Fixing the Tech Bloat Problem Without Making Enemies

Every RevOps leader knows this story:

You walk into a quarterly planning meeting, and someone proudly announces they just bought another “must-have” platform. It solves one team’s niche problem but duplicates 70% of what you already own.

Congratulations — you’ve inherited another subscription, another integration, and another set of dashboards that won’t talk to each other.

Tech bloat doesn’t happen because people are malicious. It happens because everyone’s trying to solve their own problem, and few people are thinking about the whole system.

Let’s fix that.

Step 1: Quantify the waste. Put a price tag on shelfware.

Nothing gets leadership’s attention like wasted money.

Start by doing a full tech stack audit — not just the licenses, but actual usage.

Calculate how many tools are:

• Unimplemented: projects that stalled before launch.
  
  
• Underused: tools with less than 20% active users.
  
  
• Redundant: tools that duplicate existing functionality.
  
  

Then, assign dollar values to each. That’s your “shelfware burn rate.”

When you show that number to leadership, suddenly you’re not the blocker—you’re the person saving the company six figures a year. That argument gets you a seat at the table next time someone wants to “test” a shiny new tool.

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Step 2: Make friends with finance.

If your CRO doesn’t listen, find someone who will.

Finance teams love RevOps leaders who think like them—especially when you can quantify operational waste.

Once the CFO sees how much cash is evaporating through redundant tools and underused licenses, they’ll back you up on tightening procurement policies.

This partnership does two things:

1. It gives RevOps visibility into new contracts before they’re signed. Your CFO is probably stuck approving spend — and they’ll happily flag a tool and force the buyer to involve you before the contract is approved.
2. It shifts your narrative from “process cop” to “strategic steward of company spend.”

In short: let Finance be your muscle.

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Step 3: Prioritize what matters.

Not every tool request deserves a “yes,” even if it comes from a VP.

Tie every request to company-level objectives and back it up with data.

If a proposal solves one team’s short-term pain but distracts from a project that benefits multiple functions — or impacts the customer experience — it’s a “not now.”

Frame priorities in outcomes, not opinions.

Example:
Sales wants another research tool, but it would delay the analytics-automation project by two months — impacting both Marketing’s campaign reporting and Sales’ forecasting accuracy.

If Sales already has a working solution and the competing project solves a broader, more urgent problem, the call is easy. The redundant research tool gets a “not right now.”

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Step 4: Learn how to say no the right way.

Good RevOps isn’t just about data — it’s about persuasion.

When you need to push back on a purchase, use Aristotle’s framework for a compelling argument:

• Ethos (credibility): You’re the operational expert responsible for efficiency and data integrity. Build this credibility intentionally and own mistakes quickly when they happen. Your reputation will make future “no’s” easier to land.
  
  
• Pathos (emotion): Understand what the requester cares about most. That sales leader pushing for an outbound tool is probably under pressure to hit pipeline targets — their real fear is missing goals and risking jobs.
  
  
• Logos (logic): Bring evidence. Conversion rates, reply rates, and outbound volume data strengthen your case.
  
  
• Kairos (timing): Speak up when the decision actually matters. If desperation ramps as the quarter ends with little pipeline to show, offer an alternative early so they can fix the issue before the next exec review.
  
  

Example:
Your VP of Sales wants a high-volume outbound tool to “scale” prospecting.
You know deliverability is already poor, messaging isn’t converting, and your domain health is in the danger zone.

Try this:

“I get why we want to move faster, but adding more volume won’t fix the issue. Right now, we’re burning through good accounts and damaging deliverability. Instead, let’s refine our ICP, test AI-assisted research to improve targeting, and revisit a sending platform once we’ve proven messaging works. We’ll get better outcomes with fewer sends — and protect our domain reputation.”

That’s not no — it’s a smarter yes.

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The Fix for Tech Bloat Isn’t a Spreadsheet—It’s Influence

Cleaning up a bloated tech stack isn’t about deleting logins.

It’s about building credibility, aligning incentives, and framing decisions through data and empathy.

When RevOps earns the trust to say “this tool doesn’t fit,” the stack gets leaner, the data gets cleaner, and the company actually moves faster.

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