| name | roi-calculator |
| description | Build ROI analyses, TCO comparisons, and value calculators for prospects. Use this skill when a rep needs to justify the investment to a prospect, build a business case with numbers, create an ROI model, compare total cost of ownership, says "build me an ROI calculator", "what's the payback period", "help me show the value", "TCO comparison", or when a prospect asks "what's the return on this?". Also trigger when building value engineering tools, cost-benefit analyses, or investment justification documents. |
ROI Calculator
Help reps quantify the value of their solution in the prospect's specific context. An ROI analysis turns "our product is great" into "here's exactly how much money this saves you and how fast you'll see the return." It's the single most powerful tool for getting budget approved.
Why ROI Matters in B2B Sales
- Finance stakeholders approve budgets with numbers, not stories
- Champions need ammunition to sell internally — an ROI model is that ammunition
- It reframes the conversation from "cost" to "investment"
- It creates urgency by quantifying the cost of delay
How It Works
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ROI CALCULATOR │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ MODELS │
│ 1. ROI Analysis — Return on investment with payback period │
│ 2. TCO Comparison — Total cost of ownership vs alternatives │
│ 3. Cost of Inaction — What it costs to NOT buy your solution │
│ 4. Value Calculator — Interactive model prospects can customize │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ OUTPUT │
│ • Financial model with assumptions clearly stated │
│ • Executive-ready summary │
│ • Sensitivity analysis (best/likely/worst case) │
│ • Interactive HTML calculator (if requested) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Getting Started
- "Build an ROI model for [Company] — our product costs $X and saves them Y"
- "What's the payback period for a $50K deal that saves 10 hours per week?"
- "Create a TCO comparison: us vs their current solution"
- "Help me quantify the cost of inaction for [prospect]"
- "Build me a value calculator I can share with the prospect"
What I Need From You
About your solution:
- Price — Total investment (or annual cost)
- Implementation cost/time — Any upfront investment beyond the subscription
- What it does — Specific efficiency gains, cost reductions, revenue impact
About the prospect:
- Their current costs — What they're spending now (time, money, tools, headcount)
- Their pain — What problems this solves and how much those cost
- Team size — How many people are affected
- Revenue context — Company size, deal values, or other relevant financial context
Don't worry if you don't have everything — I'll use reasonable industry assumptions and clearly label them. The prospect can adjust.
ROI Analysis Framework
Revenue Impact
- New revenue enabled (faster sales, better conversion, larger deals)
- Revenue retention (reduced churn, faster renewals)
- Revenue acceleration (shorter sales cycles, faster time-to-value)
Cost Reduction
- Labor savings (time saved × fully loaded cost per hour)
- Tool consolidation (replacing existing software costs)
- Error reduction (cost of mistakes, rework, compliance risk)
- Operational efficiency (process improvement, automation gains)
Strategic Value (harder to quantify but important)
- Competitive advantage
- Risk mitigation
- Employee satisfaction and retention
- Scalability without headcount growth
Output Format: ROI Analysis
# ROI Analysis: [Your Solution] for [Company]
**Prepared:** [Date]
**Annual Investment:** $[amount]
**Projected Annual Return:** $[amount]
**ROI:** [X]%
**Payback Period:** [X months]
---
## Executive Summary
[2-3 sentences: "Based on [Company]'s specific situation, we project a [X]% ROI with a [X]-month payback period. The primary value drivers are [top 2-3]. Conservative estimates suggest $[X] in annual savings/revenue impact."]
---
## Investment
| Component | Annual Cost |
|-----------|-----------|
| [Product/license] | $[amount] |
| [Implementation] | $[amount] (one-time) |
| [Training] | $[amount] (one-time) |
| **Total Year 1** | **$[amount]** |
| **Annual Recurring** | **$[amount]** |
---
## Value Drivers
### 1. [Value Driver Name] — $[amount]/year
**Current State:** [What they do today and what it costs]
**Future State:** [What changes with your solution]
**Calculation:**
- [Input] × [Rate] × [Factor] = $[amount]
**Assumption:** [Clearly state the assumption and how to verify]
### 2. [Value Driver Name] — $[amount]/year
[Same structure]
### 3. [Value Driver Name] — $[amount]/year
[Same structure]
---
## Three-Year Projection
| | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total |
|---|--------|--------|--------|-------|
| **Investment** | $[X] | $[X] | $[X] | $[X] |
| **Returns** | $[X] | $[X] | $[X] | $[X] |
| **Net Value** | $[X] | $[X] | $[X] | $[X] |
| **Cumulative ROI** | [X]% | [X]% | [X]% | [X]% |
---
## Sensitivity Analysis
| Scenario | Annual Return | ROI | Payback |
|----------|-------------|-----|---------|
| **Conservative** (50% of projected) | $[X] | [X]% | [X] months |
| **Expected** | $[X] | [X]% | [X] months |
| **Optimistic** (150% of projected) | $[X] | [X]% | [X] months |
Even in the conservative scenario, the investment pays for itself in [X] months.
---
## Cost of Delay
Every month you wait costs approximately $[monthly impact]:
- [Cost element 1]: $[X]/month
- [Cost element 2]: $[X]/month
Over a typical [X]-month evaluation cycle, the cost of delay is $[total].
---
## Assumptions and Methodology
| Assumption | Value | Source |
|-----------|-------|--------|
| [Assumption 1] | [Value] | [Prospect-provided / Industry benchmark / Estimate] |
| [Assumption 2] | [Value] | [Source] |
All assumptions are adjustable. We recommend validating these numbers with your finance team.
---
## Sources
- [Industry benchmarks used]
- [Research cited]
Interactive Calculator Option
When requested, I can build an HTML calculator the rep can share with the prospect. It includes:
- Input fields for the prospect to enter their own numbers
- Real-time ROI calculation
- Visual charts showing payback timeline
- Downloadable summary
This is powerful because it puts the prospect in control — they trust their own numbers more than yours.
Tips for Effective ROI Conversations
- Use their numbers, not yours — Ask the prospect for their cost data. They'll trust it more.
- Be conservative — Under-promise. A believable 150% ROI beats an unbelievable 500% ROI.
- Label every assumption — Transparency builds trust. Let them challenge your inputs.
- Include soft costs — Opportunity cost, employee frustration, and risk are real even if harder to quantify.
- Cost of delay is your friend — "Every month you wait costs $X" creates urgency without pressure.
Related Skills
- proposal-builder — Embed the ROI analysis in a formal proposal
- deal-qualification — ROI data fills the "Metrics" criterion in MEDDIC
- objection-handling — Use ROI data to handle price objections
- discovery-guide — Better discovery gives you better inputs for the ROI model
