49% of software buyers saw the CFO reverse an approved deal. Write the finance case first

That's now common enough to plan for. In G2's 2026 Buyer Behavior Report, a survey of 1,038 B2B decision-makers run in June, 49% said their CFO had reversed a deal the buying team had already approved in the past 12 months. G2 runs a software review site and sells marketing to software vendors, so read it as a vendor's survey. But Forrester's research earlier this year points the same way, and it explains a lot of deals that went quiet after "we're just getting final sign-off".

“The person who kills your deal may never join a call.”

What the data shows

Finance has moved earlier and got louder. G2 says finance involvement in software buying decisions jumped from 31% to 46% in a single year. In its words, finance "moved upstream and started reversing decisions downstream."

A veto also changes how that buyer behaves next time. Among buyers who've watched their CFO undo a deal, 79% lean towards shorter terms and 40% strongly want contracts under 12 months. G2 adds: "Three in four now expect a positive ROI within six months of signing a contract."

If you sell AI, the scrutiny is sharper. Among organisations with a dedicated budget for AI tokens, 54% said their CFO blocked an already-approved software purchase in the past year. Without one, it was 29%.

Forrester's State of Business Buying 2026 covers business purchases generally, not just software. The typical buying decision now involves 13 people inside the buying company and nine outside influencers. Procurement professionals are decision-makers in 53% of buying cycles. Forrester analyst Barbara Winters says buyers are "under immense pressure to justify investments" and keep risk down.

None of this says finance hates spending. G2's own line is that finance "is not anti-software; it is pro-value." Usually the CFO isn't against you. They just haven't been given anything to say yes to.

The playbook: write the finance page before you're asked

1. Ask where the money comes from on the first call. "Is this new budget, or is something being cut to pay for it?" G2's advice to vendors is the same: ask what's being cut, downgraded, delayed or consolidated, and build the case around that trade.
2. Ask who signs off spend at this size, and what they asked last time something got turned down. Your champion will usually tell you.
3. Write a one-page finance case your champion can forward without editing. Template below.
4. Show payback inside six months, or say honestly when it won't come that fast and what will show up first instead.
5. Offer a shorter first term before they ask for one. A six-month first contract, or a fixed-fee first phase, takes away an easy reason to say no.
6. Put proof finance trusts at the bottom of the page: a named customer's numbers, with permission, and your review scores.

The one-page case needs six lines:

• Year-one cost, all in: licence or fees, set-up, and the client's own time.
• What it replaces: the tool, contractor or hours that stop.
• The outcome in pounds, with each assumption written out so finance can change it.
• The payback month.
• The exit: notice period, break clause, what happens to their data or work.
• One customer result from a similar business.

Here's a SaaS version with example inputs (swap in yours). Your product costs £750 a month plus £1,500 to set up, so £10,500 in year one. It replaces a £3,000-a-year tool and saves an ops manager eight hours a week. Value that time at £30 an hour over 46 working weeks and it's £11,040 a year. Together that's £14,040 a year, or £1,170 a month. The customer is ahead in month four. (FER calculation from the example inputs.)

For an agency or consultancy, the logic is the same but the levers differ. A £5,000-a-month retainer is £60,000 a year before anyone has seen a result. Pitch a three-month first phase at a fixed £15,000, with one stated target and a break clause at the end. Finance is signing off a quarter, not a year. G2's data covers software buying, but if your client has a finance team, assume they read your proposal the same way.

Where it goes wrong

Inventing the return. A finance person will rework your numbers. If the hourly rate or the time saved isn't defensible, the whole page looks like sales copy. Use the client's own figures, or ask them for theirs.

Discounting the term instead of the risk. Shorter contracts mean more renewals to win and lumpier cash. Offer a short first term at full price, not a short term and a discount.

Forcing a six-month payback that isn't real. Brand work, a platform migration or a hire-replacement deal may take longer. Say so, and name what they'll see by month three that shows it's on track.

Going round your champion to the CFO. Give the champion the page and let them carry it. They'll be the one defending it in a meeting you're not in.

The Monday-morning version: open your three biggest live deals and write down, for each, who signs off the money and what's being cut to pay for it. If you don't know, that's the first question on your next call.