Many POCs are set for a 90-day period. But a full quarter feels like a long time, and the task of implementing and evaluating your product can easily get lost among the team’s other priorities for the quarter. Instead, aim for a 30-day paid pilot. A one-month pilot pushes your product to the top of the to-do list and drives urgency for stakeholders.

You can always leave the option open to extend the POC for another 30 days if needed

Pick a single KPI that will have a measurable business impact (e.g. engineering time saved, increased revenue) and frame the pilot in terms of that goal. Only pick one KPI; the point is to share the sharpest, most focused vision of success you can, and the more goals you have, the less clear your impact will be. It’s okay if you pick aggressive KPIs.

You just have to show that you can move the needle.

One of the most common mistakes that companies make during their POCs is doing all the heavy lifting for the customer. Enterprise SaaS POCs are about showing business value, and they require an investment of resources from your customer. In order for a POC to be successful, there has to work on both sides.

Set the expectation that your POC is a partnership between your team and your customer’s team to ensure that they’re ready to commit the time and resources needed to get it off the ground.