How to convince cfos to fund ai pilots with an roi model procurement teams accept

Migrating a legacy ERP to the cloud is one of those projects that sounds exciting on a slide deck and terrifying in the boardroom. I’ve led and advised on several ERP migrations, and the single objective that guides me every time is simple: move to the cloud without disrupting revenue or customer delivery. That goal forces a pragmatic, customer-first approach—because if your invoices stop going out, or shipments miss their windows, everyone...

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When I first started exploring how programmable money and stablecoins could change cross-border B2B payments, I was driven by a simple frustration: why does sending an invoice to a supplier on the other side of the world still take days, carry unpredictable FX costs and sometimes feel like a game of telephone between banks? Over the last few years I’ve piloted solutions with finance teams, vendors and fintech partners, and I can say...

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When I first started building outbound programs for enterprise accounts, I relied on a mix of gut, historical sales data, and the occasional tip from a trusted SDR. That approach worked—sometimes. But it was slow, inefficient, and left too many opportunities to chance. Realtime intent data changed that for me. It gave my team the ability to see which accounts were actively researching our category, prioritize outreach to those accounts, and...

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When I first started exploring token-based loyalty programs for B2B clients, I approached it with a healthy dose of skepticism. Tokens can sound gimmicky—especially when consumers have been inundated with points and digital badges—but the reality is different in a B2B context. If designed around clear economic incentives, contract alignment, and operational simplicity, tokens can become a powerful lever to get buyers to commit to annual...

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Negotiating service-level agreements (SLAs) with enterprise clients is one of those high-stakes conversations that can determine whether a customer stays for years or churns within months. Over time, I’ve learned that the best SLAs are not legalistic traps or one-sided guarantees — they are living commitments that align expectations, reduce friction, and create a framework for continuous improvement. Below I share practical approaches I use...

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I started experimenting with OpenAI tools inside my teams because I kept hearing the same refrain: “AI can transform sales and product work, but how do we actually do it without blowing up current operations?” After several pilots—some messy, some surprisingly smooth—I’ve settled on a practical approach that balances rapid learning with operational stability. Below I share the playbook I now use to pilot OpenAI tools across sales and...

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When I talk to growth leaders and sales managers, one question comes up more than any other: which KPIs actually predict pipeline health? Too often teams focus on vanity metrics—website visits, meetings booked, glossy dashboards—that feel good but don’t move the needle on closed revenue. Over the years I’ve learned that a handful of well-chosen indicators, monitored and acted upon, can compress a sales cycle dramatically. In some cases...

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When I first started looking into tokenized invoices on Ethereum as a potential fix for slow cross-border payments in B2B, I was cautiously optimistic. The idea is elegant: turn an invoice — a promise to pay — into a token that can be transferred, financed, and settled on-chain. In theory, this should speed up the movement of value across borders, reduce friction, and open new liquidity channels for suppliers and buyers. In practice,...

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When I first started helping companies build B2B partnerships aimed at enterprise pilots, I quickly realized that speed isn’t accidental — it’s engineered. Getting an enterprise pilot approved in 90 days requires not just a good product but a repeatable playbook that removes uncertainty for the customer and provides clear lines of accountability internally. Over time I distilled a framework that combines dealcraft, stakeholder psychology,...

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When I first started experimenting with account-based marketing (ABM), I relied heavily on third-party signals and broad intent data. It helped me get starts, but the experience felt impersonal and often missed the mark—especially when privacy regulations tightened and cookie-based targeting became less reliable. That's when I leaned into zero-party data as the cornerstone for hyper-personalizing account-based experiences without stepping over...

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