SME pilot scorecard

Blank worksheet, light IT/security checklist, filled fictional example, and AI prompt for scoring an SME (owner-led) pilot toward a PO or signed order.

Blank worksheet

Update weekly. Bring this to midpoint and to the commercial ask. Bound scope to one team or one site 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	___

Light IT / security / billing parallel-path checklist

SME IT is thin, so keep this short and start in week one of serious interest. Track beside product proof so access and billing do not surprise you at the ask.

Workstream	Status	Blocker	Owner	Due
Owner / GM on a live call	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___
Data / login access for pilot team	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___
MSP / IT contact named	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___
Basic vendor / security Qs (if any)	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___
Bookkeeper / bill-pay contact	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___
Order form / PO / card 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: cash saved/earned, hours on a named job, jobs/invoices/orders per week, cycle time on one process. No soft "team likes it" or login-count-only lines.

If there is a separate free-trial / "we'll just try it" 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 owner/founder/GM (not only the ops champion) to midpoint. Re-score against written criteria only.

Before the commercial ask, confirm access and light security are cleared, bill-pay contact knows the ask date, and phase-two team/site/ACV intent is still in writing.

Filled example (fictional: residential dispatch / 12 techs / one warehouse)

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 Pattern-check your deal; do not cite these numbers as a real case study.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

Criterion	Baseline	Target	Current (wk 4)	Status	Owner
Overtime hours/week (dispatch team)	46h	≤28h	26h	Green	Dana / you
Jobs completed / tech / day	4.1	≥5.0	5.2	Green	Dana
Same-day reschedule rate	18%	≤10%	9%	Green	You + Dana
Week-1 cash impact memo to owner	n/a	Sent wk 1	Sent day 6	Green	You
MSP login + bill-pay path	Not started	Live before ask	Live wk 3	Green	MSP / bookkeeper

AI prompt

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

You are helping a founder sell into SMEs (small / mid-size, owner-led businesses, rather than mid-market committees or enterprise procurement) run a short paid pilot that must convert to a PO or signed order.

Company / product: [YOUR COMPANY + PRODUCT]
Buyer account: [COMPANY + INDUSTRY + ~HEADCOUNT]
Scope in pilot: [ONE TEAM / ONE SITE / SEAT COUNT]
Pilot window: [START] to [END] (prefer 2–6 weeks)
Target phase-two ACV: [AMOUNT]
Ops / day-to-day champion: [NAME / TITLE]
Economic buyer (owner / founder / GM): [NAME / TITLE]
Bookkeeper / bill-pay: [NAME / STATUS]
IT / MSP / tech contact: [NAME / STATUS]
Free trial / "we'll just try it" (if any): [N/A / SEPARATE CLOCK / STATUS]
Compelling event: [OVERTIME / CASH PINCH / SEASONAL PEAK / COMPETITOR WIN / NEW SITE / HEADCOUNT LOSS / OTHER]

Produce:
1) A markdown scorecard table with columns:
Criterion | Baseline | Target | Current | Status (green/amber/red) | Evidence | Owner
Include 3-5 underwritable criteria (cash saved/earned, hours on a named job, jobs/invoices/orders per week, cycle time on one process). No soft "team likes it," login-count-only, or NPS-only lines.
2) A second table: Stakeholder | Role | Attitude | Next action this week
(Roles: ops champion, owner/founder/GM, bookkeeper/bill-pay, IT/MSP. Flag it if the contact is middle manager only with no buy authority)
3) A third table for the parallel path: Workstream | Status | Blocker | Owner | Due
(Include owner on a live call, data/login access, MSP/IT named, basic vendor/security Qs if any, bookkeeper/bill-pay, order form/PO/card path, phase-two price in writing)
4) End with 5 bullets: biggest risk, whether to ask for PO this week, scope-cut options (one team / one site / fewer seats; no deep list-price discount), one week-1 cash/KPI memo angle for the owner, one thing to stop doing.

Rules:
- Invent no fake metrics; use ___ when unknown.
- Every status needs a next action.
- Prefer reduce teams / sites / seats over discounting list price.
- Middle manager / ops champion is not the economic buyer (owner/founder/GM).
- "We'll just try it" / free trial is not a paid customer pilot. Keep the clocks separate.
- SME is distinct from mid-market and enterprise. Keep the owner-led, cash-sensitive, weeks-not-quarters framing.
- Light IT/security and bill-pay path often start before or alongside the pilot instead of after verbal yes.