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Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Learn from others' mistakes. Here are the most common pitfalls and how to avoid them.

Pitfall 1: Cancelling Too Aggressively​

The Problem:

  • Get excited about savings
  • Cancel tools without proper evaluation
  • Realise you needed them after cancelling
  • Have to reactivate (sometimes at higher cost)

How to Avoid:

  • Test alternatives before cancelling
  • Run tools in parallel during transition
  • Verify new tool works before cancelling old
  • Keep backups of data
  • Have rollback plan

Example:

  • Company cancels email tool to save £50/month
  • New tool doesn't integrate well
  • Have to switch back, lost data in process
  • Ended up costing more in time and data loss

Pitfall 2: Not Involving Your Team​

The Problem:

  • Make decisions in isolation
  • Don't know what tools team actually uses
  • Team resists changes
  • Implementation fails

How to Avoid:

  • Survey team before making changes
  • Get input on which tools are critical
  • Involve team in decision-making
  • Communicate why changes are happening
  • Provide training on new tools

Pitfall 3: Ignoring Integration Costs​

The Problem:

  • Focus only on tool costs
  • Don't consider integration complexity
  • New tools don't integrate well
  • End up with data silos
  • Manual workarounds cost more than savings

How to Avoid:

  • Map your integrations before making changes
  • Test integrations before switching
  • Consider integration costs in ROI calculation
  • Prefer tools that integrate well
  • Factor in time for integration setup

Pitfall 4: Chasing the Cheapest Option​

The Problem:

  • Always choose cheapest tool
  • Ignore features, support, reliability
  • End up with tools that don't work well
  • Have to switch again (costs time/money)
  • False economy

How to Avoid:

  • Evaluate value, not just cost
  • Consider features you actually need
  • Check reviews and reliability
  • Test before committing
  • Balance cost with functionality

Pitfall 5: Falling for the "All-in-One Tool" Myth​

The Problem:

  • Believing vendors who promise "one tool for everything"
  • Consolidating to all-in-one tool to simplify
  • End up with mediocre solutions for every function
  • Vendor lock-in (all eggs in one basket)
  • Can't replace individual functions
  • Tool is slow/buggy because it tries to do everything
  • Paying for features you don't need

How to Avoid:

  • Remember: There is NEVER a tool that does everything well
  • Choose best tool for each specific function
  • Ensure tools connect via APIs (best-of-breed approach)
  • Avoid vendor lock-in
  • Test tools individually before consolidating
  • Prefer flexibility over simplicity

Example:

  • Company switches to HubSpot for "everything" (CRM + Email + Analytics + Social)
  • Problems:
    • Email features are basic compared to Klaviyo
    • Analytics are limited compared to Google Analytics
    • Social management is clunky
    • Locked into HubSpot ecosystem
    • Can't replace one part without affecting everything

Pitfall 6: Not Negotiating​

The Problem:

  • Accept vendor pricing as-is
  • Don't ask for discounts
  • Miss out on 10-30% savings
  • Pay more than necessary

How to Avoid:

  • Always negotiate at renewal
  • Research competitor pricing
  • Ask for annual billing discounts
  • Be ready to switch if needed
  • Don't accept first offer

Pitfall 7: Self-Hosting Without Capability​

The Problem:

  • Try to self-host without technical knowledge
  • System breaks, can't fix it
  • Downtime costs more than savings
  • Have to hire help (eliminates savings)
  • End up going back to SaaS

How to Avoid:

  • Honestly assess technical capability
  • Test in development first
  • Have backup plan
  • Consider outsourcing costs
  • Only self-host if you can maintain it

Pitfall 8: Not Tracking Actual Results​

The Problem:

  • Make changes but don't track results
  • Don't know if optimisation actually worked
  • Can't prove ROI of optimisation effort
  • Miss opportunities to improve further

How to Avoid:

  • Track before/after (costs, functionality, connectivity, flexibility)
  • Document all changes
  • Calculate actual improvements
  • Review quarterly
  • Adjust based on results

Pitfall 9: One-Time Audit, Never Revisit​

The Problem:

  • Do audit once
  • Never review again
  • New tools get added without assessment
  • Problems creep back in
  • Lose optimisation benefits over time

How to Avoid:

  • Schedule quarterly reviews
  • Monitor new tool additions
  • Track stack health (connectivity, flexibility, costs)
  • Make optimisation ongoing process
  • Set annual optimisation goals

Pitfall 10: Ignoring Integration & Flexibility​

The Problem:

  • Only focus on cost or features
  • Don't consider how tools connect
  • Don't think about future flexibility
  • End up with tools that don't work together
  • Create vendor lock-in

How to Avoid:

  • Always check API availability
  • Ensure tools can connect
  • Consider data portability
  • Avoid vendor lock-in
  • Plan for future changes

Pitfall 11: Making Changes Too Fast​

The Problem:

  • Try to optimise everything at once
  • Overwhelm team with changes
  • Things break, can't fix quickly
  • Team resistance
  • Implementation fails

How to Avoid:

  • Prioritise changes
  • Start with quick wins
  • Implement gradually
  • Test each change
  • Get team buy-in
  • Allow time for adjustment

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