How to sell the long-term benefits of digital modernization to B2B stakeholders

Highlights

You’ll learn how to sell the long-term benefits of B2B digital modernization.

• Map stakeholders: Understand stakeholder priorities, influence and objections
• Build business case: Show ROI, time-to-value and cost savings of digital initiatives
• Communicate clearly: Communicate and get feedback from stakeholders
• Prove credibility: Use data, case studies and pilot tests to prove viability

Drive stakeholder alignment and win support with real-world proof. Let’s build your roadmap.

Digital modernization is the process by which a B2B firm upgrades its digital tools and systems to meet current technological standards that improve operational efficiency, security and scalability.

Modernizing a company's digital infrastructure entails embracing cloud-based systems, AI solutions, API-first platforms and composable architectures. 

However, some B2B stakeholders may not support system upgrades due to fear of the unknown or preference for familiar digital tools. So, to secure buy-in and create alignment, change makers must explain how digital advancement improves customer experience (CX) and business growth in the long run.

How to sell the benefits of digital modernization to B2B stakeholders

Before modernizing digital systems in a B2B firm, you must establish a clear business case and create a structured plan to get stakeholders on board. Here are the steps to guide you through selling the benefits of a digital system upgrade to stakeholders. 

1. Map stakeholders: who needs convincing and why

Create a stakeholder map, which is a visual categorization of key individuals who can influence the digital upgrade initiative. After you identify stakeholders, itemize their concerns and interests and how much influence they wield. These details will help you structure your interactions with them and gain their support. Here are the key stakeholders to convince: 

• Business executives: They focus on long-term strategies for business growth. So, they need clarity on the speed of new systems and how they contribute to ROI growth.
• IT leaders: They focus on utilizing and optimizing technologies that support business operations. So, they need clarity on interoperability, data privacy and security and API requirements. 
• Finance leaders: They manage the company’s budget and are responsible for financial planning. So, itemize the cost of upgrades vs ROI and data on savings as a result of new systems. 
• Sales and marketing teams: They handle customer acquisition, engagement and revenue growth. Hence, clarify potential improvements in customer service, personalized experiences and workflows via data and automation.
• Supply chain and channel partners: They ensure product availability, efficient distribution and delivery. So, clarify how advanced technologies enhance inventory visibility, logistics and real-time coordination across the supply network.

By showing stakeholders how digital upgrades solve problems, you can grow their interests and win their support.

2. Build the business case

Given the potential investment required for technology projects, leaders must justify the need for the project. Highlight performance and other benefits, costs and the risks of sticking with the current technologies. You can focus on the following metrics:

• The total cost of ownership (TCO): Reports show that maintaining old systems takes 24 hours a week and uses 40% of the IT budget. Show evidence that modern systems like composable technologies are easier to manage, for instance, as you can upgrade each component separately, without costly system overhauls.
• ROI: Platforms like real-time CDPs unify customer data for personalized experiences, automation and advanced targeting. This supports omnichannel content delivery, which boosts conversion rates and overall ROI.
• Time to value: Legacy applications fragment data and create bottlenecks, which cause delays and poor customer experience. In contrast, modern technology, like a headless CMS, improves time to value by speeding up publishing.

3. Communicate the benefits of digital transformation with clarity

Clear communication gives stakeholders confidence and makes them commit to the transformation. It also emphasizes the relevance and need for modern systems. Here are tips to help you explain benefits clearly and secure buy-in: 

• Highlight the costs of inaction and provide data that shows the benefits of the new technology.
• Address the pain points and interests of each stakeholder and clarify how digital advancement solves challenges using real-time customer data and operational analytics.
• Use visuals like an ROI calculator to show projected revenue, a roadmap to display phases of deployment and a timeline of benefits. You can also use before-and-after charts to compare results. 

When you explain benefits clearly with supporting data evidence, stakeholders understand them better and are more willing to support the project. 

4. Provide proof and credibility

Use case studies of other B2B companies to reference real-world examples of the impact of using modern digital systems. Show supporting industry reports and run mini-pilot tests or proof-of-concept demos. That way, you can prove the efficacy of upgrades through their immediate value. To build a stronger case, you may also get third-party professionals like analysts or consultants to attest to the credibility and value of your digital change initiative.

5. Secure phased commitment

A phased approach reduces business disruptions. It also gives the team adequate time to adopt new technologies. Start with the smaller and low-risk investments. Then, set clear success metrics to demonstrate quick wins and build stakeholder confidence. Introduce more complex initiatives as you progress and break them into phases with clear milestones.

A phased implementation reduces financial risk while creating momentum for larger projects and investments.

Importance of aligning digital strategy and key performance indicators (KPIs)

For a digital strategy to be effective, you have to tie it to measurable business outcomes. So, you must carefully build a digital strategy that is connected to major KPIs that drive growth. Here are the major reasons why aligning your digital upgrade strategy with KPIs is critical to business success:

• Alignment ensures measurable progress as leaders can monitor the progress of expected outcomes after implementation.
• An aligned strategy aids performance monitoring, which provides insight that enables data-driven decision-making. 
• Linking digital changes with KPIs maintains stakeholder confidence as they can see how upgrades directly impact the business.

