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Chapter 10
How to Get Finance to Say Yes
I had a great business case. Finance said no.
20 min read
This is real
"Fatima's $120,000 CRM proposal is rejected. The product research was excellent. The financials were missing."
— Fatima, Customer Experience Manager
Key concepts
Concept 1
Why finance says no
Usually not the idea. Usually the numbers — unclear ROI, missing payback, no conservative case.
Concept 2
The 5-section business case
Problem, solution, financials, risk, alternatives. Every approved case has all five.
Concept 3
Phrases that help finance say yes
Speak their language: ROI, payback, conservative scenario, staged investment.
Flashcard deck
Tap a card to flip.
Knowledge check
Q1
Most business cases are rejected because:
Q2
A conservative scenario shows:
Q3
Payback period is calculated as:
Questions to ask your finance team
- 1.What's the current capital allocation process and next review date?
- 2.What ROI threshold does the business typically apply to investment cases?
- 3.Can I walk you through my draft proposal before I submit formally?