This is a forum for anyone to share a deal that’s stalling and need advice on! Feel free to anonymise the customer. I’ll be monitoring and giving my 2 cents on how to get the deal moving again!
sfdc
Deal desk
3
Type up your challenging deal in the comments! Also, If you have advice for someone feel free to jump in!
Right now have a deal at a weird mid-point, they want to complete our ROI analysis. The issue is that the CFO is the point person for that, and she has been completely disengaged from the beginning, and her staff aren't much better. I can definitely tell who the difficult department is to work with at this company.
It's like pulling teeth to get the data we need from them, and I'm close to the point of saying we can't get this done if they don't commit to getting the data. Trying to figure out other ways around this and/or the best way to get that message across without turning someone who was already going to be a challenge into someone against the deal outright.
It's like pulling teeth to get the data we need from them, and I'm close to the point of saying we can't get this done if they don't commit to getting the data. Trying to figure out other ways around this and/or the best way to get that message across without turning someone who was already going to be a challenge into someone against the deal outright.
Hey, thanks for sharing! who is your main contact for this deal? Is it the CFO or are they just completing the ROI piece in this process?
My thoughts are, and this might be a cliche response: Whatever the solution you’re selling, be sure to clearly re-articulate the value of the product/service in their language. If you’re on a true challenge for them and it ties to what they’re accountable for delivering in their role and for the business, you should see some urgency from them to get this done.
Gut feel is you might need to re-assess if you are truely selling on an immediate pain point, and if you believe you are, re-articulate the value and explain that if you’re to support them to solve that problem, we’ll need to get moving on the ROI analysis.
My thoughts are, and this might be a cliche response: Whatever the solution you’re selling, be sure to clearly re-articulate the value of the product/service in their language. If you’re on a true challenge for them and it ties to what they’re accountable for delivering in their role and for the business, you should see some urgency from them to get this done.
Gut feel is you might need to re-assess if you are truely selling on an immediate pain point, and if you believe you are, re-articulate the value and explain that if you’re to support them to solve that problem, we’ll need to get moving on the ROI analysis.
Great points.
Right now my main point of contact is another C-level executive though I've met with all the main C's at the company. It's a pain point for a large chunk of the company but not the CFO or the finance people, they just view it as an line item which the ROI should help frame up for them.
I think I'll give the finance people a few more tries before going to the other points of contact and asking if the ROI analysis is necessary before moving forward. If the answer is yes then I maybe use that as a lever on the CFO, if the answer is no then I don't have to deal with them more.
Right now my main point of contact is another C-level executive though I've met with all the main C's at the company. It's a pain point for a large chunk of the company but not the CFO or the finance people, they just view it as an line item which the ROI should help frame up for them.
I think I'll give the finance people a few more tries before going to the other points of contact and asking if the ROI analysis is necessary before moving forward. If the answer is yes then I maybe use that as a lever on the CFO, if the answer is no then I don't have to deal with them more.
Great idea - also, sounds like you have some influence with some of the other c’s. Given they’d be peers of the CFO, maybe ask your key decision maker to push finance a little harder. They’d have more influence than you would and it’d take it off your plate.
Either way I like your thinking also. Confirm it’s even a necessary step as maybe they see enough value! Also, try putting together a quick scrappy crude cost analysis yourself and shoot that through as it might suffice.
Either way I like your thinking also. Confirm it’s even a necessary step as maybe they see enough value! Also, try putting together a quick scrappy crude cost analysis yourself and shoot that through as it might suffice.
looking forward to using the deal desk
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