“How does this sound to the people who will use it daily?” should form part of your pitching ammunition. Users can undermine your sale. So, be careful how you pitch to them – especially lay staff. This isn’t so much about dropping your pride and selling to the ‘’irrelevant’ too, but about naivete.
When management loves it, but users don’t
Now then. If you are selling fuel cards to a transport company for instance, the executive and managers will likely be eager to take it up. After all, they can now track fuel usage, dictate where fuelling is done, and generally have a sense of control over fuel costs. To them, the value is clear.
Now you turn to the drivers. You are eager to show them how the card makes their work easier. So, you say something like: “Now you don’t have to account for every shilling you’re given, or even carry cash around. All you have to do is use the card, and management will automatically see where, and how much you’ve fuelled.” That’s what you excitedly say.
But what you don’t know is what they hear. You see, their priority is different. So, as they huddle over tea in the garage, the translation sounds more like this: “Mmesikia hawa watu wa (insert your company name) wanataka kutuharibia biashara?”
“Miscommunication” makes users undermine your sale
Turns out that card usage will choke their revenue stream from siphoned fuel and overtime pay, from inefficiencies your fuel management system will eliminate. And, of course, they can’t tell you that outright. So, what do they do? They play along politely, maybe even nodding at your explanation, but deep inside, they are already resistant.
For you, the fact that leadership is entertaining your presence means that the problem does exist. But to assume that the user—the lay person—sees the same value is a dangerous mistake. Ignore this, and you’ll soon be frustrated at why the sale is not progressing, or worse, after installation, you’ll face constant complaints from the users: “This system doesn’t work… this card isn’t reliable…”
Lo and behold, management—fed up with the constant pushback—starts looking elsewhere for solutions. And just like that, users undermine your sales, not because the value wasn’t there, but because you didn’t win over the people on the ground.
Replace the revenue stream, don’t just cut it
So, what to do? First, lamenting over why employees misuse and steal resources at the workplace will not help you. It happens. In any case, it’s the crux of your pitch. Yes, you can ask management to read the riot act and enforce iron-fist usage of the card. In effect, they’ll make the sale for you. And that may work—or it may not.
Either way, you need to arm yourself with a pitch for the drivers, or for the clerks in the hospital. Management may see efficiency, with your Hospital Monument System but the clerks are thinking: “Wait—this system is automating billing. Does that mean my role is shrinking? Could I lose my job?”
Users can undermine your sale
If you fail to address those unspoken questions, you risk sabotage. And derailment from the bottom up is rarely loud or dramatic; it’s subtle, quiet, often disguised as “technical issues” or “miscommunication.” This is yet another way users undermine your sales without ever saying it directly.
So, for drivers, without stating it, replace one revenue stream with another. Recommend to management to introduce incentives. For example, a fuel efficiency bonus or a safe driving allowance tied to card usage. Then, pitch this to drivers: “Every litre saved shows up here. And management is rewarding efficiency. The better you manage fuel, the more you take home at month-end.” This way, you don’t take away a revenue stream—you replace it with a cleaner one. Handle it wrong, and users undermine your sales by clinging to the old, informal perks.
Point to ponder: A salesperson I know tells drivers, ‘The card even covers car washes.’ What he says sounds like convenience. What the driver hears is opportunity: ‘Perfect. I’ll just stage a few fake washes, swipe the card, and split the cash with the station guy when he gets paid.”
Recognition and career boost
Further, the recommendation to management ties neatly into driver recognition, Drivers rarely get recognized for efficiency; often they’re blamed. With card data, you can show management who’s consistently fuel-efficient. So, to the drivers: “This system makes it easier to prove who the responsible drivers are. If you’re disciplined on the road, it shows. That’s what gets you considered for the best routes and vehicles.”
This reframes the card as a career booster, and prevents another common scenario where users undermine your sales, by quietly undermining adoption because they don’t see what’s in it for them.
Quick wins and informal leaders
Or, to them directly, show quick wins. Lay people are less swayed by projections of long-term ROI. They want to see something that helps them today. Demonstrate quick, tangible wins—fewer forms to fill, fewer trips to the office, faster turnaround. “With this card, you will make more trips, because of fewer stops to fuel and therefore earn much more money as you are paid per trip.”
Alternatively, win their informal leaders. Every group has influencers. The driver everyone respects. The senior nurse others look up to. The clerk who always seems to know “how things are done.” If you can win them over, the rest will follow.
Frame it as protection, not policing
Another option: frame it as personal protection. Drivers often get accused of fuel theft—even when innocent. With fuel cards, every litre is digitally tracked. “This card protects you. If ever there’s a dispute about missing fuel, the record will clear you instantly. No more suspicion hanging over your head.” This way, you turn surveillance into a shield, not a weapon.
Users, lay staff, can undermine your sale
In short, instead of fighting their hidden “side hustle” directly (you’ll lose), you reframe the card as their protection, their convenience, their recognition, and potentially, a new way to earn. That’s how you diffuse resistance without naming the problem.
Users can undermine your sale. At the end of the day, executives may sign the cheque, but it’s the users who determine whether your solution truly works. They can quietly make or break your sale. Overlook them, and you’ll find yourself wondering why users undermine your sales again and again.
You may like to read: adapt your presentation to respective business buyer and pitch to position
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