If you’re in B2B sales, you know the “consideration stage” is where deals either pick up steam or stall out. Buyers have done their homework. They’re comparing options, asking tough questions, and looping in higher-ups. Your sales team needs more than a slick pitch—they need tools that actually help prospects see value, fast.
Let’s talk about Valuecore. It claims to help B2B sales teams drive real ROI at this stage. But what actually works? What’s just noise? Here’s a no-nonsense breakdown.
The Consideration Stage: Where Most Deals Die
Before we dive into features, let’s be honest: the consideration stage is brutal. Prospects want hard numbers, not just promises. They need to justify the purchase internally. If your reps can’t show real impact, you’re toast.
What you need: - Clear, personalized value stories - Fast, credible answers to tough questions - Tools that cut through the “maybe later” fog
Let’s see where Valuecore actually helps with all this—and where it doesn’t.
1. Dynamic Value Calculators: More Than Just a Pretty Spreadsheet
Most buyers tune out when they see generic ROI slides. Valuecore’s dynamic value calculators let reps plug in real prospect data and instantly show the impact—savings, revenue, you name it.
What works:
- Personalized Outputs: You can update assumptions on the fly during a call. That’s a big deal—no more “let me get back to you in a week.”
- Visuals That Don’t Suck: The calculators spit out charts and numbers that look professional. No more embarrassing Excel screenshots.
- Real-Time Collaboration: Prospects can tweak numbers too. It’s interactive, not just a sales pitch.
What doesn’t:
- Setup Time: Someone still has to build and QA these calculators for your business. If your sales ops team is slammed, this isn’t plug-and-play.
- Garbage In, Garbage Out: If your assumptions are fluffy, the output is too. Don’t let reps get lazy.
Pro tip: Pressure-test your value calculators with skeptical prospects before rolling them out. If they poke holes, fix them fast.
2. Interactive Proposal Generation: Stop Sending Boring PDFs
How many times have you sent a well-crafted proposal...and then radio silence? Valuecore lets you build interactive proposals—buyers can click, comment, and adjust as they review.
What works:
- Version Control: No more confusion over which PDF is the “latest.” One link, always up-to-date.
- Buyer Engagement: If a champion forwards the proposal internally, you can see who’s looking and what they care about.
- Customization: You can tailor the proposal to each stakeholder—finance wants cost breakdowns, ops wants implementation timelines.
What doesn’t:
- Feature Creep: Don’t cram every possible feature into your proposals just because you can. Keep it focused.
- Tech Fatigue: Some buyers still just want a PDF. Respect that—make it easy to download or print.
Pro tip: Use analytics to spot where buyers get stuck or drop off. If everyone bounces at the pricing page, you know where to focus.
3. Collaborative Business Case Builder: Make Champions’ Lives Easier
Every big sale needs an internal champion. Valuecore’s business case builder gives them a shareable, credible doc to take to their boss.
What works:
- Easy Exports: Champions can download a clean deck or doc to present to decision-makers—no reformatting needed.
- Side-by-Side Comparisons: Lay out “do nothing,” “buy from us,” and “buy from competitor” scenarios. Makes the internal conversation easier.
What doesn’t:
- Over-Engineering: Don’t let the tool create 30-slide decks no one will read. Focus on the 2-3 metrics that matter most.
- Analysis Paralysis: Some prospects will nitpick every number. Be ready to defend your assumptions.
Pro tip: Ask champions what their boss actually cares about, and build that into the business case. Skip the fluff.
4. Usage Analytics: See Who’s Engaged (and Who’s Ghosting)
Most sales tools talk up “engagement tracking,” but Valuecore’s analytics are actually useful—if you know what to look for.
What works:
- Stakeholder Insights: See which stakeholders have viewed proposals, for how long, and what pages they lingered on.
- Follow-Up Signals: If your champion hasn’t shared the proposal internally, you’ll know. Time for a nudge.
What doesn’t:
- Paralysis by Analysis: Don’t get lost tracking every click. Focus on real buying signals—like finance reviewing the ROI page.
- Privacy Concerns: A few buyers may get creeped out by tracking. Be transparent.
Pro tip: Use analytics to prioritize follow-ups. Don’t waste time chasing folks who haven’t even opened your proposal.
5. Integrations: Play Nice With Your Existing Stack
No one has time to learn Yet Another Platform. Valuecore integrates with most CRMs (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.) and basic sales tools.
What works:
- Auto-Sync: Notes, proposals, and value stories sync right to your CRM. Fewer tabs, less copy-pasting.
- Data Hygiene: Keeps your pipeline data a bit cleaner—if reps actually use it.
What doesn’t:
- Integration Headaches: There’s always a setup curve, especially if your CRM is heavily customized. Don’t believe the “out of the box” hype.
- User Adoption: If your team already ignores Salesforce, this won’t magically fix that.
Pro tip: Get sales ops involved early. Test integrations with a small team before full rollout.
What to Ignore (or At Least, De-Prioritize)
Not every shiny feature moves the needle. Here’s what you can skip—or at least, not bank your ROI on:
- AI-Generated Value Stories: These are still hit-or-miss. Human judgment > robot copy.
- Gamification: Trophies and badges don’t close deals.
- Overly Complex Reporting: If your CRO doesn’t read it, it’s probably not worth the effort.
Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Focus on the Buyer
Here’s the bottom line: The features that drive ROI in the consideration stage are the ones that help your buyer sell internally. If Valuecore (or any tool) makes it easier for your champion to justify the purchase, you’ll close more deals. If it creates more work or confusion, skip it.
Start small. Test one or two features with real prospects. Cut what doesn’t move the needle. And remember—buyers care about their own numbers, not your product’s bells and whistles.
That’s how you actually drive ROI. No magic bullets. Just tools that work, when you use them right.