Mid-market pilot scorecard

Blank worksheet, security and procurement checklist, filled fictional example, and AI prompt for scoring a mid-market (committee-led) pilot toward an annual PO.

Blank worksheet

Update weekly. Bring this to midpoint and to the commercial ask. Bound scope to one BU, plant, or department unless the agreement says otherwise.

Criterion	Baseline	Target	Current	Status	Owner
1. ___	___	___	___	[ ] G [ ] A [ ] R	___
2. ___	___	___	___	[ ] G [ ] A [ ] R	___
3. ___	___	___	___	[ ] G [ ] A [ ] R	___
4. ___ (optional)	___	___	___	[ ] G [ ] A [ ] R	___
5. ___ (optional)	___	___	___	[ ] G [ ] A [ ] R	___

Security / procurement / finance parallel-path checklist

Mid-market security and vendor steps are real, so start them in week one of serious interest. Track beside product proof so questionnaires and order forms do not surprise you at the ask.

Workstream	Status	Blocker	Owner	Due
BU GM / CFO / COO on a live call	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___
Finance partner briefed on criteria	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___
SSO / data access for pilot BU	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___
Security / vendor questionnaire	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___
DPA / basic vendor packet (if any)	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___
Procurement / order form / PO path	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___
Phase-two price in writing	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___

Working steps

Paste written success criteria into the scorecard before kickoff: cost per unit, throughput, cycle time, error/rework rate, overtime, revenue per head, or a named conversion metric finance already tracks. No soft "team likes it" or login-count-only lines.

If there is a separate free-trial or unpaid POC clock, name it. Put it on a separate sheet and keep it out of the paid pilot scorecard.

Update status every week. Treat amber without a next action as red.

Bring BU GM, CFO, or finance partner (not only the VP champion) to midpoint. Re-score against written criteria only.

Before the commercial ask, confirm access and security questionnaire are cleared, procurement knows the ask date, and phase-two BU/plant/ACV intent is still in writing.

Filled example (fictional: industrial distributor / 620 people / one Midwest DC)

Teaching example only. Pattern-check your deal; do not cite these numbers as a real case study. Company-size: mid-market (committee-led).

Criterion	Baseline	Target	Current (wk 6)	Status	Owner
Lines packed / labor hour (Midwest DC)	42	≥52	54	Green	Priya / you
On-time ship rate	91%	≥96%	96.5%	Green	Priya
Overtime hours / week (that DC)	180h	≤110h	102h	Green	You + Priya
Week-2 finance KPI memo to CFO	n/a	Sent wk 2	Sent day 12	Green	You
SSO + security questionnaire	Not started	Live before ask	Live wk 4	Green	IT / security

AI prompt

Paste into ChatGPT or Claude. Replace bracketed placeholders with your deal facts.

You are helping a founder sell into mid-market accounts (roughly 100 to 2,000 employees, committee-led: VP champion plus BU GM/CFO/COO signer, rather than owner-led SMEs or full enterprise procurement) run a paid pilot that must convert to an annual PO.

Company / product: [YOUR COMPANY + PRODUCT]
Buyer account: [COMPANY + INDUSTRY + ~HEADCOUNT]
Scope in pilot: [ONE BU / ONE PLANT / ONE DEPARTMENT / SEAT COUNT / MODULES]
Pilot window: [START] to [END] (prefer 4–8 weeks)
Target phase-two ACV: [AMOUNT]
VP / senior director champion: [NAME / TITLE]
Economic buyer (BU GM / CFO / COO): [NAME / TITLE]
Finance partner: [NAME / STATUS]
IT / security contact: [NAME / STATUS]
Procurement / vendor mgmt: [NAME / STATUS]
Free trial / unpaid POC (if any): [N/A / SEPARATE CLOCK / STATUS]
Compelling event: [MISSED PLAN / PEER COMPETITOR WIN / FISCAL GATE / NEW VP MANDATE / BOARD ASK / OTHER]

Produce:
1) A markdown scorecard table with columns:
Criterion | Baseline | Target | Current | Status (green/amber/red) | Evidence | Owner
Include 3-5 finance-readable criteria (cost per unit, throughput, cycle time, error/rework, overtime, revenue per head, named conversion metric). No soft "team likes it," login-count-only, or NPS-only lines.
2) A second table: Stakeholder | Role | Attitude | Next action this week
(Roles: VP/Sr Dir champion, BU GM/CFO/COO, finance partner, IT/security, procurement. Flag it if the contact is director-only with no buy authority)
3) A third table for the parallel path: Workstream | Status | Blocker | Owner | Due
(Include EB on a live call, finance briefed, SSO/data access, security/vendor questionnaire, DPA/vendor packet if any, order form/PO path, phase-two price in writing)
4) End with 5 bullets: biggest risk, whether to ask for PO this week, scope-cut options (one BU / one plant / fewer seats or modules; no deep list-price discount), one week-1/2 KPI memo angle for finance, one thing to stop doing.

Rules:
- Invent no fake metrics; use ___ when unknown.
- Every status needs a next action.
- Prefer reduce BUs / plants / seats / modules over discounting list price.
- Director / VP champion is not the economic buyer (BU GM/CFO/COO).
- Free trial / unpaid POC is not a paid customer pilot. Keep the clocks separate.
- Mid-market is distinct from SME and enterprise. Keep the committee-led, finance-readable, 4–8 week framing.
- Security questionnaire and procurement path often start before or alongside the pilot instead of after verbal yes.