qualify
Work backwards from ACV
Qualify whether a successful pilot leads to your target ACV.
The real first question
If the objective is a $100K annual license, the first qualification is commercial: who buys, at what price, with what approval path — assuming proof.
$100K target walkthrough (fictional)
Work the number before you invent the pilot calendar.
Wrong price, successful pilot
Hitting soft criteria while the buyer expects a cheap subscription is a loss. Align pilot price and phase-two price with the ACV story finance will underwrite.
Practical checks
Confirm economic buyer access, budget timing relative to the compelling event, and that success metrics map to cost, risk, or revenue.
Claims and patterns on this page are paraphrased from practitioner session notes and the Startup Bible pilots page. See Sources.