"I hate spreadsheets", a business friend said to me.
This happened when I was discussing a diagnostic tool I designed for business owners to identify bottlenecks in their operations.
For a moment, it got me thinking, “Do all business owners hate spreadsheets?”
If so, they won't use my bottleneck diagnostic tool.
The spreadsheet might create a major friction in usability.
It was real feedback from a business owner. It was a serious matter for me as the whole tool was programmed on a Google spreadsheet.
My mind started engineering solutions.
Maybe I should build it as an app or SaaS. Maybe friction is the problem.
A long-lost memory
While my mind was busy analyzing what to do, I got a subtle flashback of a long-lost childhood memory.
Maybe it was a part of the brain's analysis. Our mind works in mysterious ways.
It was a memory from my school days. I remembered my mother waking me up one morning to go to school.
It was winter, and I hated the feeling of going to school on a chilly morning.
The thought of getting up, brushing, wearing a uniform, and travelling in the congested school bus kept me from coming out of the blanket.
The congested school bus was a major obstacle for me every day.
"I don't want to go to school today", I said to my mother.
"But today is your school picnic day. You said they were taking you to the beach,” my mother replied.
I jumped out of bed in excitement!
Got ready in a few minutes and was eagerly waiting for the school bus. The school bus was congested as usual.
But that day, the congestion in the school bus did not bother me at all. It did not even come to mind.
Something changed
This memory got me thinking.
The vehicle that I hated the most was not a problem for me that day.
Same uniform. Same congested bus. Same school.
What changed?
The outcome.
The outcome of playing on the beach was so compelling that the frictions along the way did not bother me.
Maybe that's what happened with my friend.
The spreadsheet was a vehicle to go from being blind to being aware of the owner dependency. The outcome of knowing where the business depended on him was not an urgency for him.
If the outcome is not compelling enough, we notice the frictions in the tools. Give excuses to ourselves.
But if we are eager for the outcome, we tolerate those frictions.
That's basic human nature.
This applies to marketing as well. Reach out to people who are looking for the outcome that your product provides. They will buy with less friction and objections than those who do not see it as an urgent matter.
This simple lead generation filter will save a lot of time, money, and mental effort.
The uncomfortable spreadsheet
But there is a possibility that one might genuinely hate spreadsheets based on past experiences. Here, no matter how compelling the outcome is, they will find excuses.
So, when you resist something in your business, pause and reflect for a minute. Is it that the outcome is not urgent, or do you genuinely hate the tool?
Because your operational independence might be just one uncomfortable spreadsheet away.
That's all for this week.
See you next Saturday.
Before leaving, reply to this email whether you hate or love spreadsheets.
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