Proof of Value

Build business cases and ROI models. AI calculates quantified outcomes, TCO comparisons, time-to-value estimates, and produces executive-ready PoV documents.

Skill Details

Install this skill

Versionv1.0.0AuthorJorge ArteagaLicenseMITSections17

Works with

Claude CodeCursorWindsurf

When This Skill Owns the TaskWorkflow

Required Context to Gather FirstWorkflow

Before building a PoV, ask for or infer:

Current state metrics — What are the baseline numbers? (Win rate, cycle length, CSAT, handle time, etc.)

Number of users — How many people will use the solution? What are their roles?

Average values — Average deal size, ACV, cost per customer interaction, etc.

Current tech costs — Licenses, maintenance, integration overhead for what they have today?

Primary pain points — Which problems are we solving? (From discovery)

Agreed improvement assumptions — What % improvement is realistic? (Conservative, likely, optimistic)

Evaluation horizon — 1-year, 3-year, or 5-year ROI window?

WorkflowWorkflow

Identify the value drivers — Based on discovery, which of the 5 value buckets apply?

Collect baseline metrics — Get actual numbers from the customer where possible; use benchmarks for gaps.

Set improvement assumptions — Use conservative, likely, and optimistic scenarios.

Build the model — Calculate impact per driver; sum to total value.

Calculate TCO — Salesforce investment vs. status quo or alternative.

Calculate ROI and payback period — Net present value, ROI %, and months to break even.

Produce the PoV document — Use the output template.

Validate with the economic buyer — Present the model and refine assumptions together.

Core Frameworks

The 5 Salesforce Value Buckets

ROI Calculation Framework

Code

Total Value = Sum of all value drivers (annual)

Salesforce Investment = Licenses + Implementation + Training + Ongoing admin

Net Annual Benefit = Total Value − Annual Investment

ROI (%) = (Net Annual Benefit / Total Investment) × 100

Payback Period = Total Investment / Annual Net Benefit (in months)

Benchmarks by Product

Use these Salesforce benchmarks when customer data is unavailable. Always label as "Salesforce customer averages" and invite the customer to adjust.

#### Sales Cloud

27% increase in win rates
25% more reps achieving quota
32% increase in sales productivity
28% decrease in sales cycle length

#### Service Cloud

32% improvement in agent productivity
26% decrease in case resolution time
26% increase in customer satisfaction
25% decrease in support costs

#### Marketing Cloud

30% increase in email open rates
27% higher marketing-attributed pipeline
31% reduction in cost per lead

#### Agentforce

40% of service cases resolved without a human
60% reduction in average handle time for AI-assisted cases
35% increase in first contact resolution

#### Data Cloud

33% improvement in customer 360 completeness
28% better campaign targeting precision
42% reduction in data silos across departments

TCO Comparison Template

Output FormatTemplate

Proof-of-Value Document

MARKDOWN

# Proof of Value — [Company Name] × Salesforce
**Date:** [Date] | **SE:** [Name] | **AE:** [Name]
**Products in Scope:** [List] | **Evaluation Window:** [1 / 3 / 5 years]

## Executive Summary
[3-4 sentences: the business problem, the proposed solution, and the headline ROI]

**Headline Numbers:**
- Projected 3-Year ROI: [X]%
- Payback Period: [X] months
- Total 3-Year Benefit: $[X]M
- Net 3-Year Value (after investment): $[X]M

## Business Problem
[What the customer is trying to solve — in their words where possible]

## The Current State Cost
[What does the status quo cost them? Quantified where possible]

| Pain Point | Current Impact | Annual Cost |
|-----------|---------------|------------|
| [Pain] | [Measured impact] | $[X] |
| **Total Annual Cost of Status Quo** | | **$[X]** |

## Proposed Solution
[Brief description of the Salesforce solution and the key capabilities]

## Value Model

### Conservative / Likely / Optimistic Scenarios

| Value Driver | Assumption | Annual Value |
|-------------|-----------|-------------|
| [Driver 1] | [X]% improvement × [baseline metric] × [users/deals] | $[X] |
| [Driver 2] | [X hours saved] × [users] × [loaded hourly cost] | $[X] |
| **Total Annual Value** | | **$[X]** |

| Scenario | Improvement Assumption | Annual Value | 3-Year Value |
|----------|----------------------|-------------|-------------|
| Conservative | [X]% of benchmarks | $[X] | $[X] |
| Likely | [Y]% of benchmarks | $[X] | $[X] |
| Optimistic | [Z]% of benchmarks | $[X] | $[X] |

