“People still make decisions in spreadsheets”
CFO · Data and analytics
A CFO who has spent heavily on dashboards and still sees decisions made in spreadsheets doubts that another tool will change behaviour, and that's a fair doubt. Don't promise that this one will. Ask which decision matters most: which decision they wish was made with better data, and who makes it.
Practise it before the real call
Free to start. No credit card.
What the buyer says
We've spent a fortune on dashboards, and people still make decisions in spreadsheets.
How to handle it
Listen
Hear "spent a fortune" and "still". The CFO is frustrated by the gap between investment and behaviour, and wary of repeating it.
Acknowledge
Agree that dashboards don't change decisions on their own, and that more spending on tools isn't the answer by itself.
Explore
Ask which decision they most wish was made with better data: pricing, stock, hiring, investment. Ask who makes it, what they look at today, and why they reach for a spreadsheet instead of the dashboards.
Respond
Focus on that one decision and the person who makes it. Show how your product would fit their way of working, and agree how you'd tell whether the decision got better.
Say this
“That's a fair challenge. Dashboards don't change decisions on their own.”
Say this
“Which decision do you most wish was made with better data?”
Say this
“Who makes it, and why do they reach for a spreadsheet?”
Variations
- Finance Director: “We've got hundreds of dashboards. Nobody looks at them.”
- CEO: “Every data project promises insight. I just want better decisions.”
Questions people ask
How do you respond when a CFO says people still use spreadsheets despite their dashboards?
Agree that dashboards alone don't change behaviour. Ask which decision they most want improved, who makes it and why that person uses a spreadsheet, then focus your product on that decision and agree how to measure the change.
Why do people still use spreadsheets when they have BI tools?
Common reasons are flexibility, speed, trust in their own numbers and dashboards that don't answer the exact question they have. Understanding which applies helps decide what would actually change behaviour.
More objections in Data and analytics
- “Moving would mean rebuilding everything”
- “Our budget is going on AI, not analytics”
- “We've just standardised on one BI platform”
- “Data projects never change anything”
Practise it before the real call
Free to start. No credit card.