BUDGET
We don’t have budget
Totally fair — how are you deciding what does get budgeted this quarter, and what would have to be true for this to make that list?
Validate + uncover if it’s “no budget” vs “not a priority
I’m not the decision maker
You're actually the exact person we want to speak with and who else should be involved if it’s worth exploring?
Not a priority right now.
Fair — what’s taking priority, and what would have to change for this to move up the list?
Send me some information
Happy to - what would you like to see to make it valuable to you?
I'm not interested
I get it - if its not asking too much, is my timing off or is it not a priority?
Budget is frozen until we see Q results
Makes sense — what’s driving the freeze, and if you could remove one cost or risk in the meantime, what would you tackle first?
My boss owns this
Understood — what does your boss care most about here: cost, speed, risk, or employee impact, and what would they need to see to take a meeting?
Call me next quarter
Happy to — what’s happening next quarter that isn’t true today, and what should we validate now so that call is actually useful?
We already have a vendor
Totally — what do you like most about them, and if you could improve one thing without switching, what would it be?
We're all set
That's OK - sounds like you are happy with what you have
We spent our budget on another initiative.
Got it — what outcome is that initiative expected to deliver, and what’s the cost if it under-delivers on timeline or adoption?
We have a committee
Makes sense — who’s on the committee and what does ‘yes’ look like for each of them, and where do deals usually get stuck?
We’re too slammed
I hear you — is the ‘slammed’ part more staffing, scheduling, payroll fire drills, or reporting, and which one would you eliminate first if you could?
We’re happy with our current provider
Good to hear — what does ‘happy’ mean in practice: fewer errors, better adoption, faster cycle times, and where do you still do manual work around it?
I understand - seems like you might not be interested?
This isn’t in the financial plan
Completely reasonable — when you do approve unplanned investments, what’s usually the trigger: risk, compliance, revenue, or productivity… and which of those is most urgent right now?
I don’t sponsor vendor changes
Totally — when a change does get sponsored, what usually forces it: operational breakdowns, compliance exposure, attrition, or a big growth shift… and are any of those showing up for you?
We’re in the middle of a major transformation
That tracks — what’s the one thing your transformation can’t afford to break: cost control, compliance, customer delivery, or retention, and where are you most exposed today?
Switching costs are too high
Makes sense — what’s the biggest switching cost: change management, integrations, training, or downtime, and what’s the cost of staying put if the current issues persist?
We use an ERP
I understand - I hear the financial side is great but what is your experience on the HR side?
Any new spend needs CFO approval, and we’re not adding tools this year
Completely fair — when you do approve exceptions, is it usually to reduce risk, protect revenue, improve productivity, or ensure compliance… and which of those is most urgent for you right now?
IT hates switching systems
That makes total sense — what usually makes the decision easier: reducing operational disruption, lowering risk, improving employee experience, or proving ROI?
We’re locked into a 2-year agreement
Totally understand — between now and renewal, what do you most want to measure so you’re not guessing at renewal time: adoption, errors, compliance exposure, labor efficiency… and where is the current vendor still creating manual work?
Your price is higher than competitors
Fair — which ROI bucket do you trust most: labor productivity, error reduction, compliance risk, or turnover… and what’s your current baseline for that today?
We do that in house
That's OK - sounds like you're happy with how things are going?