# Business case template

A business case is the document a buyer uses to justify a purchase internally: the problem, the options, the cost, the return, and the risk of doing nothing.

Updated 2026-10-16. Source: https://sellunfairly.com/guides/business-case-template/

Live example: https://sellunfairly.com/samples/business-case/ (A sample business case for a made-up company)

## The structure, section by section

1. **The answer.** The decision you are asking for and the return, in one sentence.
2. **The problem.** What it costs today, in the buyer’s numbers.
3. **The options.** Doing nothing, building it, and buying it, each with its cost.
4. **The return.** Payback period and return, with every assumption visible and adjustable.
5. **Risks.** What could go wrong and how it is handled.
6. **The plan.** Rollout steps, owners and dates.

## What the good ones do

- Write it for the person who wasn’t in any of your meetings.
- Show the assumptions and let finance change them. A number they adjusted is a number they believe.
- Use the buyer’s own figures wherever you can.
- Include the cost of doing nothing. It is usually the real competitor.

## Questions

### What should a business case include?

The decision and return up front, the problem in the buyer’s numbers, the options including doing nothing, the return with visible assumptions, the risks, and the plan.

### Who writes the business case in a B2B deal?

The buyer’s champion presents it, but the seller often drafts it. The best ones are written so the champion can forward them unchanged.

### How do you make an ROI case credible?

Use the buyer’s data, show every assumption, and let the reader change them and see the result.

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Sell Unfairly designs high-ticket sales proposals as interactive, tracked websites. https://sellunfairly.com/