The Supercase, Start to Finish: From Symptom to Signed Decision

RevOps leaders and CROs don't need another "pitch." They need a business case that proves value, travels inside the buyer's org without you, and makes the decision obvious. A supercase does exactly that: start at the problem the buyer recognizes, drill to a fix Ops could run themselves, and compare the only three implementation choices—Do Nothing, DIY, or Find a Vendor—so Finance can say yes.

Do we have a problem?

Start by meeting the customer where they are. Use symptoms they already feel—missed quarters cluster in the same segments; late-stage slips share a pattern; expansions are slower where one key process is different. Your job here is simple: establish that there's a real problem and that it's worth deciding about. Proving value is the job of the business case, not the job of personality or a demo.

Keep the opening concrete and observable. Point to a specific scenario ("late-stage enterprise deals lose momentum after security review") and the operational surface where it shows up (handoffs, cycle time, approvals, data hygiene, coverage, deal health, etc.). This isn't about fear; it's about recognition. You're helping the buyer say, "Yes, that's our world."

Canary + Impact (urgency + importance)

Next, separate "has the problem" from "doesn't" with a Canary. A good Canary is a direct indicator, not a correlation. It changes before the problem fully manifests and is practical to observe. Then tie Canary movement to Impact: the math that connects the root cause to outcomes the exec team inherently cares about (revenue, margin, risk, and time). The Impact work is not a finance spreadsheet first; it's an operational model first—inputs, time, risk, benefits, and costs—summarized in dollars so Finance can audit it. The sequence matters: Symptoms → Canary → Impact → then finance format.

Your Impact math should answer: "If we changed this Canary by X, what happens to pipeline coverage, win rate, sales cycle, or expansion velocity—and when?" Keep the model falsifiable (show assumptions), legible (simple inputs a CFO can trace), and portable (works in the buyer's BI tool or a spreadsheet they own).

Drill down to a fix you can actually implement

Symptoms are not causes. Don't stop when you hit a popular label ("bad discovery," "weak champions," "no business case"). Drill until you get to something you can fix and own operationally. That usually means a specific workflow, artifact, or decision that needs to change, plus who changes it and how it is governed.

Write the fix the way an internal Ops team would write it for themselves. That means: mechanics step-by-step, the data required and where it comes from, the early warnings that tell you it's working (or not), the metrics that prove progress, and the risks and mitigations. Share enough detail that a competent team with unlimited time and budget could fix the problem on their own. Counterintuitively, showing the DIY path is a differentiator: it proves this is a real solution, not just marketing copy.

The three implementation choices

Every problem has exactly three options: Do Nothing, DIY, or Find a Vendor. Present them side-by-side using the same Impact model, over the same time horizon, with the same assumptions about adoption and risk.

Do Nothing is the baseline. It's always the easiest option, so quantify what standing still means. If the Canary is trending the wrong way, show the compounding cost.

DIY is credible when you've already described the fix like Ops would. Don't straw-man it. List the real steps, required skills, internal coordination, and the realistic timeline to get through learning curves and organizational gravity.

Vendor (your approach) should be described in the same operational language as DIY—exactly what changes, in what order, who does the work, and how you reduce time and risk.

Keep the comparison honest. If you let the model's knobs get too loose, it's easy to manipulate the outcome. Lock the frame first (inputs, timeline, risk definitions) and then vary only the parameters the buyer agrees are fair.

Time, risk, and value (how you really win)

CFOs and COOs don't just buy outcomes; they buy time and risk compression. Make your advantage explicit:

Time to first proof: What is the low-risk, fast way to ascertain value before anyone commits a lot of money or time? Define the smallest, fastest test that reliably moves the Canary and proves the Impact math works with their data and their team.

Risk controls: Spell out where pilots typically fail (ownership, data availability, change fatigue, cross-functional blockers) and show the controls you use to keep the test tight. Risk is not an afterthought; it's part of the design.

Path to rollout: If the first proof works, what are the next steps, by week or by phase? Make it easy to see how a safe test becomes a durable implementation.

Your supercase should make the "Vendor" path look like the fastest way to reach the same fix, with the least organizational friction, and the cleanest governance.

Package it so an executive can decide quickly

Form follows use. Use a deck when you need a narrative that can be skimmed quickly and socialized; use a doc when you need to show deep thinking and let operators inspect the details. Either way, keep it brief because by the time you need a business case, most of the work is already done, validated, and socialized in the buyer's org.

Always include a one-page CFO page at the top: the Canary, what changes, the Impact range with assumptions, the three options, time to first proof, major risk controls, and the decision you're asking for. Make it possible for a CFO to approve in 30–90 seconds because they see a real fix, a safe test, and a bounded commitment.

Make the decision easy to say "yes" to

When all the parts are in place, the decision you're asking for should be small, reversible, and aligned with their internal approval norms:

• Decision: approve the first proof (not the full rollout).
• Scope: move one Canary for one team or segment.
• Timebox: a short window with a crisp exit (continue, change scope, or stop).
• Owner: one named internal executive sponsor and one operator.
• Artifacts: the specific workflow, model, and success criteria they keep.

You're not selling a demo. You're asking for a decision to attempt a fix in a way that proves or disproves your approach quickly.

What "good" looks like (rev-ops checklist)

• Symptoms that land with your ICP; no jargon they don't use.
• Canary that moves early and is observable in their system.
• Impact math that is traceable and auditable by Finance.
• A fix an Ops team could run, written in operational language.
• Three options compared on the same frame: time, risk, and net value.
• CFO-ready packaging: a one-page summary, then details by role.
• A decision that is small and safe: designed to de-risk the rollout path.

Why this works

A supercase respects how companies actually buy. It aligns on the problem, proves urgency and importance with Canary + Impact, and then treats the fix like real work—not feature theater. By showing the DIY path, you prove the fix is legitimate; by comparing options on a stable frame, you prove you're trustworthy; by designing a safe test, you make "yes" easy.

When RevOps runs this way, sellers stop pushing features and start guiding decisions. And buyers stop shopping for tools and start adopting fixes.