How to Define POC Success Criteria

Your POC process is probably why you're not closing enterprise deals.   After analyzing POC outcomes across our portfolio, the data is clear: Companies with structured and priced POCs close 3x more deals than those running free pilots.   Why charge? Price signals seriousness. Even nominal fees filter serious buyers from tire-kickers. Frame your pilots as fixed-fee engagements: Say "we structure this as a 4-week, fixed-fee engagement to quantify value and build your business case."   Be sure to clarify pricing expectations in the process: If your pilot costs $5K but commercial deals are $100K-$300K based on the value unlocked, state this explicitly to avoid anchoring.   Here are 5 best POC best practices we see:   1. Define success criteria, not scope Align on specific KPIs, business outcomes, and who signs off before writing a line of code.   2. Time-box ruthlessly with weekly checkpoints POCs should run 30-90 days max. Set weekly or bi-weekly checkpoints to maintain urgency.   3. Pre-commit the path to commercial discussions Before starting any pilot, confirm that hitting the success metrics will trigger stakeholder presentations and commercial negotiations.   4. Demand access to the full buying center Technical users alone can't close deals. Ensure you meet decision-makers and budget holders during the POC, not after.   5. Document like a contract Formalize scope, terms, and deliverables in the agreement. Include specific responsibilities for both sides, data access requirements, success metrics, timelines, and post-POC commitments.   --   POCs are where your enterprise motion gets built. Treat them that way.   I wrote a guide to AI pricing with Madhavan Ramanujam and Joshua Bloom that discusses these ideas in more detail. If you're curious to dive deeper, I'll leave that link below. Also, Madhavan just released a new book called Scaling Innovation that also explores these topics. Highly recommend!

Last week, an AE (who crushes) of a $1B public company shared the playbook he ran for a POC that won him a $30K+ deal. The 5 plays he ran are deceptively simple but very effective: Play 1 - Objectives: There are 2 ways to run a trial: a) Give them access to your product and let them figure it out on their own. b) Give them access to your product, but find out their evaluation criteria/goals during the trial He leaned into option 2. You should always know how your prospects will determine if a trial is aligned to their expectations or not. Example: "What things is your team looking to accomplish through the trial?" I.E. Prove technical fit, ensure customer gets value, ease of use by team members aligned, etc. Play 2 - Success Criteria: Get clear signs that show the trial is meeting the prospect's expectations. If you have multiple stakeholders in the POC, each one will have their own success criteria. For example, a CRO might evaluate a sales tool differently than the VP of Sales. Example: "How will you determine that the trial meets expectations and objectives?" Play 3 - Next Steps: Think ahead to what comes after the trial. After the trial is over, if your product meets these success criteria, what would stop them from moving forward? Example: "After the trial is over, if we meet these success criteria, is there anything that stops you from adopting our product moving forward?" Play 4 - Further Buy-In: Always find out who else might need to be involved in a trial. For example, when I was a VP of Sales, I was evaluating Gong and a few other competitors. While I was the "decision maker," I needed the buy-in from my sales team. So when I rolled out the free trial, Example: "If all goes well, is there anyone else at [DEPARTMENT/COMPANY] that would need to be convinced? Should we bring them in on the trial from the start?" Another variation is to tell the prospect who typically gets involved: "Usually with these types of POCs, [TITLES/DEPARTMENTS] get involved since [COMPELLING REASON]. Might be a good idea to bring [OTHER PEOPLE] into the trial as well. Does that sound like good next steps?" Play 5 - Timeframe: Set a clear timeline for the trial, BUT make sure to include what typical timeframes look like and what's involved. Example: "Trials typically last 2 weeks, including a kickoff meeting, two mid-week check-ins, and a post-trial call to discuss feedback. When would you l like to start?" TL;DR: 1. Objectives: Identify the prospect's goals for the trial. 2. Success Criteria: Define clear signs that the trial is meeting expectations. 3. Next Steps: Plan what happens after a successful trial. 4. Further Buy-In: Involve all necessary stakeholders early. 5. Timeframe: Set a clear timeline for the trial with checkpoints. P.S. Msg me if you wanna learn more about the coaching this AE gets with me.

I’ve now ran over 100 pilots (trials) at Gong. With a win rate of over 90%. 4 biggest lessons. 1. 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 Never begin a pilot without executive alignment. Ideally, the economic buyer has already been engaged through demos / the evaluation. If not, this is a great opportunity to get them looped in as a ‘give / get’ before starting. “Before approving a pilot, we require exec alignment. I’ve learned it’s much easier to ask for 20 minutes upfront and all be aligned, than 50K at the end. How can we loop ___ in?” 2. 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚 Before beginning a pilot, align on success criteria with the team + economic buyer. Always come ready with criteria proposed to help guide them as to what they should be looking to prove. Keep them simple. Under promise, over deliver. I also use the time to uncover additional risk. “Say we nail all the success criteria, you love the pilot, but the team decides not to sign on (date). What are the most likely 2 reasons why?” 3. 𝐌𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐬 Create a mutual success plan that outlines the success crtieria, sessions, pilot resources, etc. and share it with your POC to encourage editing. I have 3 lines that include - security, legal, and signer. 4. 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐮𝐩𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 If your pilot / trial process includes trainings, insights, check-ins, get them scheduled in bulk. Never have to worry about grabbing a next meeting then. Key to all 4... having a great, repeatable template to guide the buyer. Snag my (free) mutual success plan: https://lnkd.in/gGDQKgfC 🦙🦙🦙