Tips to Get the Most Out of Budget Season (and the Resources You Need)

Purchasing a new solution is rarely a decision made in a vacuum. To help you prepare for and maximize this year’s budget season, we’re sharing tips to get your requests approved and needs met.

✅ Analyze your 2023 performance

Data on where you are is the best input to decide where you should go – and avoid making assumptions on why you saw the outcomes you did. Bring staff together to evaluate and discuss ways you’re on track, opportunities for improvement, and how technology did or could’ve played a role in results.

✅ Forecast resources for 2024 goals

Honestly evaluate the resources (both human and technology) needed to achieve your goals. Also recognize the changing landscape of your business and how you’ll need to adapt to maintain the high level of customer service and satisfaction you aim for. What’s worked in the past might not work going forward.
 

✅ Get aligned internally

Understand the IT requirements you need to work within to know if a solution’s even worth bringing to the table. Gathering early buy-in from your IT team – as well as anyone who’d use the solution – can also create more advocacy for your request and help you create a more thorough, accurate proposal.
 

✅ Make your business case

Clearly lay out your argument for why the solution is necessary – and make sure you communicate it as a necessity that’ll help take your business to the next level. Maybe it’s needed to combat staffing shortages or close the gap on a competitor. Even if the benefits seem obvious, drive home the results you expect to see for your business and customers, and use as much data as possible to make your case objective.
 

✅ Stress security and fraud prevention

It goes without saying security is mission-critical for any business, and minimal investment can come with a high cost. Especially as a business that manages sensitive data like payment information, emphasizing the security benefits the solution will bring is great leverage for your case. You can also emphasize the time-savings and revenue protection improved fraud prevention can bring by using a digital solution.
 

✅ Set and communicate performance metrics

Get ahead of questions and concerns by displaying your commitment to evaluating your spend and how you expect results to play out. Define key performance indicators (KPIs) and regularly track and analyze them to make sure you’re on track. Keep in mind that vendors oftentimes have customer success managers who can help you get the most ROI out of the technology you licensed.