Get clear before you compare tools.

It is easy to start with demos, features, and prices before you are clear about what the business actually needs.

The workbook helps you work through five things that can prevent an expensive mistake:

• What problem are we trying to solve?
  So you do not buy a tool that looks impressive but fixes the wrong problem.
• Who will use and manage it?
  So the tool does not become another subscription that nobody owns or fully uses.
• What must it do?
  So you can separate essential features from attractive extras that increase the price.
• What will it really cost?
  So setup, training, support, add-ons, data migration, and staff time do not come as a surprise.
• What still needs to be proven?
  So you know which vendor claims, assumptions, and unanswered questions to check before you commit.

When you finish, you should have:

• A clear reason for buying
• A practical list of must-haves and dealbreakers
• A more realistic budget
• Better questions for demos and vendor calls
• A list of what is confirmed and what still needs checking
• A clearer reason to buy, keep looking, or pause

You do not need a complicated purchasing process. You need enough clarity to avoid buying the wrong tool for the right-sounding reasons.

What is inside the workbook

The workbook contains 25 practical questions across five sections.

1. Clarify the Decision

Define the problem, why it matters, what success should look like, and what happens if you do nothing.

2. Align the People

Identify who will use, manage, approve, fund, support, and be affected by the technology.

3. Define the Requirements

Separate true must-haves from preferences and identify the limits or dealbreakers that could rule out an option.

4. Understand Cost, Setup, and Ownership

Look beyond the advertised price to implementation, migration, training, integrations, support, add-ons, internal time, and ongoing management.

5. Compare and Test the Options

Compare products against the same business needs, examine tradeoffs, test vendor claims, and identify what still needs proof.

Every question includes:

• Why the question matters
• Who should help answer it
• Examples of weak and stronger answers
• Follow-up questions
• An AI prompt to help examine your assumptions

Use as much of the workbook as the purchase deserves.

You do not have to complete all 25 questions every time you buy a tool.

For a smaller credit-card purchase, use the sections most relevant to the decision.

For a larger platform, system replacement, or tool that affects several people, work through the full workbook with your team.

Answer what you know

Start with the information you already have. An unanswered question is useful because it shows you what to investigate.

Involve the right people

Use the workbook to guide conversations with the people who will use, manage, approve, support, or pay for the technology.

Turn unknowns into questions

Bring your unanswered questions into demos, trials, vendor calls, internal meetings, and contract reviews.

Keep the record

Your answers create a practical record of what the business expected and why the decision was made.

Use AI where it helps. Know where judgment still matters.

AI is now an important part of researching and comparing technology. It can help you:

• Find and organize information
• Summarize vendor materials
• Compare features and options
• Draft questions for demos and sales calls
• Identify issues you may not have considered

The workbook shows you when and how to use AI during the buying process, including prompts you can use with each question.

It also helps you recognize what AI cannot decide for you.

AI does not know:

• Which problem matters most to your business
• How your team actually works
• Whether people will use the tool
• Which tradeoffs you are willing to accept
• Whether a vendor’s claims are complete or accurate
• What level of cost, risk, or disruption is right for your business

Those decisions still require human judgment, conversations with your team, and proof from the vendor.

The workbook helps you focus on what you need to decide, use AI to support the work, and know what still needs to be checked before you buy.

Built for people choosing technology without a large purchasing team.

You do not need to be a technology expert or procurement professional.

The workbook is designed for business owners, founders, operators, marketers, product leaders, team managers, and anyone responsible for selecting technology their business will need to fund, use, and manage.

Use it when you are:

• Buying software online with a company credit card
• Comparing two or three tools
• Choosing a platform for your team
• Replacing a system that no longer fits
• Reviewing a subscription before renewal
• Evaluating an AI-enabled product
• Preparing for a demo or vendor call
• Considering a purchase that will affect several teams or workflows

The larger the cost, disruption, or number of people involved, the more thoroughly you can use the workbook.

Created from experience on several sides of the decision.

ZEAT founder Kathy Greenler Sexton has bought software on a company credit card, negotiated technology contracts, worked with professional purchasing teams, led technology teams, and served as an executive in businesses that built and sold technology to other organizations.

She has seen what buyers ask, what sellers emphasize, what gets lost between the demo and the contract, and what teams have to live with after the sale.

This workbook brings those lessons forward so you can ask better questions before you buy.