By nature, PreSales leaders are problem solvers, trained to creatively solution using existing resources or technologies designed for other teams. Even when Technical Sales leaders own their own budgets, headcount or tooling decisions often require the buy-in of other stakeholders.
Whether you own a budget or are fighting for every dollar, how do you decide what investments to prioritize? What challenges deserve a dedicated solution vs. being addressed with existing resources and creativity? Where multiple stakeholders are involved, how do you gain approval?
This blog provides a framework for building a business value case for PreSales: how to understand where to intervene, and how to persuasively ask for what you need and advocate for your team when it matters.
You can make a copy of this customizable value case presentation: https://bit.ly/value-case-template.
Securing Buy-In
Treat the internal stakeholders who will approve your request as your “buyers,” and build a value case for them in the same way that you would have your team do for customers. Regardless of how you structure your case, it should follow 2 fundamental principles:
1. Anchor your argument on C-Suite priorities:
- Connect the dots between your desired PreSales outcomes, and what that means for their own top focus areas
2. Make your case with data (PreSales Impact Data and Industry Stats)
- Research you can point to:
6 Steps to Build Your Business Case
1. Executive Summary: State Your Problem
Create a problem statement connecting PreSales challenges to company goals (i.e. revenue growth targets). State your proposed solution (how helping PreSales do X will result in Y for the business).
2. Map to What Matters
Outline CRO priorities (what matters to decision-makers). Coincidentally, these will be outcomes influenced by the PreSales investments you are suggesting.
3. Set the Stage: PreSales Current State Dashboard
Compile a dashboard of key metrics of your SE org performance, utilization, and impact on deal size and win rates. To understand why to invest in PreSales, your CRO/CFO need to explicitly connect the dots between SE efforts (separate from AE efforts) and company outcomes.
These metrics will tell the story of your needs:
4. Demonstrate the Size (Cost) of the Problem
Show your CRO why they should care (i.e., how many dollars are left on the table because PreSales is not being properly leveraged or resourced).
Here’s a sample Revenue Gap Calculator created by our Value Consultant (please make a copy): http://bit.ly/attach-rate-calculator
5. Identify an Intervention Point
Zoom into 2-3 internal causes for this revenue gap (i.e. levers that if manipulated, will close the gap) See the examples below, or in this Guide to PreSales Metrics.
Tie those intervention points back to strategic corporate objectives to show the current state reality and future state impact.
6. Make Your Ask and Establish Accountability
Conclude with a summary of the desired investment, proposed revenue impact, and proof points. Outline the stages of change management required and the affected stakeholders.
Conclusion
Investments in PreSales are hard-won but often have a broad business impact, beyond just your SE org. Advancements in PreSales technology can help establish the operational basis to scale your team’s impact and give you the data to prove it.
For a detailed guide to this software market and how it fits into the overall RevTech space, see this comprehensive Market Guide.
Victoria Myers ·
August 20, 2024 
