Jon THE REVELATOR asked this very important question in a article over on Procure Insights in the spring.

And, of course, the doctor answered.

Simply put, the reason they ruin everything is because they fail to understand that, in Finance and Procurement, no one wants tech or software … no one. This is true from a professional and a personal point of view.

Professionally, they want whatever will make their jobs easier. They don’t care if its software, a physical tool, outsourced labour, or an intern. They want to get the job done, fulfill the requirements of the business, make money, and do it with as little effort on their part as possible. If that’s software, great. If the money is there and it’s outsourcing everything at an affordable dollar value that will generate a return, they’d be just as happy (if not happier) to do that (as then they wouldn’t be stuck fighting with a tool when it didn’t do exactly what they wanted it to do exactly the way they wanted it done).

Personally, and this is what software companies don’t get, Finance and Procurement people want software EVEN less. 140,000 people don’t flock to CES (Consumer Electronics Show) for the software — they flock for the cool new gadgets that will entertain them. The gadgets may be software powered, but they don’t care about that. It’s the fun factor. And, let’s face it, Finance and Procurement software IS NOT FUN!

Has anyone ever wanted a word processor? A piece of tax software? A scripting tool? NO. Writers want an e-type writer, they don’t care what that is. People don’t even want to do their taxes, so they definitely don’t desire software that will help them do other people’s taxes too. Coders like scripting, but they are usually doing it to get a job done more quickly or elegantly or to have (sometimes illegal hacking) fun as it’s their version of entertainment. They don’t want your tool — they want what it does.

Gamers want video games, but they want the experience, they don’t want to see the “software”. The game console sells, not the code that powers it.

That’s why successful solution providers, who forgot it is all about solutions that deliver ROI to the business, ruin everything when they become tech companies. Tech is for consumers, not for business. Valuable ROI-generating solutions are for business.