Latest / Closing the Deal with Fexingo: Sales, Negotiation, and Revenue Conversations for Operators / How a Rep Won by Asking the Buyer to Fund the Pilot
Transcript
- Lucas: So there's a rep in the mid-market SaaS space, and she's been chasing this deal for three months. Everything's going fine until procurement drops the classic line: 'We love the product, but we want a pilot first.' And typically, that's where the deal goes to die. Luna: Right, because pilots usually mean free work, six months of hand-holding, and then they ghost you. Lucas: Exactly. But this rep did something I hadn't seen before. She said, 'Sure, I'll set up the pilot. But I'd like you to pay for it.' And the room went quiet. Then the buyer actually said yes. Luna: Wait, she just asked them to pay for a pilot? How did that not kill the deal? Lucas: Well, because she framed it as a shared investment, not a test. She said, 'If you're serious about solving this problem, you'll invest five thousand dollars for a twelve-week pilot. That's less than one percent of the annual contract value we've been discussing.' Luna: So she anchored it against the full contract. That makes the pilot feel like a rounding error. Lucas: Exactly. And she didn't just throw a number out there. She walked them through what that five grand covers: dedicated implementation hours, a custom integration, weekly success reviews, and a detailed ROI report at the end. She basically turned a free trial into a paid consulting engagement. Luna: But what's the buyer's incentive to say yes? They're used to getting pilots for free. Lucas: That's the key. She flipped the psychology. By asking them to pay, she signaled that she believed in the product enough to risk the deal. If she'd caved and given it away, the buyer would've assumed the product had no leverage. By charging, she made it clear the value was real. Luna: So it's a confidence signal. 'I wouldn't ask you to pay if I didn't know this would work.' Lucas: Precisely. And there's a deeper layer. When a buyer pays for a pilot, they're not just testing the software, they're testing their own commitment. That five-thousand-dollar check is skin in the game. It forces them to actually use the product, to assign a champion internally, to track metrics. The pilot becomes a real project, not a passive evaluation. Luna: That makes sense. If it's free, nobody cares. If you're paying for it, you're going to make sure it gets used. Lucas: And here's the kicker. The pilot went so well that the buyer expanded the scope before it even ended. They added two more departments, and the final contract was forty percent larger than the original proposal. The rep's commission? It doubled. Luna: So by risking the deal, she actually made a bigger one. There's a lesson there about not being afraid to ask for what you're worth. Lucas: Absolutely. And that's something we talk about a lot on this show. We want to help you have these conversations, and we keep the show free and ad-free because we think that's the right way to do it. If these conversations have moved your work forward in some small way, you can support that choice at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, just an option. Luna: Yeah, it's a nice way to keep this resource available to everyone. So back to the pilot — what made this rep's approach different from the usual 'let's do a free trial'? Lucas: She didn't just ask for money. She asked for a partnership. She said, 'I'll put in the work, and I want you to put in a small investment to show you're serious.' That changed the dynamic from vendor-supplicant to equal partners. Luna: So it's about framing the ask as a mutual commitment, not a demand. Lucas: Yes. And there's a practical side to it. When a buyer pays for a pilot, they're more likely to give you real feedback, because they want the pilot to succeed. You get better data, you build a stronger relationship, and you shorten the sales cycle. It's a win-win. Luna: But what if the buyer says no? Isn't there a risk you just lost the deal? Lucas: That's the fear. But in this case, the rep had a response ready. She said, 'If you're not ready to invest five thousand, maybe we're not the right fit right now. Why don't we revisit in six months?' And that actually gave her power. She was willing to walk away. Luna: So she was prepared to lose the deal. That's scary, but it's also what made the ask credible. Lucas: Exactly. And it's not just about the money. She knew that if a buyer wouldn't invest even a token amount, they probably weren't serious about solving the problem. She was filtering for qualified buyers. Luna: That's a good point. It's a way to qualify early and not waste time on tire-kickers. Lucas: So the next time you're tempted to give away a free pilot, think about what it costs you. Not just in hours, but in credibility. By charging, you're telling the buyer that your time and your solution have value. And that's the kind of confidence that wins deals. Luna: And it sounds like that confidence paid off in more ways than one. Lucas: It did. The rep not only closed the deal, she expanded it. And she turned a skeptical procurement officer into a champion who went to bat for her internally. That's the kind of outcome you can't get from a free trial. Luna: So what's the first step for a rep who wants to try this? How do you bring it up without sounding greedy? Lucas: You frame it as a question, not a demand. 'What would it look like if we treated this pilot as a joint investment?' And you always tie it to the value you're delivering. The number has to be small enough to be a no-brainer, but big enough to show commitment. Luna: So it's about finding that sweet spot. Not too high to scare them off, not too low to be meaningless. Lucas: Exactly. And you need to be ready to walk away. That's the hardest part, but it's also what makes the ask authentic. If you're not willing to lose the deal, you'll never have the leverage. Luna: That's a tough pill to swallow, but it makes sense. I think a lot of reps are so afraid of losing that they give away too much. Lucas: And that's the trap. When you give everything away for free, you're training the buyer to expect it. Next time, they'll ask for more. But when you draw a line, you're teaching them that your work has value. That's a better long-term strategy. Luna: So this isn't just about one deal, it's about how you position yourself in every negotiation. Lucas: Right. And the rep in this story didn't just win a contract. She built a reputation as someone who's confident, fair, and willing to walk away. That's the kind of rep that buyers want to work with. Luna: It's funny, the move that seemed risky at first actually made her safer. She had more control over the process. Lucas: And that's the paradox of negotiation. Sometimes the best way to close a deal is to be willing to let it go. That's the real takeaway from this episode. Luna: So if you're a rep listening, maybe the next time someone asks for a pilot, you'll consider asking them to fund it. It might be the best question you ever ask. Lucas: And if you want more of these conversations, you know where to find us. Until next time, keep closing.