Stuck in procurement

May 14. A $180k deal reaches a verbal yes. The champion is thrilled. The next morning, procurement sends a security questionnaire with 312 questions. The best backend engineer spends a week on it. Legal sends redlines in June. The contract is signed in August. The quarter's plan assumed May.

Picture a Series A software company selling to mid-market and enterprise buyers. The founder ran most sales calls. Every security questionnaire went to an engineer, and twelve engineer-weeks a year went to them. Contracts moved by email. Invoices came from a spreadsheet and went out late, so cash took 62 days. Renewals were noticed weeks before they ended. Deals took 75 days from yes to signature.

What SBK rebuilt

SBK mapped how a deal goes from first call to cash and renewal. All 75 of those days came after the buyer had agreed to the price, so the revenue sat waiting on paperwork. The rebuild scores and routes leads so reps work the real deals. A trust package and an answer library fill most questionnaires, and an engineer checks only the unusual questions. Contracts start from standard terms and are tracked to signature. Billing runs from the signed order. Usage and account health are tracked, so renewals start 90 days ahead.

What moved

Deals signed 30 days after the yes, not 75. Engineers spent two weeks a year on reviews instead of twelve. Cash arrived in 35 days. Net revenue retention rose from 96% to 110%. The company hit its quarter without adding headcount.