I met one of my best friends through Facebook.

I have heard stories on how some people turned their marriage around by going out more using deals from Groupon.

There are countless stories where people say that XYZ Email Marketing software, helped them grow their business.

REALLY?

Do you need a Facebook to make friends? Do you need a Groupon to turn your marriage around? Do you need a software to grow your business?

Are tools the answer to our prayers???

No!

An unfriendly person cannot use facebook to make friends. People with opposite values cannot use Groupon to make their relationships work. And businesses who do not offer exceptional value to their customers, cannot use ANY software to boost their business.

Tools are mere amplifiers of your core value proposition.

A week ago, I was fixing a water leak in my backyard. I tried taking the pipe out with the hammer and failed, until I asked my neighbor for help (He is a builder) Before even touching the thing, he brought in his toolkit, selected the right tool, and removed the pipe in no time.

We both knew what needed to be done, He just had the right tool to speed up the process.

Don’t start with “I am going to get the latest and greatest software, cloud hosting, virtual call center, and all the features that I will never use”.

Test your value proposition on a small scale first, refine is a bit (if needed) and then amplify it with the appropriate tools.

P.S. FUN FACT: Success is an amplifier too, If you are nice person, success will make you nicer, if you are a jerk, success will make you a bigger jerk.