Back in the mid-80s, when I first started in IT industry, there was a popular phrase…
“No one ever got fired for buying IBM.”
IBM sold big. They pitched the board, made the case at the executive level, closed the deal… and everything else was expected to fall into place. The implementation, the usage, the results — all just assumed to happen.
But here’s what actually happened in many instances – some breathtaking in the amount of money and time wasted.
The software got bought. The hardware got installed. And then… it just sat there.
Underutilized. Ignored. Sometimes outright hated.
Why? Because the people who were supposed to use it — the ones whose workflows were meant to change — weren’t brought into the picture. At all.
Fast forward a few decades, and the pattern still repeats itself.
A colleague sells a SaaS product that cuts certain tasks in half — we’re talking 50-60% time savings. His pitch is strong, ROI is clear, and the product does what it promises.
The business side says yes. The contract gets signed. Everyone celebrates.
Three months later?
The subscription is cancelled.
Why? Because nobody is using the damn thing.
And it’s not because the tool doesn’t work. It’s because no one wanted to change how they were already working. They didn’t buy in. They didn’t see the value. And worst of all — they weren’t involved in the decision.
This is where a lot of SaaS companies go wrong — especially in enterprise sales.
They sell to the economic buyer and stop there.
But here’s the deal:
Selling to the business is only half the job.
To get real, sticky adoption — the kind that delivers ROI and renewals — you need a 3-pronged strategy:
- Economic Buyer – the person with the budget and authority. You need a clear business case: time saved, money saved, risk reduced.
- Technical Team – these are the people responsible for implementation. If your solution creates friction or feels like extra work for them, they’ll quietly resist it.
- End Users – this is where make-or-break happens. If they don’t see how it improves their day, they’ll default to old habits. They’ll quietly kill the project by ignoring it.
If you miss any of these, your “closed-won” deal becomes a churned customer within a quarter. That’s not just a lost deal — it’s wasted time, blown CAC, and a hit to your credibility.
So what can you do?
✅ Get buy-in from users early. Don’t wait until post-sale training.
✅ Loop in technical teams before they feel dumped-on.
✅ Position your value not just to the business — but to every person involved – both logically and emotionally.
It takes more effort up front, yes. But what’s the alternative? Constant churn? Low adoption? Angry execs wondering why your “value-adding solution” was shelved?
Sales isn’t just about signing the deal. It’s about delivering the result.
And if you need help diagnosing or structuring your deal strategy to avoid the landmines, I’ve been through it — more than once.
Drop me a message. Let’s talk before your next “win” quietly walks out the door.
