We were winning enterprise logos. On contracts under $5K.
Big companies were signing, but only one team was buying. Here's how we found why enterprise revenue was underperforming, and more than tripled average contract value.
We need bigger enterprise deals. But even our largest customers sign contracts under $5K.
Enterprise growth was the priority. But the company risked collecting enterprise logos without capturing enterprise-level revenue, and procurement kept pushing deals down on price.
When I looked at how the product was actually used, the same pattern showed up everywhere. The company had some enterprise customers, but not enterprise-wide adoption. In enterprise, mid-sized and small accounts alike, one team, usually engineering, used and bought it. That was why enterprise deals stalled on price. A large company has language needs across many teams: engineering, product, marketing and content. As a tool for one of them, you are a small line item that procurement pushes down. As the platform for all of them, you are a strategic purchase. The platform wins.
There was a second problem the company hadn't recognised yet. AI translation was improving fast, and buyers were starting to ask why they needed the platform at all if AI could translate, or whether they could simply build it themselves. The competitor wasn't another localisation vendor any more. It was AI. I identified that shift and made it part of the strategy.
The question changed from “Why are our enterprise contracts so small?” to “Are we a tool for one team, or the platform for every team's language needs, even when AI is the alternative?”
This was the moment the company could have spent another year on enterprise lead generation. The leads weren't the problem. Enterprise buyers needed a reason to invest across every team, and an answer to “why not just use AI?”
From one team's tool to every team's platform.
I recommended reshaping the offer around how large organisations buy, instead of chasing more enterprise leads or adding features. The evidence showed the capability was there. Its value just wasn't clear to the people signing the contract.
Mapped how customers of every size used the product. Almost always, one team bought it. That made the case to leadership.
Repositioned from a developer tool to the platform for every team's language needs, priced as a strategic purchase.
Positioned the platform AI-first and gave Sales a build-versus-buy answer to “why not just use AI?”
Launched a new enterprise product, with an AI agent and a Language Market Fit Score to keep the story consistent.
The buyer changed. So did the contract value.
Three measures, before and after the new enterprise offer.
More than tripled, because the product was now bought as a platform for many teams, not a tool for one.
The repositioning contributed to 29% year-on-year ARR growth.
One in five opportunities was touched by the AI-first story.
More leads won't fix it.
If you're winning enterprise customers but your contracts stay small, attracting more leads may not solve the problem. I find what's stopping larger commitments, whether that's who buys, what they compare you with, or how you package and price. Then I fix the offer and the buying experience so bigger deals follow.
You're chasing bigger customers, deal sizes aren't moving, and buyers ask why they need you when AI can do it.
Fresh thinking on product marketing, GTM and growth.
Real-world lessons, practical ideas and the occasional uncomfortable question. One worthwhile read, delivered every Friday.