The setup was free. The setup team wasn’t.

Free implementation is sold as a discount, but it behaves like a product: it has a cost curve, a queue and a cash profile, and almost nobody measures it.

By Steve 4 min read
Abstract bridge artwork for The setup was free. The setup team wasn’t.

Somewhere in most proposals there is a line that reads onboarding included, or setup waived, or implementation at no charge. It was written by someone in sales, usually late in a negotiation, as the cheapest available concession: cheaper than moving the headline price, because it doesn’t touch the recurring number the deal is judged on. It isn’t cheap. Onboarding is the one part of the offer that is delivered by people, consumes real hours, happens before any revenue arrives, and scales with the customer’s mess rather than the customer’s spend.…

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