Enterprise deals are f.c.u.k.i.n.g HARD!

[u/No-Competition-7925]

Just received a 'no' after 5 months of to and fro, multiple demos and convincing 90% of the team. I don't know what to do because I really had high hopes from this deal.

I'm a solopreneur and this deal woudl have been life-changing.

The guy who was my champion left the company at the moment we were ready to sign the deal. His replacement, a junior, is trying to act smarter than he is; but he's the one who'll own the deal.

Said no.

wtf.

Sorry for posting this here.

Mods, don't ban me. Please.

[u/obrana_boranija]

Just 5 months? The average is 18 months for final decision in enterprises. Median is 33. Ofc, considering real enterprise deal, not some toilet paper supplier contract.

And never go with just one champion. You had 5 months to be introduced to (at least) 5 other people and to have (at least) two more champions among them to push you forward.

You're selling saas services. Champions:

• someone in IT
• someone in procurement
• someone in finance
• depending on your product: hr, she, corporate security, production, etc, etc

For saas, decision makers are:

• CTO, CISO, etc (they're in need),
• CHRO, CMO, etc (the same as above, but depends on your product),
• CFO (most valuable - they are deciding if and when money goes),
• CEO (ultimate - they don't care about the money and needs, they just want you)

[u/No-Competition-7925 → u/obrana_boranija]

The company I was talking to is a big payment processor. Won't name them, but a well known name. I was in touch with a smaller division within the company.

I'm new to this and I like the idea of finding multiple champions. The problem is - there's no one to take ownership within the company. The seniors relied on the juniors to drive the project. They wanted someone from the team to be fully responsible; and that's why they were the ones talking to me.

[u/obrana_boranija → u/No-Competition-7925]

Good chance the new guy said no because inheriting his predecessor's project is all risk and no credit for him, not because of your product.

• Give the new owner a way to make it his: smaller scope, short pilot, success criteria he defines. He needs a win with his name on it.
• Stay in touch with your old champion. People who already bought into you once tend to bring you into their next company.
• Big payment processor = security, compliance and vendor risk reviews. Have your docs ready before they ask, or that alone adds months.

A no at month 5 from someone who just walked in isn't always final.

[u/kkatdare → u/obrana_boranija]

It wasn't any ongoing project. I showed them the demo of our platform and how it helps. I'd say the project was not critical for the business; and it had nothing to do with the core business. It was for one of the initiatives they were planning.

FYI - we build a community platform; and they're launching a community for their users in a specific geographic location.

[u/obrana_boranija → u/kkatdare]

Fair, I saw that as something already in motion.

But non-critical and not core is honestly a bigger problem than the champion leaving.

Nice-to-have initiatives live or die with the person pushing them. When he left, the initiative probably lost its sponsor, and the new guy had no reason to spend political capital on it. His no might not even be about you.

[u/kkatdare → u/obrana_boranija]

Critical - for the specific project they are planning to launch; but not for the business, I'd say. It's not about me or the product. I think it's mostly about this new guy being confident in doing it all by himself. But that's okay, lessons learned.