Value Leaders EP 2: Mike DeVita Full Episode

Mike DeVita came into value strategy through mergers and acquisitions, which he calls the most explicit manifestation of enterprise strategy there is. Thirty years into a career in business transformation and ten in value leadership, his argument is that most organizations treat value creation as something that ends at signature, and then spend the next three years arguing with the customer about whether any of it happened. In episode 2 of Value Leaders, Patrick Moorhead talks to Mike about what best in class actually looks like across the whole arc, from pre-sales through renewal. What's covered: Why leading and lagging indicators have to be agreed with the customer before the deal closes, and what happens at renewal when they weren't. Value ends up in the eye of the beholder, and not everyone reaching for a different interpretation is doing it innocently. The three things a value play needs before go-to-market teams will run it, and why anything perceived as a bolt-on to the existing selling motion gets ignored. Why Mike shies away from the term business case, and what a comprehensive value proposition looks like when strategy, capabilities, and quantification line up end to end. The case for credibility over size in an ROI. Mike would rather carry the lowest number in a competitive deal if it's the one built on data the customer already understands. Where AI earns its place in research and financial analysis, and where relying on it exclusively puts your own integrity on the line. As Mike puts it, the customer isn't going to want to hear that the AI did it. Why value strategy matters more now than it ever has, and the org alignment a value leader needs across the CRO, the chief customer officer, and the CEO to get anywhere near best in class. Chapters Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:32 From mergers and acquisitions into value strategy 05:06 Why value creation doesn't stop at the signature 11:13 What makes a value play get adopted 16:14 The business cases that move buyers 20:52 AI in value work, and where it gets risky 28:08 Where value strategy goes next 31:45 Advice for anyone entering the field Value Leaders is a series of conversations with the people who build value practices inside B2B companies, from discovery in the sales cycle through to realization after the signature. Hosted by Patrick Moorhead at Cuvama. Mike DeVita:   / mikedevita   More from Cuvama: https://cuvama.com Subscribe for the rest of the series.