In partnership with

Picture the scene: You push open the glass door to the CFO’s office, laptop in hand, slides ready…

Sunlight pours across a desk covered in spreadsheets. The CFO looks up and asks the one question you fear most.

“Why should we spend an enormous amount of money on software and a headset?”

Your heart is pounding.

You know immersive training works. You have seen staff complete modules in half the time, remember procedures under pressure, and walk back to the floor more confident than ever.

Yet none of that matters unless the person who signs the checks believes it.

Before we dive into why that always happens and the 5 steps to overcome this hurdle, let’s check out this week’s sponsor below 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

The easiest way to stay business-savvy

There’s a reason over 4 million professionals start their day with Morning Brew. It’s business news made simple—fast, engaging, and actually enjoyable to read.

From business and tech to finance and global affairs, Morning Brew covers the headlines shaping your work and your world. No jargon. No fluff. Just the need-to-know information, delivered with personality.

It takes less than 5 minutes to read, it’s completely free, and it might just become your favorite part of the morning. Sign up now and see why millions of professionals are hooked.

Check it out

Why the answer is almost always “NO”

We pay CFOs to protect cash flow, not to chase shiny tools.

Every proposal fights for space in a budget that already feels tight. When they hear “virtual reality,” they picture new hardware, fresh software licenses, and yet another support contract.

Risk looks high, return looks uncertain.

Add three more friction points:

• Budget cycles lock in early. If you pitch in the wrong quarter, the money is gone before you start.

• Technology fatigue. Finance teams remember last year’s platform that promised miracles and then died on the vine.

• No line of sight to savings. Operations talks efficiency while finance counts dollars saved. If you cannot show concrete numbers, they move on.

That is why the default answer is “no.” It is not personal. It is self-defense.

1. Lead with the Number That Matters

This means you should begin your pitch with one compelling metric that directly connects VR training to profit.

For example, “Our sister site cut onboarding cost per hire by 40% in six months through VR modules.” This presentation aims to demonstrate how VR positively impacts the bottom line, not just for the sake of training. One clear, profit-driven number trumps a dozen slides of fluffy theory.

Why it works: CFOs are laser-focused on financial outcomes. By leading with a result like reduced costs or faster productivity, you position VR training as a revenue protector, not an expense.

It’s a hook that grabs their attention and sets the tone.

How to do it:

• Find your number: Dig into past training data or VR case studies. Look for metrics like cost savings (e.g., onboarding costs), time reductions (e.g., hours to competence), or productivity gains (e.g., fewer errors). If you lack internal stats, lean on industry benchmarks or vendor-provided data.

• Make it specific: “40% cost reduction” beats “significant savings.” Tie it to a timeframe (e.g., “in six months”) for credibility.

• Frame it as profit: Show how the metric saves money or boosts revenue—like lower turnover from better onboarding.

Example in action: “Last quarter, our pilot site reduced onboarding costs from $5,000 to $3,000 per hire using VR. That’s $200,000 saved annually for 100 hires.”

Resource: How to Calculate ROI for Training Programs 

2. Put Costs Side by Side

What it means: Create a straightforward table comparing the total yearly cost of traditional classroom training to a VR training rollout.

Include obvious expenses (e.g., instructor fees, VR hardware) and hidden ones (e.g., travel, downtime). Traditional methods often seem cheaper until you reveal the full picture—VR frequently wins on long-term value.

Why it works: CFOs crave transparency and data-driven decisions. A side-by-side comparison cuts through assumptions, exposing inefficiencies in old methods and highlighting VR’s cost-effectiveness over time.

How to do it:

• List all costs: For traditional training, include instructor salaries, venue rentals, travel, materials, and lost productivity (employees off the job). For VR, account for headsets, software licenses, setup, and maintenance.

• Show the timeline. Annualize costs to reveal trends—VR’s upfront investment often shrinks with scale and reuse.

• Highlight savings: Point out where VR eliminates expenses (e.g., no travel) or reduces variables (e.g., consistent delivery).