How to build an actionable framework for stakeholder engagement

Digital upgrade initiatives need sustained stakeholder engagement. So, you must create a plan to align them and get their support. Here are the steps to do that:

1. Communicate the vision: Give clear reasons for system upgrades. Focus on the benefits and opportunities, but also highlight potential risks and your plans to overcome them.
2. Quantify the outcomes: Back every claim with relevant data and statistics. Focus on business outcomes like cost savings, ticket reduction, time savings, time to value and ROI. You may also build comparison charts for legacy systems vs. modern systems.
3. Commit to a clear deployment roadmap: Structure digital upgrades in phases with a timeline that maps events, key individuals, milestones, expected results and long-term values.

A solid framework aligns messaging and deployment stages with outcomes, stakeholder desires and business goals. Each step builds trust and inspires stakeholders to support and engage with change initiatives.

Common challenges in gaining stakeholder buy-in

Certain factors hinder B2B stakeholder buy-in for digital upgrade initiatives. Here are common obstacles to prepare for:

Varied priorities

There is a clash of interests as stakeholders have different needs. Executives seek revenue growth and a competitive edge, while IT leaders strive for secure and stable systems. Finance leaders prioritize cost control, while marketing teams seek to increase sales. To create a common vision for stakeholders, highlight benefits that meet general needs and joint goals.

Legacy mindset and resistance to change

Some stakeholders prefer familiar systems and see new technologies as risky and complex. As a result, they push back on new digital models. 

To help stakeholders overcome their fears, clarify how modern technology uses AI, predictive analytics and live insight to adapt to global market shifts, meet demands and perform better. You can run pilot tests with free trials to prove the efficiency of new systems.

The competitive advantage: Why Contentstack leads

When it comes to managing stakeholders across marketing, IT and content teams, Contentstack stands out as the smarter modern CMS of choice. Here are the reasons.

• True headless architecture with an API-first approach, making integrations and custom workflows easier and faster to build than with Sitecore or Contentful.
• Automated governance and role-based access control help manage multiple stakeholders with clear permissions and business processes.
• Hybrid cloud computing support gives enterprises flexibility in how they deploy, unlike Sitecore’s more rigid hosting model.
• Built-in visual tools like Experience Builder allow marketers and non-technical teams to edit pages and preview content in real time—no coding needed. This is missing in Contentful and requires a complex setup in Sitecore.
• Modular SaaS platform ensures fast updates, security and scalability without costly overhead.

While Sitecore and Contentful are CMS options, they have some drawbacks. Contentful does not offer cross-team collaboration tools out of the box, while Sitecore is complex to set up and maintain. Contentstack delivers both agility and control, making it easier to manage marketers, developers and business leaders—on one platform.

Case studies

The Milligan Foundation

The Milligan Foundation needed a faster and more flexible way to manage and update content to reach more people in crisis. They used Contentstack’s headless CMS to streamline publishing and improve site performance. After switching, they saw a 400% increase in web traffic and 20% more engagement.

“With Contentstack, we don’t have to call a developer to make website changes. Now we can easily and quickly update content, even images and text on the homepage, and that’s so important when you have people in crisis who need help right away.” Hope Williams said.

Read more to see how The Milligan Foundation transformed its digital strategy with Contentstack.

Sky

Sky needed a faster way for content creators to build and publish websites without relying on developers. They built the Sky Websites platform using Contentstack to let teams create and launch sites quickly. Sky launched 200 websites across 10 brands and trained 300+ users.

“Now, we can train anyone from the business to do it, and they can manage the entire site. That’s just a fantastic benefit.” Ben Marston said.

Keep reading to see how Contentstack's headless CMS empowered Sky’s content team.

FAQ section

What is B2B digital modernization?

Digital modernization is the upgrade of a B2B company’s technological ecosystem to improve scalability, efficiency, customer experience and business growth.

Why is stakeholder alignment important in B2B digital transformation?

Stakeholder alignment creates momentum for digital change and supports a seamless switch to new technologies.

How do you measure success in digital modernization?

You can use quantitative data or KPIs that are linked to notable business outcomes, such as ROI, customer experience and system performance metrics, to gauge success. 

Learn more

A digital transformation initiative offers long-term benefits for an organization but requires a green light from key stakeholders. Hence, leaders must make them see reasons for the change. These reasons should be clear, compelling and backed by data. That way, relevant people can buy into it.

If you aim to deliver omnichannel experiences, personalized content and excellent customer service, opting for a modern CMS like Contentstack is a must. It is backed by microservices, APIs, cloud services and headless architecture, making it your best bet to scale your digital strategy.

Talk to us today to explore how cutting-edge technologies like composable DXP, API-driven headless CMS and a real-time CDP can power your digital modernization strategy and drive sustainable B2B growth.