# Metrics & Business Case ROI Worksheet

> A guided, fill-in worksheet that turns a vague value claim into the hard, defensible number an economic buyer needs to justify your deal in their own budget meeting.

Free template for sales reps. Topic: [Sales Process & Methodology (MEDDIC, SPIN, Challenger)](https://www.peerlab.ai/library/topic/sales-process-methodology-meddic-spin-challenger/). Published by PeerLab in the [Sales Enablement Resource Library](https://www.peerlab.ai/library/). Source: https://www.peerlab.ai/library/metrics-business-case-roi-worksheet/

## How to use it

Walk through Sections 1–3 live on a call with the buyer so the numbers come from them, fill in Sections 4–6 with your own pricing, and use Section 8 to get the buyer to personally commit to the conservative case before you build a formal proposal around it.

## What's inside

- A problem-statement field to anchor the whole business case
- A current-state cost-driver table with the formula for turning volume/frequency into an annual dollar figure
- An improvement-percentage table with conservative, realistic, and aggressive scenarios
- The full investment cost breakdown: license, implementation, and internal resource time
- ROI and payback-period formulas with worked numbers
- A 3-year value calculation for multi-year business cases
- An assumptions log that documents the source behind every number
- A sign-off box for the buyer to commit to the conservative case as their own

A business case dies the moment the buyer feels like the numbers are yours, not theirs. Fill this out *with* the buyer, using their language and their data wherever possible, every number they help build is a number they'll defend when someone questions it later.

## 1. Problem statement

> Write it as the buyer would say it, not as a feature gap:
> *"Today, ______________________________ costs us ______________________________ because ______________________________."*

## 2. Current-state cost drivers

List every cost driver tied to the problem: labor hours, error rate, lost deals, churn, delay, rework, and quantify each one.

**Formula:** `Annual Cost = Volume/Frequency × Cost per Unit`

| Cost Driver | Volume/Frequency | Cost per Unit | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| e.g., manual data entry | 10 hrs/week × 52 weeks = 520 hrs | $45/hr (loaded cost) | $23,400 |
| e.g., missed deals from slow follow-up | 8 deals/quarter × 4 quarters = 32 | $6,000 avg deal value | $192,000 |
| ___________________ | ___________________ | ___________________ | ___________________ |
| ___________________ | ___________________ | ___________________ | ___________________ |
| **Total Annual Cost of Problem** | | | **$______________** |

## 3. Expected improvement

Don't claim one number, give the buyer a range they can choose to defend.

| Scenario | Improvement % | Annual Value Created |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 15% | Total Annual Cost × 15% |
| Realistic | 30% | Total Annual Cost × 30% |
| Aggressive | 50% | Total Annual Cost × 50% |

**Rule of thumb: build the case on the Conservative number. Let Realistic and Aggressive be upside, not the number you defend.**

## 4. Investment cost (Year 1)

| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Annual license/subscription | $______________ |
| One-time implementation/onboarding | $______________ |
| Internal resource time (hours × loaded rate) | $______________ |
| **Total Cost Year 1** | **$______________** |

## 5. ROI and payback

```
ROI (%) = (Annual Value Created − Total Cost Year 1) ÷ Total Cost Year 1 × 100

Payback Period (months) = Total Cost Year 1 ÷ (Annual Value Created ÷ 12)
```

**Worked example (using Conservative case):**
Annual Cost of Problem = $215,400 → Conservative Value (15%) = $32,310
Total Cost Year 1 = $18,000
ROI = ($32,310 − $18,000) ÷ $18,000 × 100 = **79.5%**
Payback = $18,000 ÷ ($32,310 ÷ 12) = **6.7 months**

## 6. 3-year value (for multi-year deals)

```
3-Year Value = (Annual Value Created × 3) − [(License × 3) + Implementation + Internal Resource Cost]
```

## 7. Assumptions log

Every number above needs a source, this is what makes the case defensible under questioning.

| Assumption | Source | Confirmed By Buyer? (Y/N) |
|---|---|---|
| ___________________ | e.g., buyer quote, internal report, industry benchmark | ☐ |
| ___________________ | ___________________ | ☐ |
| ___________________ | ___________________ | ☐ |

## 8. Buyer sign-off (optional but powerful)

> *"I've reviewed the Conservative scenario above and agree these are numbers I'd be comfortable presenting internally."*
> Name: ______________________ Title: ______________________ Date: ______________________

If a buyer won't initial the conservative case, that's a signal the business case isn't theirs yet, go back to Section 2 and rebuild the cost drivers using their own data before moving forward.