How enterprise buyers evaluate vendors: what 6,166 sales calls reveal

We analyzed Gong recordings of Pigment discovery conversations to rank the evaluation criteria buyers raise most often. Here’s what each one tells you about how enterprise buying decisions get made.

Enterprise buyers evaluate the decision process before they evaluate the product. To see how enterprise buyers evaluate vendors in practice, we used Gong to analyze 6,166 Pigment sales calls. We asked one question: what do sellers most often ask about evaluation criteria during discovery?

For revenue and finance leaders, the answer affects pipeline quality. A deal with no mapped decision process is hard to forecast with confidence. The ranking shows where sellers spend discovery time today, and where they don’t.

Here’s how to read the ranking. It orders the 8 themes by how often each came up in calls, relative to the others. The themes overlap, so one conversation can touch several, and the ranking doesn’t show whether discussing a topic changes a deal’s outcome.

The data comes from Pigment’s own enterprise planning sales motion, so it isn’t a census of all enterprise buyers. It reflects how Finance, RevOps, HR, and supply chain teams evaluate planning platforms. Those purchases are cross-functional by nature, which makes them a useful window into enterprise buying decisions.

How do enterprise buyers map the evaluation process?

Enterprise buyers evaluate vendors through a defined decision process with explicit criteria, a timeline, multiple stakeholders, and specific proof they need to see. Mapping that process is the most common evaluation topic in Pigment’s Gong data by a wide margin. It came up far more often than the next theme, formal evaluation stages.

The table ranks all 8 themes and what buyers evaluate in each.

What to ask to map the process

Sellers in the data ask which criteria the buyer will use, which steps the evaluation follows, and who’s involved. They also ask what information or demos the buyer needs to decide with confidence.

Committee size is one reason these questions matter. Forrester’s 2026 buyer insights report that a typical buying decision includes 13 internal stakeholders and 9 external influencers. The same research finds procurement is a decision-maker in 53% of business buying cycles.

Forrester’s figures cover business buyers across categories, and the counts rise for complex or strategic purchases. Use discovery to confirm:

• The criteria the buyer will use to compare vendors and how they’re weighted
• The steps in the evaluation and the date each one ends
• Everyone involved in the decision, including who signs off
• Stakeholders outside the core team, such as procurement or IT, who have a vote
• The information, demos, or proof the buyer needs to decide with confidence

For RevOps teams, a deal with a mapped process and named approvers is easier to stage and forecast. For the planning side of that work, see our sales and revenue planning guide. Buyers can structure the same process from their side with Pigment’s EPM platform evaluation guide.

What formal evaluation stages do buyers use (RFPs, POCs, demos)?

Formal evaluation stages, including RFPs, POCs, pilots, and demos, rank second. They lead a cluster of 3 themes at similar prevalence, with success definitions and timelines close behind. This is the stage where buyers stop listening to claims and start testing them.

Larger purchases get more formal scrutiny. Forrester’s 2026 research finds trial usage rises to 78% for purchases of $10m or more.

Sellers in these conversations probe the formal process, the success criteria for POCs and pilots, and the capabilities that will most influence the decision. Agree those success criteria in writing before the POC starts. Otherwise the pilot can drift into an open-ended demo.

Trials are now the norm for this stage. Forrester’s 2026 research finds more than 60% of business buyers use a trial to evaluate solutions.

Pigment offers a 14-day free trial in a private workspace, where an AI agent helps you build a first planning model. Whichever vendor you test, decide what the trial must prove before you start.

Why do buyers need an agreed definition of success?

Defining the buyer’s vision for success ranks third, at similar prevalence to formal stages and timelines. Sellers ask about desired outcomes, objectives, and measurable evaluation criteria, often before a POC or demo.

They also ask about the business drivers behind the need. A CFO approving a planning platform wants to know which number will move, such as forecast cycle time or forecast accuracy, and by how much.

The cost of a weak definition shows up later. Forrester’s 2024 buying research reports that 86% of B2B purchases stall during the buying process. The same research finds 81% of buyers are dissatisfied with the provider they chose.

Forrester doesn’t tie those figures to undefined success. A shared definition does give both sides a fair way to judge progress and, later, vendor performance.

So how do you measure vendor performance? Set a baseline, agree the target, and measure against it after go-live. Pigment’s guide on the ROI of AI in financial planning walks through that baseline-first approach.

