r/startups • u/Conscious_Angle_7388 • 1h ago

I will not promote How did you prove ROI for B2B software that prevents future problems? i will not promote

I’m based in Australia, with a background in construction project delivery and enterprise software implementation. I’ve built a working product around organisational governance and learning, and I’m preparing to approach initial customers.

The problem comes from seeing companies deal with an issue on one project, agree what needs changing, then have another project run into much the same thing.

The product connects what happened, why it happened and what the team did about it with the decisions and changes that follow. That might mean changing a procedure, reviewing a risk or getting information to other projects before they hit the same problem. My view is that a lesson hasn’t been learnt unless something changes.

The commercial bit I’m trying to work through is proving that value early.

If you save someone five hours a week, you can measure it. If you help prevent a repeat mistake on a future project, it’s harder to demonstrate within a short pilot. The project team contributing the information may also be different from the team that benefits and the person approving the spend.

For founders who’ve sold governance, risk, quality or similar B2B software: how did you structure your first paid pilot?
What did you and the buyer agree to measure, and did achieving it actually lead to a contract?

I’m considering starting with one recurring problem across a small number of projects. I’d like to hear what worked in practice, including pilots where usage looked good but the customer still didn’t buy.

Thanks in advance

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u/Perfect_Raspberry610 35m ago

That’s exactly what I would do. Get credible user evidence

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u/DogmaticParadigm87 11m ago

Never sold into construction firms, but a pilot built around one repeat issue the buyer already names, with a log of each time a fix got pushed to another project before it hit, gives a count to point at instead of a forecast. Getting the budget holder to agree up front on what that count needs to be might matter more than usage numbers.