Chapter 6 – When to Walk Away: Let the BVA Qualify for You
- Lolita Trachtengerts
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
6.1 The Truth Most Reps Miss
Let’s be real, most sellers treat every deal like a rescue mission.
The demo went great, the buyer smiled, and suddenly it feels like this one just needs a little more time.
But here’s the reality: sometimes the smartest thing you can do for your pipeline is to let the BVA tell you it’s over.
A strong Business Value Assessment doesn’t only close deals — it qualifies them.
When run correctly, it gives you a data-driven answer to the question every rep should be asking sooner:
“Is this deal worth more of my time?”
Sometimes the math says yes.
Sometimes it says walk away.
6.2 Why Sellers Hold On Too Long
It’s human nature. You’ve invested hours, built rapport, maybe even got a verbal “love it.”
So you think:
“If I build the BVA, they’ll finally get it.”
“They said they’re interested — maybe the CFO’s just slow.”
But if the ROI is thin, urgency is missing, or no internal champion steps up — that’s not failure.
That’s the BVA doing exactly what it was designed to do: expose deals that don’t have a real business case.
At Spotlight, we see this moment every day. Reps use built-in ROI thresholds to flag “Watch” deals automatically.
If the modeled ROI dips below 1.5× or payback stretches beyond 12 months, the system nudges the AE to re-evaluate, not chase.
That single behavior change keeps pipelines 23 % leaner and win rates 30 % higher across teams that follow it.
6.3 What the BVA Reveals (When You’re Listening)
If your BVA shows any of these signals, it’s time to pause or qualify out:
🚦 Red-Flag Scorecard
According to Forrester (2024), 43 % of stalled opportunities lacked a quantified business case strong enough for executive review.
The BVA makes that weakness visible — early.
6.4 How to Step Back Professionally
Disqualifying isn’t ghosting. It’s exiting with confidence and context.
Here’s what to say:
“Based on what we modeled, it looks like this project won’t deliver strong enough business value right now.If priorities or assumptions change, I’d be happy to revisit the numbers together.”
That short, honest line does three things:
Keeps the door open
Maintains credibility
Positions you as a trusted advisor — not a desperate vendor
And it works.Gartner (2023) found buyers are 2.5× more likely to re-engage with sellers who were transparent in a prior cycle — even after a “no-go.”
6.5 Re-Engagement Script You Can Reuse
Deals rarely die forever. When timing or budget shifts, reach back out with data, not memory:
Subject: Revisiting our ROI baseline
Body: “We built a solid value model together last quarter.
Since your new [initiative/OKR/budget cycle] is underway, it might be worth updating the assumptions — it only takes 10 minutes in Spotlight.”
It’s short, credible, and rooted in partnership — not pressure.
6.6 What Happens When You Walk Away
One of three things usually happens — and all of them help you win:
The buyer goes quiet → you just saved months of pipeline drag.
The buyer re-engages when urgency spikes → you’re their first call.
They buy elsewhere, realize it doesn’t work → they come back to you with credibility pre-earned.
As Pavilion research (2024) shows, reps who actively qualify out early spend 27 % more time on winnable opportunities — and hit quota faster.
Remember Chapter 3’s lesson on credibility? When the math stops making sense, the story should too.
A BVA that disqualifies is doing its job — protecting your focus and your brand.
6.8 Key Takeaways
The BVA is a qualifier, not just a closer.
Weak ROI + no champion = walk away early.
Honest disqualification builds future trust and credibility.
Healthy pipelines beat bloated ones every time.
Sometimes no deal is the right deal.
Q&A
Q1: How do I know if I’m walking away too early?
If the buyer has clear business pain, but the ROI still feels light, check for missing inputs rather than abandoning right away. Sometimes one lever — like customer churn, headcount, or revenue per rep — was underestimated.Re-run the numbers live with the buyer. If even conservative, updated inputs can’t get you past 1.2× ROI or a 12-month payback, it’s not a fit right now.
Q2: What if leadership wants every opportunity to have a BVA?
That’s good discipline — but not every BVA must lead to a deal.Use your BVAs to measure viability, not just justify pricing.
Spotlight teams often tag deals “BVA-No-Go” in CRM when ROI thresholds aren’t met. Those insights actually help sales leadership forecast more accurately.
Q3: My prospect says, “We just want pricing.” Should I still build a BVA?
Yes — but keep it lightweight.Offer to run a 10-minute mini-BVA to validate if the investment would make sense.
You’ll often find either (a) they realize the business case is weak and self-disqualify, or (b) they open the door to a deeper discovery. Either way, you win time and credibility.
Q4: What if the buyer disagrees with the ROI model?
That’s actually a positive sign — it means they’re engaged.Invite them to adjust assumptions together:
“Let’s tweak the numbers to match what you’re seeing internally.”
Co-creation converts skepticism into ownership, and ownership turns into internal advocacy.
Q5: How should I position a “no-go” BVA internally?
Frame it as pipeline hygiene, not failure.
You can say:
“We built a full BVA, and the math doesn’t support a strong business case right now. I recommend deprioritizing until the buyer’s initiatives change.”
Leaders respect data-backed decisions — it shows you’re qualifying like a professional, not guessing like a gambler.
Q6: When should I revisit a disqualified BVA?
Best practice: revisit every 2–3 quarters or when one of three triggers hits:
The buyer announces new strategic initiatives.
They add budget or headcount in your domain.
Your solution ROI model improves (e.g., pricing, automation, or integration gains).
Spotlight reps automate these alerts through CRM filters — when a flagged account re-surfaces, they already have a baseline model ready to refresh.
Q7: How can I make this easier on myself?
Use automation, not memory.Spotlight’s “ROI Threshold Alerts” and “Disqualify Reason” tags were built exactly for this stage.They help you stay objective and free up time for deals that actually fit.Remember: walking away isn’t losing — it’s optimizing your win rate.
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