“We already pay for tools nobody uses”

CFO · CRM and sales software

A CFO who already pays for sales tools nobody uses has seen money wasted, and is right to be wary of adding more. Don't argue that your tool is different. Ask what actually gets used: which tools reps open every day, which they've stopped opening, and why.

What the buyer says

We already pay for sales tools nobody uses. Why would I buy another one?

How to handle it

Listen

Hear "nobody uses". The CFO has evidence of past waste, and the worry is adoption, not price.

Acknowledge

Agree that paying for software nobody uses is waste, and that it's fair to ask why another tool would be different.

Explore

Ask which sales tools are used every day and which have been abandoned. Ask why the abandoned ones failed: too much effort, no clear owner, no reason for reps to use them. Ask how they'd measure whether a new tool was being used.

Respond

Answer the reasons they gave, specifically. Offer to agree usage measures before anything is signed, and suggest a start that proves use before it grows, such as one team or one quarter.

Say this
“That's a fair challenge. Paying for software nobody uses is wasted money.”

Say this
“Which tools do your reps actually open every day?”

Say this
“Why did the others stop being used, and how would you want to measure it this time?”

Variations

Finance Director: “Our sales tech spend keeps going up and the numbers don't.”
Procurement Manager: “We're cutting software licences this year, not adding them.”

Questions people ask

How do you respond when a CFO says they already pay for tools nobody uses?

Agree that unused software is waste. Ask which tools are used every day, why others were abandoned and how they'd measure use, then answer those reasons and offer usage measures and a small start that proves use before it grows.

How do you reduce the risk of sales software going unused?

Agree how use will be measured before buying, start with one team that has a clear reason to use it, and make sure it saves reps time or gives them something they value.