“Our month-end close works”
Financial Controller · ERP and finance software
A Financial Controller who says month-end close is painful but works is proud of a team that delivers every month, whatever it takes. Don't call the process broken. Ask what it costs the team: how many days close takes, and what the team gives up to get it done.
Practise it before the real call
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What the buyer says
Our month-end close works. It's painful, but it works.
How to handle it
Listen
Hear both halves: "it's painful" and "it works". The team is coping, and the cost is being paid in effort.
Acknowledge
Recognise that delivering close every month is an achievement, and that changing a process that works carries risk.
Explore
Ask how many days close takes, which steps take longest, how much is manual reconciliation, and what happens at quarter end and year end. Ask what the team would do with the time if close were shorter.
Respond
Position your product around the slowest, most manual steps they named, and around giving the team time back. Suggest starting with one part of the close, not the whole process.
Say this
“Delivering close every month is a real achievement.”
Say this
“How many days does close take, and which steps take longest?”
Say this
“What does the team give up to get it done?”
Variations
- Head of Financial Reporting: “Our close is manual, but it's accurate. That's what matters.”
- Finance Manager: “The team knows the process. It's not broken.”
Questions people ask
How do you respond when a controller says their month-end close works?
Recognise the achievement first. Ask how many days close takes, which steps are slowest and what the team gives up, then position your product around those steps, starting with one part of the close.
Why do finance teams resist changing the close process?
Because the close has to be right every month, and a process that works, however painful, feels safer than a change. Starting with one step reduces that risk.
More objections in ERP and finance software
- “Audit will never sign off a change”
- “We've only just upgraded our ERP”
- “Our systems integrator will say no”
- “We can't risk disrupting operations”
Practise it before the real call
Free to start. No credit card.