Time to value (TTV) and business case
Time to value is how long from signing until the buyer sees the first measurable benefit; the business case is the one page that justifies the spend.
Vendors talk about bridging technology and value: translating “we built an agent” into hours saved, errors avoided or revenue gained. A business case states the cost today, the cost after, the investment, the payback period and the assumptions behind each number. A short time to value matters because budgets get reviewed; a project that shows nothing for months is easy to cut.
Related terms
- Payback period: How long it takes for savings or extra revenue from an investment to cover what it cost.
- Economic buyer and champion (EB, champ): Two roles vendors look for inside a buying company: the economic buyer controls the budget and can say yes, and the champion sells the purchase internally.
- Pilot success criteria (exit criteria): Measurable conditions agreed before a pilot starts that decide whether it passed and the buyer moves to a full contract.
- Consultative selling: Selling by diagnosing the buyer’s problem first and proposing only what solves it, including telling the buyer when the vendor is not the right fit.
