Overview
When the Sales Operations team at AVEVA looked at their coverage model, they saw the same problem every enterprise sales org faces: coverage decisions were emotional, not data-driven, and nobody could prove who was actually engaged with which customer.
AVEVA sells large, complex software deals. At that scale, every stakeholder in the business wants a status update - CEO, CFO, CRO, regional heads, product managers. That pressure had pushed sellers into a low-tech workaround: writing deal updates inside Salesforce notes, then adding a line at the bottom that said: “If you still have questions, please call. But do not call me before reading these updates.”
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Before Backstory
- No way to prove rep-customer engagement - only assertions
- Account segmentation based on gut feel and rep insistence
- Sellers spending time managing up instead of selling
- Coaching driven by instinct, not data
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[tag#Use case 01] Account coverage and segmentation
Making unemotional decisions with data that doesn’t lie
AVEVA started with the basics: getting engagement data into the system and using it to drive account segmentation decisions objectively.
The first real win was being able to prove, with data, that a rep hadn’t contacted a customer in three years. Not as an accusation - as a fact. No rep voluntarily gives up an account. But engagement data doesn’t argue back.
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The segmentation work also clarified compensation logic. Large renewal accounts are compensated differently than new logo pursuit. With all their complete engagement data, AVEVA could finally sort accounts into the right coverage models based on what was actually happening, not what reps claimed was happening.
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AFTER BACKSTORY
- Coverage decisions driven by actual rep-customer contact data
- Accounts moved to appropriate coverage models without emotional friction
- Compensation alignment matched to real engagement patterns
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[tag#Use case 02] Sales methodology adoption
Getting sellers to use the methodology - not just know it
AVEVA was building its MEDDPICC sales methodology at the same time it was rolling out Backstory. The two had to work together.
Adoption didn’t happen all at once, and Tom Bluck and team didn’t try to force it. The strategy was deliberate: get the top sellers using it first. Once the reps driving the best results started talking about how documenting MEDDPICC got them more internal support and helped them catch problems early, others started paying attention.
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For managers, the value arrived faster. They could see whether reps were hunting new accounts or farming existing ones - and make resourcing decisions accordingly. The visibility also changed the dynamic for sellers: instead of fielding constant status requests from leadership, they documented once and everyone could see what was happening.
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AFTER BACKSTORY
- Top sellers became internal champions - adoption spread from the top down
- MEDDPICC documentation earned reps more support, not scrutiny
- Managers moved from chasing updates to coaching on live deals
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[tag#Use case 03] Pipeline visibility and forecast confidence
From gut-feel pipeline management to a single pane of glass
AVEVA almost didn’t renew Backstory. Facing significant budget pressure, the renewal was nearly cancelled. The Backstory team worked through it - and when the dust settled, AVEVA didn’t just renew. They expanded.
Why? To gain a single pane of glass that leadership actually used. Instead of the CEO and CRO calling the seller every day for a status update on a renewal, the data was already there. The seller could point to it. The conversation moved from “Where are we?” to “What do we do next?”
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AFTER BACKSTORY
- Top sellers became internal champions - adoption spread from the top down
- MEDDPICC documentation earned reps more support, not scrutiny
- Managers moved from chasing updates to coaching on live deals
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What AVEVA achieved
AVEVA’s journey with Backstory spans four years and three product expansions. What started as activity capture and MEDDPICC documentation has grown into a company-wide initiative with executive buy-in from the CEO down, a SalesAI pilot running across EMEA and APAC, and a clear line of sight to how better pipeline visibility supports their 10% year-over-year growth target.
The next chapter is agentic AI - Backstory surfacing recommended actions directly in a rep’s Salesforce home screen before they even think to ask. The foundation is built. The data is there. The sellers who were skeptical are now advocates.
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See how Backstory gives enterprise sales teams visibility into what’s actually happening
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