Three or four options across the criteria that matter, with a pick for each kind of need.
A comparison chart is done when it ends the argument. The example lines up four booking systems for a climbing gym, says which one to buy, and when a different one would be right. All four vendors are invented, so take the structure and put in your own quotes and tests.
Who it's for
Consultants, office managers and anyone asked to "look into the options" for the people who will choose: owners, partners, a committee. Send it once you've collected quotes and done your testing, a few days before they have to decide.
It works for three or four options. With two, a paragraph does the job. With eight, cut the list down first and say which ones you dropped. If the buyer runs a formal procurement, their scoring sheet still has to be filled in.
What a good one contains
- The answer first. "My pick is Belay Desk" sits in the opening paragraph. Readers who trust you can stop there.
- A verdict per option. Each column header says who that option suits. One is marked "No case for it," which saves the group from discussing it.
- Cost on the reader's numbers. The sample runs every quote on 1,400 members and $60,000 a month in card payments, and the system with the lowest monthly fee comes out second.
- Only rows that could change the decision. Twelve rows in four groups. Door scanners are left out because all four handle them alike, and one line says so.
- Best-in-row marks, used sparingly. A red dot marks the best value in a row. Rows where three options tie get no dot.
- What would change the answer. A strip shows which system is cheapest at each level of card income, with the gym's own $60,000 marked on it.
- Where the numbers came from. Quote dates, the sum for one option written out, and how the checkout times were measured.
- A date to choose by. "Tell me your pick by Friday, December 4," followed by how long the two front-runners would take to move the members over.
On a small screen
Four columns don't fit on a phone, and a table that scrolls sideways hides the comparison. The sample shows one option at a time, with buttons to switch while the criteria stay put. Ask for that in your prompt, then open the link on your own phone.
Keep cells short enough to compare at a glance: "2 years", "Monthly", "55 s". If a cell needs a sentence, the row is probably two rows. And test the sums. Whoever disagrees with your pick will check the year-one totals first.
How to send it
With a password. It holds vendors' written quotes and your client's own sales figures. The people choosing can pass the link and the password to a partner or their accountant.
Every page you publish gets one link that opens in any browser. You choose who can open it: anyone with the link, anyone with the password, or only the people and company domains you name, who sign in with Google or Microsoft. Change the page later and the link stays the same.
