“Our HR suite already has a module for that”

Chief People Officer · HR and payroll software

A Chief People Officer whose HR suite already includes a module is asking a fair question: why pay for something they already have? Don't attack the module. Price the gap instead: ask what people do outside the system because the module falls short, and how much time that takes.

What the buyer says

Our HR suite already has a module for that. It's not great, but it's included.

How to handle it

Listen

Note "it's not great, but it's included". The buyer has already told you the module falls short. The objection is about cost and effort, not capability.

Acknowledge

Agree that using what's already paid for is sensible, and that nobody wants another contract or another system for employees to learn.

Explore

Ask what "not great" means in practice: what managers and employees do outside the system, which spreadsheets and workarounds have grown up around it, and who spends time on them. Ask what they'd want the module to do that it doesn't.

Respond

If the gap is real, size it in their terms (time, workarounds and employee experience) and position your product against it. If the module covers their needs well enough, say so, and ask what would change that.

Say this
“That's a fair question. Nobody wants to pay twice for the same thing.”

Say this
“You said it's not great. What do people end up doing outside the system?”

Say this
“How much time goes into the workarounds, and whose time is it?”

Variations

HR Director: “Our HR platform does that already. It's just not very good.”
Procurement Manager: “We're consolidating onto one HR suite, not adding tools.”

Questions people ask

How do you respond when a buyer says their HR suite already has a module for what you sell?

Don't criticise the module. Ask what people do outside the system because it falls short, and how much time those workarounds take. Size that gap in their terms and position your product against it.

How do you compete with a module that's included in an HR suite?

Compete on the gap, not the feature list. Find what the included module can't do for this buyer, what that costs them in time and workarounds, and whether closing it is worth a separate product.