It’s human nature to want to own the sexiest, shiniest version of something, like the eye-catching high-performance car that gives everybody whiplash when you roar past them on the motorway. But, if you’re so attached to your sexy high-performance car that you use it for your furniture removals business instead of a slower, unsexy, removals van that will carry all your customers’ belongings in one hit… well, your dreams of a ‘Man in a Lamborghini’ furniture removals empire would rapidly sink without trace. After all, who’s going to hire a removals company that will get you to your new destination in record time but can’t carry anything larger than a couple of dining chairs?
So, why do so many businesses choose less efficient software simply because it runs on a Mac?
It’s the same thing.
Yes, lots of people think a Mac is sexier than a PC (if you’re into that kind of thing.) In some ways, a Mac might even be more efficient than a PC, although, if you take a look online at any PC vs Mac comparison, you’ll often see there aren’t many discrepancies between the two.
That’s not my argument.
What I’m saying is, if you’ve got a Mac, the amount of software you can choose that runs natively on a Mac is very, very limited. Therefore, a lot of Mac users are automatically discounting using a whole raft of more valuable and effective software products – software that could be much more efficient for their business – simply because it doesn’t run on a Mac.
As a result, they’re restricting their choices, and they’re not doing the right thing for their business.
Surely, the core software product you use to run your business must be the one that runs your business best?
Stand by for another analogy.
Who remembers the days when some people had a four-star leaded pump in their garden? (I don’t, I’m far too young (!), but I’ve heard stories.)
If they still had that four-star leaded pump in their garden and therefore made the decision they’d only buy cars that run on four-star unleaded, they’d now be up a certain creek without a paddle.
In terms of the Legal sector, it’s like hiring George Clooney to be your divorce lawyer just because you’re a big fan of George Clooney, and he played a divorce lawyer in your favourite George Clooney movie.
If a client walked into your office and said they no longer require your services because they want to be represented by George Clooney instead, you’d probably advise them to give more thought to their decision.
If you’re a Mac user who’s not considering other, better software just because it doesn’t run on a Mac, I’d advise you to give more thought to your decision too. After all, there are ways you can use Windows-based software on a Mac’s operating system: virtual machines, parallels, hosted desktop… now you may think none of these options are ideal, but they make a lot more sense than limiting yourself.
Or let’s put it another way…