Buy tech with confidence.
The Buying Better Workshop gives business owners a system to cut through sales spin and make better buying decisions.
You’re right to be skeptical.
Buying technology shouldn’t feel like a rigged game, yet most small to mid-sized business owners have similar experiences:
ROI & productivity claims that lack proof
Opaque pricing and hidden costs
Sales reps controlling the process
Information asymmetry (vendors know far more than buyers)
Misleading comparisons and sowing the seeds of competitive FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt)
Implementation and onboarding delays or outright failures
The Buying Better Workshop is specifically designed to tackle these head-on and give you a system to feel confident about your next tech purchase.
Here’s how.
Inside the Buying Better Workshop
Below is the framework we use with one goal in mind: to give you a repeatable system to feel confident about the technology purchase you’re about to make.
#1 Crack Open Seller Psychology
The first thing we do is understand what you’re up against as a buyer. We explore how tech companies and their reps hook you with emotion and claims of ROI & increased productivity, hunt for pain, crank up urgency and box you into their sales funnel.
#2 Run a Buying Self-Assessment
As the Delphic maxim states, ‘Know Thyself’. We begin by developing your Buying Persona. What are your triggers? Preferences? Are you tech-forward or more reserved?
Then we move to your business and organizational situation. What problem are you really solving? What limits do you have on time, people, and money? What experiences have you previously had buying technology? What are your goals with this new tech acquisition?
We anchor your buying decision in your reality, not the vendors’.
#4 Uncover Hidden Costs & Risks
We set out to uncover, document, and then assign value all of the hidden costs and risks with a new tech purchase so you get a true Total Cost of Ownership. Things like add-ons, mandatory modules, usage thresholds and unexpected integration fees can all add up.
Then there are the more hidden risks that become costly, like implementation delays, support, features on road maps, training and change management which all affect user adoption and overall usage.
#3 Determine Your Needs & Outcomes
All too often, sellers attempt to frame your decision, and needs, based on the feature-set of their products. This can lead to buying software with functionality your team will never use.
We connect your business goals down to how the work is being completed. Then determine exactly what functionality your team needs. This Need vs Nice To Have mapping exercise becomes your framework to determining what you need and how valuable it is.
#5 Create Your Buying Better Playbook
Finally, we bring it all together to create your buying playbook using the following tools applied to real-life scenarios: Buyer Self‑Assessment, Clarity Checklist, Buying Better Mini-RFP, Decision Scorecard, Late‑Stage “Are we stalling?” Self‑Audit, and a Success/Exit Framework.
Price & Other Details
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$599 + GST (CDN)
This course is new so the expectation is that early participants share feedback and make it better.
If you’re the type that likes to wait until Version 2 is released, cool. Just note the price will likely go up in 2026.
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Both.
If you live in Calgary, AB, then I’m happy to do onsite sessions. For everyone else, the default is online.
That said, I will be booking clusters in cities. Check the booking page.
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4 including you.
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Aside from the knowledge you’ll gain, you get electronic copies of all the tools we use.
That way, you can reuse them over and over for future tech purchases.
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Steve Pieroway, principal at Benevolent Marketing. Former ad man, long-time executive at a Canadian insurance technology company, and consultant.
He knows B2B marketing & sales playbooks because he’s helped create them.
You can read more about him on the About page.
Every year, technology companies around the globe spend billions training their salespeople how to sell to you, handle your objections, reframe your thinking, and get you to sign on the dotted line.
By comparison, most of us small business owners are never taught how to buy technology, even though it’s a critical strategic decision. We simply wing it.