“We could build it ourselves”
VP, Delivery Operations · Resource management
A VP of Delivery Operations whose engineers already run AI agents internally believes they could build this themselves, and they may well be able to. Respect the build option, then cost it: ask who maintains it in its second year, and what that team would have shipped instead.
Practise it before the real call
Free to start. No credit card.
What the buyer says
Why can't we just build this ourselves? Our engineers already have AI agents running internally.
How to handle it
Listen
Hear "our engineers already have AI agents running". It's a statement of capability, and of pride in what the team has built.
Acknowledge
Agree that their engineers could build a version of this, and that building gives them full control.
Explore
Ask who would maintain it once it's built: data connections, skills taxonomies, permissions, changes when systems are upgraded. Ask what that team would otherwise be shipping for clients, and how long the first useful version would take.
Respond
Compare the full cost of building and maintaining with buying, including the time before the first version is useful. Be honest about where building makes sense, and where your product saves them years of work.
Say this
“That's true. Your engineers could build a version of this.”
Say this
“Who would maintain it in its second year?”
Say this
“What would that team have shipped for clients instead?”
Variations
- CTO: “We've got the data and the AI skills. Why would we buy?”
- Head of Innovation: “Our internal tools team can knock this up in a quarter.”
Questions people ask
How do you respond when a buyer says they could build resource management software themselves?
Agree that they could. Then ask who would maintain it after the first year, how long the first useful version would take and what the team would otherwise build. Compare the full cost of building and maintaining with buying.
Should a firm build its own resourcing tool?
Sometimes. Building gives full control, but the ongoing cost of maintenance, data connections and changes is often underestimated. It's worth comparing the full cost over several years, not just the first build.
More objections in Resource management
- “Our partners will never give up control”
- “Show me the payback in our numbers”
- “Our people won't want an algorithm deciding”
- “I already know who to staff”
Practise it before the real call
Free to start. No credit card.