How do timeline and urgency shape vendor evaluation?

Timeline, urgency drivers, and milestones rank fourth and round out the cluster. Sellers ask what’s driving urgency, where the evaluation stands, which criteria will decide it, and how the purchase fits the buyer’s strategic vision.

Gartner’s rep-free buying survey found 61% of B2B buyers prefer a rep-free buying experience overall. A seller who joins mid-evaluation has to ask about the deadline directly.

Time to go live belongs on the criteria list, too. Ask when the buyer needs the first live forecast or budget cycle, then work back to a plan using Pigment’s implementation guide.

Buyers should weigh time to value next to functionality. A platform that goes live after the planning cycle has already missed the deadline that created the urgency.

How do buyers compare competing vendors?

Competing vendors and differentiation rank fifth, a step below the cluster and close to technical scope.

Sellers ask who else is in the evaluation, which criteria will decide it, and how the vendor compares to other options. They also test how serious the evaluation is. A buyer with a named shortlist and a decision date is further along than one browsing the category.

That makes the comparison question a qualification signal as much as a feature check. The strongest answer explains how each option handles the buyer’s actual planning process, such as driver-based forecasts and scenario modeling.

Buyers building a shortlist can compare FP&A software vendors in Pigment’s guide. Test each vendor against your own criteria, and set aside claims you can’t verify in a demo or trial.

How do scope and technical fit shape the evaluation?

Scope, technical requirements, and phasing rank sixth, at similar prevalence to the competitive theme. Sellers ask which criteria matter most, how to scope and prioritize a phased rollout, and which technical and functional requirements apply.

They also ask which deliverables the buyer needs to finish the evaluation. Phasing is where a planning platform deal takes shape. Consider starting with one use case, such as the annual budget, then adding sales, workforce, or supply chain planning later.

Security and integrations belong in this conversation. Pigment’s integrations connect SAP, NetSuite, Workday, Salesforce, Snowflake, BigQuery, Excel, and Google Sheets. The Pigment security and compliance page lists its ISO 27001, SOC 1, and SOC 2 Type 2 certifications.

What hidden evaluation criteria surface only when sellers ask?

Unstated needs, gaps, and hidden criteria rank seventh, well below the mid-ranked themes. Sellers use open-ended questions to uncover core needs, then check for gaps or outstanding concerns as the evaluation moves forward.

Low prevalence is the opportunity here, because buying groups rarely agree on everything. Gartner’s buyer team survey found 74% of B2B buyer teams show unhealthy conflict during the buying decision.

Gartner’s survey of 632 buyers puts buying groups between 5 and 16 people. Groups that reach consensus are 2.5 times more likely to report a high-quality deal, based on buyers’ own assessments.

That conflict may help explain why so many B2B deals stall. Ask “what concerns haven’t we covered?” at every stage, and log the answers against the deal.

RevOps teams can then weigh those open risks in the forecast. That’s easier when sales forecasting in Pigment runs on the same model as the financial plan.

Where do budget and ROI fit in vendor evaluation?

Financial guardrails, budget constraints, and ROI expectations rank last, nearly tied with hidden criteria. Sellers ask about available budget, decision-makers and approvals, ROI and success criteria, and the project timeline.

The data shows how often sellers discussed budget, which isn’t the same as how much budget matters to the buyer. It does suggest sellers rarely make budget a discovery priority.

Don’t wait for the final approval step to bring finance in. In Forrester’s 2026 buyer insights release, analyst Barbara Winters says B2B buyers are under “immense pressure to justify investments and minimize risk.”

Build the business case with the buyer early instead. Pigment’s ROI guide uses a simple formula: ROI = (Gains − Investment) / Investment. Agree which gains you’ll count, such as hours saved per forecast cycle, before the POC starts.

What this means for how you run evaluations

The ranking shows where discovery is strong and where it leaves gaps. Use it to run a tighter evaluation, whether you’re selling a platform or buying one.

1. Map the decision process, the stakeholders, and the proof required before you discuss features
2. Agree on measurable success criteria before any POC, pilot, or trial starts
3. Raise budget, approvals, and ROI in the first conversations, since the data shows they come up least often
4. Check for hidden criteria at every stage and record the answers against the deal

Planning platform evaluations involve Finance, RevOps, HR, and supply chain at once, so they test every habit on this list. If you’re evaluating a planning platform now, see how Pigment fits your process.