The Only Business Case Template Enterprise Sales Teams Need

Why Most Business Cases Fail

Most sales business cases fail in enterprise deals. They're too generic, too verbose, or too focused on features instead of business impact. They don't support executive decision-making, internal alignment, or deal momentum.

Business cases fail because:

They're too generic — Don't account for account-specific context
They're too verbose — Executives don't have time for long documents
They focus on features — Not business impact or ROI
They don't evolve — Business cases go stale as deals progress

Here's the only business case template enterprise sales teams need — why it works, how it supports executive decision-making, and why maintaining it over time is the real challenge.

The Business Case Template

What it is: A single, well-structured business case template that supports executive decision-making, internal alignment, and deal momentum.

Why it works: This template forces clarity on business impact, ROI, and execution — not features or capabilities. It's concise, strategic, and execution-focused.

Template structure:

Business Case: [Deal/Initiative Name]

1. Executive Summary
   - Objective: [What are we trying to achieve?]
   - Current state: [What's their current situation?]
   - Proposed solution: [What are we proposing?]
   - Business impact: [What's the business impact?]
   - ROI: [What's the ROI?]

2. Current State
   - Situation: [What's their current situation?]
   - Problems: [What problems do they face?]
   - Costs: [What are the current costs?]
   - Impact: [What's the impact of current problems?]

3. Proposed Solution
   - Solution: [What are we proposing?]
   - Value: [What's the value?]
   - Implementation: [How is it implemented?]
   - Timeline: [What's the timeline?]

4. Business Impact
   - Impact: [What's the business impact?]
   - Alignment: [How does it align with priorities?]
   - Benefits: [What are the benefits?]
   - Risks: [What are the risks?]

5. ROI Analysis
   - Investment: [What's the investment?]
   - Savings: [What are the savings?]
   - ROI: [What's the ROI?]
   - Payback: [What's the payback period?]

6. Next Steps
   - Steps: [What are the next steps?]
   - Timeline: [What's the timeline?]
   - Resources: [What resources are needed?]

How It Supports Executive Decision-Making

Forces clarity: This template forces clarity on business impact, ROI, and execution — not features or capabilities. Executives need signal, not noise.

Enables comparison: This template enables comparison across deals, initiatives, and investments. Executives can compare ROI, payback, and business impact.

Supports decision-making: This template supports executive decision-making by providing clear business impact, ROI, and execution plan.

Example:

Business Case: Operations System Upgrade

1. Executive Summary
   - Objective: Upgrade operations system to support European expansion
   - Current state: Current system doesn't scale, manual processes, lack of visibility
   - Proposed solution: New operations system, $500K investment
   - Business impact: Enables European expansion, reduces manual processes, improves visibility
   - ROI: $500K investment, $1.2M annual savings, 18-month payback, 240% ROI over 3 years

2. Current State
   - Situation: Current system doesn't scale, manual processes, lack of visibility
   - Problems: Expansion blocked, manual processes inefficient, lack of visibility
   - Costs: $800K annual operational costs, $200K opportunity cost
   - Impact: Expansion blocked, operational inefficiency, lack of visibility

3. Proposed Solution
   - Solution: New operations system, cloud-based, scalable
   - Value: Enables expansion, reduces manual processes, improves visibility
   - Implementation: 6-month implementation, phased rollout
   - Timeline: Start Q2, complete Q3

4. Business Impact
   - Impact: Enables European expansion, reduces manual processes, improves visibility
   - Alignment: Aligns with growth priorities, operational efficiency, visibility
   - Benefits: Expansion enabled, operational efficiency, visibility improved
   - Risks: Implementation risk, change management risk

5. ROI Analysis
   - Investment: $500K
   - Savings: $1.2M annual savings
   - ROI: 240% ROI over 3 years
   - Payback: 18-month payback period

6. Next Steps
   - Steps: Approve investment, select vendor, begin implementation
   - Timeline: Approve Q1, select Q2, implement Q2-Q3
   - Resources: Implementation team, change management, training

How It Supports Internal Alignment

Forces alignment: This template forces alignment across stakeholders — finance, operations, executive team. Everyone sees the same business impact, ROI, and execution plan.

Enables collaboration: This template enables collaboration across teams — sales, finance, operations. Teams can collaborate on business impact, ROI, and execution.

Supports communication: This template supports communication with executives, stakeholders, and teams. Everyone understands the business impact, ROI, and execution plan.

How It Supports Deal Momentum

Maintains momentum: This template maintains deal momentum by providing clear business impact, ROI, and execution plan. Deals move forward when executives see clear value.

Enables progression: This template enables deal progression by addressing executive concerns, providing ROI analysis, and showing execution plan.

Supports closing: This template supports deal closing by providing clear business impact, ROI, and execution plan. Executives can make decisions when they see clear value.

Why Maintaining It Over Time Is the Real Challenge

Business cases go stale because:

Deals evolve: Deals evolve over time — requirements change, stakeholders change, priorities change. Business cases must evolve with deals.

Context changes: Account context changes over time — triggers, signals, changes. Business cases must incorporate new context.

ROI changes: ROI changes over time — costs change, savings change, impact changes. Business cases must reflect new ROI.

Execution changes: Execution changes over time — timeline changes, resources change, approach changes. Business cases must reflect new execution.

The solution: Systems that maintain business case context continuously, enable consistent updates, and preserve continuity over time.

The Bottom Line

This business case template works because it:

Forces clarity — On business impact, ROI, and execution
Supports decision-making — By providing clear business impact and ROI
Enables alignment — Across stakeholders and teams
Maintains momentum — By providing clear value and execution plan

The challenge: Business cases go stale because deals evolve, context changes, ROI changes, and execution changes. Maintaining business cases over time is the real challenge.