## Investment Summary

| Cost Category | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total |
|---------------|--------|--------|--------|-------|
| Licenses | $[X] | $[X] | $[X] | $[X] |
| Implementation | $[X] | — | — | $[X] |
| Training | $[X] | $[X] | — | $[X] |
| **Total Investment** | | | | **$[X]** |

## ROI Summary

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Total 3-Year Benefit | $[X] |
| Total 3-Year Investment | $[X] |
| Net 3-Year Value | $[X] |
| ROI (%) | [X]% |
| Payback Period | [X] months |

## Key Assumptions
- [Assumption 1 — invite customer to adjust]
- [Assumption 2]
- [Note: These are conservative projections based on Salesforce customer averages]

## Next Steps
[Call to action — what should happen next based on this PoV]

Anti-PatternsReference

Scoring Rubric (90 Points)Reference

Cross-Skill IntegrationReference

Task	This Skill	Defer To
Build an ROI model	Yes	—
Calculate TCO comparison	Yes	—
Produce a PoV or business case document	Yes	—
Quantify time-to-value	Yes	—
Benchmark Salesforce outcomes vs. industry	Yes	—
Surface the business metrics to use in the model	No	sf-se-discovery
Design the solution being valued	No	sf-se-whiteboard
Build the presentation deck with the business case	No	sf-se-presentation
Value Bucket	Example Metrics	Typical Salesforce Lift
Revenue Growth	Win rate, deal size, pipeline velocity	+15-25% win rate with Sales Cloud AI
Cost Reduction	Handle time, manual processes, headcount	-20-35% service handle time with Agentforce
Productivity	Rep activities per day, time to close, admin burden	+25-40% rep productivity with automation
Customer Experience	CSAT, NPS, churn rate, retention	+10-20% CSAT with unified service
Risk & Compliance	Audit failures, data breaches, compliance cost	Significant but harder to quantify
Cost Category	Status Quo	Salesforce	Difference
Software licenses (annual)	$[X]	$[Y]	$[Z]
Implementation / setup	$[X]	$[Y]	$[Z]
Annual maintenance	$[X]	$[Y]	$[Z]
Integration build & maintain	$[X]	$[Y]	$[Z]
Training and change management	$[X]	$[Y]	$[Z]
IT support overhead	$[X]	$[Y]	$[Z]
3-Year Total Cost	$[X]	$[Y]	$[Z]
Anti-Pattern	Why It Fails	Fix
Using Salesforce's most impressive benchmarks as baseline	Destroys credibility when the customer applies scrutiny	Lead with conservative assumptions; let the customer push the numbers up
ROI without a baseline	"You'll save 30%" means nothing without a starting number	Always anchor to a specific, agreed-upon current-state metric
Including every possible value driver	The model becomes unbelievable and unverifiable	Pick the 3-4 drivers with the strongest evidence and best data
Not getting the EB to review the assumptions	EB dismisses the model because they didn't co-create it	Walk through the model with the economic buyer; let them adjust inputs
Burying the ROI in a complex spreadsheet	Executives don't read spreadsheets; they read headlines	Always lead with the payback period and 3-year ROI in a single sentence
Ignoring implementation cost	Creates sticker shock later; damages trust	Always include realistic implementation costs, not just licenses
One scenario only	No flexibility; customer feels railroaded	Always present conservative / likely / optimistic scenarios
Category	Points	Pass Criteria
Baseline Data Quality	25	At least 3 value drivers anchored to customer-provided or agreed baseline metrics
Model Credibility	25	Conservative assumptions; sources cited; no cherry-picked benchmarks
Investment Completeness	20	Licenses + implementation + training + ongoing included
Executive Readiness	20	Headline numbers visible in 10 seconds; assumptions documented
Skill	When to Use It
sf-se-discovery	Surface the baseline metrics and pain points that power the model
sf-se-whiteboard	Design the solution being valued
sf-se-presentation	Build the executive presentation that contains the PoV
sf-se-competitive	Add a TCO comparison against the specific competitor
sf-se-deal-strategy	Use the PoV as a critical deal milestone in the win plan
sf-se-executive-briefing	Compress the PoV into an executive one-pager