Example table:

3. Roll out in phases with a flagship module

Prioritize building one mission-critical module first.

Use it to prove the tech, recover the investment fast, and create a reusable engine for every future module.

Why it works

CFOs accept a single fifty-thousand-euro line item when it erases a six-figure loss they already carry each year. When you show that every additional module rides on the same codebase and costs a fraction of the first, finance sees a clear path from expense to asset.

How to do it

• Pick the biggest pain. Choose a workflow that bleeds money now, for example lockout-tagout or sterile-room procedures that shut lines down when mistakes happen.

• Scope one immersive module. Price it at fifty to sixty thousand. Attach hard numbers: accidents avoided, instructor hours saved, downtime cut.

• Map the extension plan. Once the core is live, each new module reuses the framework and most 3-D assets from the pilot. The marginal cost drops to about twenty percent of the first build. Outline three follow-up modules and the savings they unlock.

Example pitch

“We build the lockout-tagout module for fifty thousand. That cuts accident-related downtime by eighty hours a month, saving ninety-two thousand in the first year.

Every next module costs ten to fifteen thousand and multiplies the savings across three more departments.”

This phased approach keeps the initial ticket realistic, ties spend to an immediate return, and makes every future upgrade a simple budget decision rather than a fresh approval battle.

4. Tie the Pilot to an Existing Goal

What it means: Link the VR pilot to a company objective already on the CFO’s radar—like speeding up onboarding, reducing workplace accidents, or meeting compliance deadlines. When VR supports a priority they’re already funding, it’s not a new expense—it’s a smarter way to hit a target.

Why it works: CFOs allocate budgets based on strategic goals. Aligning VR with an existing priority taps into approved resources and makes approval a formality.

How to do it:

• Identify the goal: Ask leadership or review company plans for top priorities (e.g., “cut onboarding time by 25% this year”).

• Map VR to it: Show how VR delivers—like faster skill mastery or fewer safety incidents.

• Speak their language: Use the goal’s own metrics to frame VR’s value.

Example in action: “Our goal is to reduce shop floor accidents by 15%. A VR safety pilot can cut training time and improve retention, getting us there faster.”

Resource: Strategic Alignment in Business Initiatives 

5. Define Success Before You Start

What it means: Agree on 3–5 measurable outcomes before the pilot launches.

Good options: time to competence, error rates on first tasks, knowledge retention after 90 days, or cost per trainee. Deliver a one-page report tying each metric to dollars saved. This gives the CFO a clear scoreboard to judge VR’s worth.

Why it works: Predefined success criteria eliminate ambiguity. CFOs trust data over opinions, and agreed-upon metrics lock in credibility.

How to do it:

• Choose profit-driven metrics: Focus on what impacts the bottom line—like reduced training time or lower error costs.

• Get buy-in: Confirm the metrics with the CFO upfront to avoid disputes later.

• Report simply: Summarize results in a concise, dollar-linked format.

Example metrics:

• Time to competence: 20% faster than classroom training ($10,000 saved).

• Error rate: 30% lower on first tasks ($5,000 in rework avoided).

• Cost per trainee: $200 vs. $500 traditionally ($30,000 annual savings).

Resource: Setting KPIs for Training Programs 

Why This Playbook Wins

CFOs don’t resist VR training because it’s unfamiliar; they resist it because it feels risky and unquantified. This five-step sequence dismantles those barriers. You lead with profit, prove value with data, lower risk with a pilot, align with their goals, and seal it with clear metrics. Selling a compelling business case is more important than selling technology.

Follow this, and resistance fades fast.

Start learning AI in 2025

Keeping up with AI is hard – we get it!

That’s why over 1M professionals read Superhuman AI to stay ahead.

• Get daily AI news, tools, and tutorials

• Learn new AI skills you can use at work in 3 mins a day

• Become 10X more productive

Sign up and start mastering AI

Looking forward to connecting,

Bruno Filkin
Founder, Mastermind VR