Frequently asked questions
FOMO-driven IT procurement, evaluating vendor demos, and how the tools work.
What is FOMO-driven IT procurement?
FOMO-driven (or envy-driven) IT procurement is buying software because competitors or peers appear to have it, or because a demo was impressive — rather than because of a documented, quantified problem. It usually starts with a slick vendor demo and the fear of falling behind, and it leads to overlapping tools and wasted budget.
How do I evaluate a vendor demo objectively?
Separate the demo from the decision. Before the demo, write down the specific problem and the metric it should move; check whether a tool you already own covers most of it; and ignore peer-logo and “your competitors already use this” framing. The Anti-FOMO Decision Framework turns these checks into a Proceed / Pilot / Park verdict.
What questions should I ask a vendor's sales engineer?
Ask what is generally available versus on the roadmap, how pricing actually scales (per seat, per data volume, or per connector), what the product overlaps with in your existing stack, and what specific problem it solves that your current tools can't. Pasting a pitch into the Pitch Translator generates these questions automatically.
How do I know if I actually need a new IT tool?
You probably need it if you can name a documented problem with a baseline, the metric it will move, why existing tools don't cover it, and who will own adoption. If the main driver is a demo or a competitor's announcement, it's probably FOMO. The FOMO Self-Assessment scores exactly this.
Are the FOMO tools free?
Yes. Vendor Demo Bingo, the Fake Pitch Generator, the FOMO Self-Assessment, and the Anti-FOMO Decision Framework run entirely in your browser at no cost. The AI Pitch Translator is also free to use; it is rate-limited and cost-capped on the server side.
Does the Pitch Translator store my data?
No. The text you paste is sent to an AI provider only to produce the translation and is not stored by FOMO. It is the only tool that talks to a server — the other four never leave your browser. Even so, don't paste anything confidential.