It's not the tech we buy.
It's how we buy it.
Welcome to the Benevolent Buying Project. Our mission is simple: help small to medium sized businesses get more value from the technology they buy.
You're not alone
Research shows that two-thirds of all software implementations fail to deliver the value that’s expected. Even when software survives the implementation, the average employee uses only 20% of its features.The rest of the time, your team quietly creates "Desire Paths": the workarounds, shortcuts, and fragmented processes everyone uses to do their jobs.We end up paying 100% of the price for 20% of the value.
Quite often, the problem isn't the software. It's how we've bought it.We fall into the same "traps" that have developed over decades. The biggest? Feature-Function bias.
The Feature-Function Trap
As buyers, we've been trained to focus on software selection. We identify a problem. Then do our research. Talk to industry peers. Make a short list of vendors. Read reviews. Get demos. Compare features. Oh, the features!And once we've signed the contract, hand it off to our staff to implement.And this is exactly where things break down. As owners and managers, we see the map, not the territory. We're focused on features, not the reality of how we will integrate the technology into our teams and processes and culture.We're optimizing for exactly the wrong thing. And then get frustrated when we don't see results we expect.Changing how we buy can change the results we see.
The Benevolent Buying Workshop
Our approach is to flip the buying process, focusing your efforts on adoption and engagement and fit long before you sign the deal or even think about features & functionality. Here's how.
1. Map workflows
We document operational workflows that support the Most Important Jobs To Be Done. The workflows, tools, people, processes, culture and business value generated.
2. Drive the demo
Rather than accept what vendors want to show us, we share the Mapping Workflow with vendors to see exactly how their tech will fit into our reality. You determine what you need to see.
3. Negotiate for usage
We worry less about "getting a discount" and more about ensuring the vendor we select is committed to ensuring we see an ROI. Which means painstakingly focusing on engagement and adoption.
Workshop Details
$999*
Duration: 3 hours
Participants: up to 4
Delivery: Online
The booking process is simple. Use the google calendar below to find a time that works for you. Grab it. Shortly afterwards, Steve will reach out.* Canadian dollars
** We use Stripe to accept payment
*** We use google calendar
How it Works
The Workshop is actually broken into 3 phases.
1. Pre-Work
You and your team complete a survey detailing your previous tech & software buying experiences. This helps set the stage.
2. Workshop
You and your team participate in the Benevolent Buying Workshop, a blend of learning and hands-on exercises.
3. Buying Better Plan
You receive a personalized Benevolent Buying Report, documenting the learnings and outcomes of the exercises in the workshop, giving you a foundation for your next tech buy.
Grab a time that works
for you
The Benevolent Buying Project is an initiative of Benevolent Marketing. It came about after Steve and Benevolent published the 2026 Insurtech Trust Index. In this report, 67% of respondents said that vendor promises of ROI are overstated.Having worked at a technology company for almost 20 years, Steve understood the process of how business owners buy. And it is always top-down. This realization lead to the mission to help owners buy better. He's convinced, more than ever, that buyers need to be more pro-active in determining how to help their staff use tech and less concerned about which tech they buy.
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