Written by: Vickie Sullivan  |  July 16, 2026

How to Justify Investments So CFOs Say Yes

Have you ever had a sure-thing opportunity suddenly disappear, only to find out later that budget restrictions were to blame? Trust me, you are not alone.

The culprit: The CFO. They didn’t see the value, so they exercised their veto power. That is why I’m sharing this MarketingProfs article about how to justify investments. Look past the internal marketing focus; these are great ideas outsiders like us can implement immediately.

The article makes a great point: While the CFO might believe you can provide the outcomes you promise, the way you connect your work to financial value is often too complicated to overcome their natural skepticism. Based on the article, here are the two top reasons CFOs lose interest:

• Our contribution needs a home. CFOs have a structured framework of investments, complete with categories based on outcomes. They won’t try to figure out where to put your project. The best time to figure this out is during the sales process. Ask your advocate: What budgets can we access? What metrics matter within those line items?

• The scope is too large. CFOs take nothing at face value. They need smaller outcomes that can be easily measured. That’s why any grand, overly general benefits (such as “growth” or “increased sales”) fall on deaf ears. Instead, the article recommends smaller more specific benchmarks. Again, go to your advocate to figure out the best ones.

Like it or not, financial folks have the power to torpedo our projects. The better we justify investments in terms the CFO already understands, the better our odds of getting to yes.

Now Read This:

• When Budgets Dry Up: Lessons from Filmmaker Ava Duvernay
• Competitive Branding for B2B Professional Service Firms

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