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Article · AI and revenue

Your Sales People Aren't in the Room

Technology vendors are making the cost case to the CFO while BPO reps discuss CSAT with operations managers. Getting into that room takes a different narrative, sales process and comp plan.

October 2025 · 2 min read

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Short answer

Your sales team is losing deals in a room it isn't in.

Technology vendors take the cost-per-interaction case to the CFO while BPO reps discuss CSAT with operations managers. Getting into that conversation takes a narrative, a sales process and a comp plan built for it.

Why aren't your sales people in the room?

Because technology vendors are making a different case to a different buyer.

There's a conversation happening in your prospects' C-suite right now. But your sales team isn't in the room.

While your reps are discussing CSAT scores with contact center managers, technology vendors are three floors up, showing the CFO how they can cut the cost of each interaction. Same outcome. Different math. And a completely different buyer.

This isn't hypothetical. It's happening right now, and most BPO sales teams have no idea they're already losing deals. Losing deals to a different buyer in a different room usually traces back to a narrative and sales process built for the old conversation.

What's changing in how technology gets sold?

The contact center industry is becoming technology-first, and the sales motion has to follow.

Paul Smith, Principal and co-founder of Evostr, spent much of his career in technology sales before moving into BPO, and has watched this shift accelerate. Among the shifts he's seeing:

We know this is uncomfortable territory. Many BPOs built incredible businesses on labor arbitrage and operational excellence, and those skills still matter. But clients stopped wanting just bodies in seats, and the contact center industry is becoming technology-first. The question isn't whether that shift will happen. It's whether you'll lead it for your clients by building a real segment-based tech strategy instead of bolting a vendor onto your existing pitch, or watch them find someone else to guide them through it.

The cost-per-interaction problem isn't going away. Your prospects are already doing that math. The only question is whether your team will be in the room when the decision gets made.

Next Step

If automating would shrink your revenue, we can talk it through.

Frequently asked questions

How do we get access to a CFO conversation we've never been invited to?

You earn the invitation by bringing the CFO's math, not just the ops manager's scorecard. Walk in with a cost-per-interaction comparison and a business case, the same artifacts the technology vendors are already using upstairs.

Do we need to hire new salespeople for this, or can we retrain who we have?

Some reps will make the shift with training and new material. Others built their entire approach around relationship-based, seat-based selling and won't adapt. Separating legacy and transformation sales talent is the practical answer: you likely need both, not a wholesale replacement.

Should we change compensation before or after we start selling into the C-suite?

Before, if you can. A small technology deal will always lose to a large seat contract under the same commission structure, so reps have no incentive to prioritize the conversation you're asking them to have until the comp plan says otherwise.

Amanda Quinn, Principal at Evostr

Amanda Quinn

Amanda Quinn is a Principal at Evostr. She is an independent analyst for Fourcasters, was named to ICMI's 2026 Top 25 Thought Leaders in Customer Experience, spoke at and judged awards at Matchboard BPO Exchange 2026, and co-hosts the Build a Better BPO podcast.

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