It's Not Just About Great Tech
When AI solutions are built, it's easy to get caught up in the exciting tech, the smart algorithms and cool features. But often, the biggest hurdle to getting AI used isn't the technology itself - it's helping clients make a clear financial case to their own teams.
In B2B finance departments want to see a solid return on investment, and they usually focus on "hard cost" savings like cutting an existing expense or reducing spending on outside help-over more general "soft cost" benefits. If you can't help clients explain this well, even the best AI can get stuck.
Understanding How Clients See Costs
Guiding clients effectively requires clarity on how their finance teams view these costs:
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Hard Costs/Savings: These are the real, measurable impacts on a client's budget. Think direct cuts in what they're already spending or avoiding new expenses altogether.
- If an AI solution can replace an old software, cut their need for specific outside services, reduce waste (like costs from mistakes), or help them avoid hiring new people for tasks AI can do, these are the "hard savings" finance teams want to see.
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Soft Costs/Savings: These benefits are often very valuable but can be harder to put an exact dollar figure on, at least at first. They usually involve things like teams working faster, being more productive, improving quality, or making employees and clients happier.
- An AI solution might save a client's team a lot of time, make their work life better, or help them make smarter choices. The trick is to help them turn these good things into numbers that finance teams understand.
Focus on Hard Costs
Finance teams usually prioritize hard costs because they are:
- Easy to Measure: Hard costs and savings can be clearly tracked in budgets.
- Directly Impactful: The connection between the AI investment and a financial saving is clear.
- Easy to Justify: It's simpler to back an investment when its success is tied to real financial numbers.
It's important for you to get this. If only general benefits are highlighted, it makes it harder for clients to get approval. You need to help them show how an AI solution leads to actual financial wins.
Helping Clients Build Their ROI Case
Your job isn't just to deliver good AI - it's also to help clients (and your own teams) make a strong case for its value. Here's a straightforward way to do that:
1. Start with Clear "Hard Cost" Wins
- Show Direct Replacements: If an AI solution can replace an expensive tool they're already using, help them calculate that saving down to the dollar.
- Measure Savings from Fewer Mistakes: If an AI solution reduces costly errors, work with them to figure out how much those mistakes used to cost.
- Talk About Smarter Staffing: This can be a sensitive point, but it's powerful. If AI helps a team do more without new hires, or lets them move people to more important work, that's a big saving. Help them explain this as an efficiency and capacity boost.
2. Turn "Soft Savings" into Real Numbers
This is where you can really help clients connect the dots between general improvements and financial impact:
- From "Time Saved" to "Value Created": An employee saving 10 hours a week is a soft benefit. But if that saved time means more deals get closed, or clients stick around longer, help them estimate that financial gain.
- From "Faster Work" to "Getting Ahead" or "Saving Money": If an AI solution helps them onboard clients faster or solve problems quicker, how does that affect their income, client loyalty, or standing in the market? Faster problem-solving might also mean lower support costs.
3. Work with the Client Champion
The main contact inside the client's company is the best partner in this. Work closely with them:
- They know their company's financial language and what matters most.
- They can help pinpoint which savings arguments will be most convincing internally.
- Build the ROI story together, making sure it fits how they talk about things in their company.
Working closely with the buyer or client champion to think through these points is always a good idea.
Conclusion
Helping clients explain AI's cost benefits isn't just a sales trick. It's about making sure clients get real, provable value from AI solutions. When you help clients clearly show both hard and soft savings, your company becomes more than just a supplier; it becomes a partner in success.