A few weeks ago, I took a call from a software company. Their pitch was that they'd built accounting software specifically for an industry I know really well, and they wanted to show me why it was better than the big platforms everyone already uses.
I'm always curious when someone claims to have solved a problem I understand pretty well, so I said yes. Worst case, I'd lose a little of my time. Best case, I'd find a tool that serves a niche the big guys have never bothered to cover.
I sat on the call and watched the demo. I asked a lot of questions; the kind you only know to ask if you've worked inside this industry, not just sold to it. By the end, I had my answer. I knew the sales rep wasn’t going to like it.
The Pitch Sounded Great
Now, a good sales pitch is designed to sound exactly like what you've been waiting for. This one hit all the marks. It was built specifically for this industry, and the company understands the unique workflows. They claimed it was more affordable than switching to something generic and trying to make it fit.
I was ready to believe it, but I also wasn’t holding my breath. I've spent enough time in this space to know where the big platforms fall short. If someone had truly solved that, I wanted to see it.
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Then I Started Asking Questions
I asked about the industry-specific features they mentioned. Their answers didn’t fill me with confidence. What they described as "specialized" was mostly just the same standard categories and reports you'd get out of the box with any basic accounting platform.
I asked about reconciliation, reporting, and integrations. These are all the things that matter day to day. Quickly, I realized this software could do maybe half of what QuickBooks already does. Entire features I use constantly just weren't there.
And then we got to price. It cost more than QuickBooks.
That shocked me. I kept waiting for the part that justified any of it. It never came.
The Story Was Better Than the Software
I don't think this company was necessarily acting in bad faith. I think they built something, needed a way to differentiate it from the platforms everyone already trusts, and landed on "built for your industry" because it's a persuasive story, whether or not it's fully true.
The problem is the story works on people who don't know enough to push back. If I hadn't spent years working in this space, I might have taken the pitch at face value. The demo was polished, and the language was confident. Everything about the presentation was designed to make you feel like you were seeing something made for your business.
That's why I share this story. Because most business owners evaluating new software don't have the knowledge to spot when "industry-specific" is doing a lot of heavy lifting for very little actual substance.
What I'd Tell You to Ask Instead
If a vendor tells you their software is built specifically for your industry, ask them to show you, not tell you. What does it do that a generic platform can't do? Not "we have a report called X," but a real workflow or capability that solves a problem you have today.
Then, ask what it can't do, compared to what you're currently using. Every piece of software has trade-offs, and any vendor unwilling to be straight about theirs should make you walk away.
Finally, do the math on cost together. If it costs more than your current program or the market standard, there needs to be a clear, specific reason. "It's designed for you" isn't a reason. It's a feeling they're hoping you won't examine too closely.
The Bigger Lesson
I sat through that entire demo because I wanted to find out if there was something better out there. That's not a bad instinct; you should always consider a tool that does more for your business.
But “more" has to be demonstrated, not just asserted. A confident pitch and a polished demo don't tell you anything about whether a product can do the job. Only specific questions do that. And the moment a vendor gets vague or defensive because of a specific question, you have your answer.
I walked away from that call more confident in what we already use, not less. Sometimes the most useful thing a sales pitch can do is remind you why the tool you have is working well.
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About Fruitful Enterprises: We help business owners make well-informed decisions about the tools running their business, not just the ones with the best sales pitch.