's like away, proceed with caution, neutral, looking good, or we have a winner. Let's use Melissa's example. When it came to sales pressure, that was a no go. Pricing clarity. Also low on the scale integration proof. Hmm, that was looking good. Support response off the charts. Did export options we're neutral. This isn't about perfect math. It's about training your gut to spot patterns. Just like you can walk into a kitchen and immediately sense if the layout works. When it comes to reality check, try this. For any software you're considering, track how many times they dodge a direct question. How many features are coming soon? How many pricing details are custom, and how many support resources are readily available? After spotting these red flags, Melissa found a less flashy but more honest solution and got clear pricing upfront. She was able to then test everything in a free trial and actually paid less than the special offer price that the other software had. Pro Tip, the best software companies act like great design partners. They're confident in their value, clear in their communication, and committed to your success. Next time we'll get into the nitty gritty of cost benefit analysis, but for now, start developing that software evaluation instinct. If you're ready to spot those red flags and green lights, head to fire effects.com/choose. Grab that worksheet and let's build your software selection confidence.