I speak with finance managers regularly. Not just to tell them what Pomerico offers, but above all to understand the day-to-day reality of their work.
After dozens of conversations like these with managers leading F&A teams in Poland’s shared services centres - SSC, BSC, GBS - one thing stands out:
Most partnership discussions start in the wrong place. And both sides can sense it.
This article is an attempt to spell that out - without beating around the bush.
Where does the tension come from?
An SSC finance manager oversees processes serving a dozen or so - or even several dozen - European entities at once. Month-end closes, reporting to headquarters, US GAAP or IFRS, intercompany reconciliation, SLAs with internal clients, recruitment, retention, automation.
This is not a role where you can afford to try out a new provider who is "learning as they go".
So when another company comes along with a proposal to work together, the manager’s first thought goes something like this: "How much time will this conversation take, and what will it cost me if I trust them?"
They are not being distrustful. They are being realistic.
What an SSC finance manager does not want to hear
“We offer tailored solutions”
Everyone says that. Literally every provider of BPO, outsourcing and staff augmentation services. The phrase has become synonymous with a lack of specifics. If you cannot explain in three sentences or fewer what sets you apart from the two other companies that got in touch this week, do not use it.
“We will reduce operating costs”
That may be true. But a finance manager knows that cost optimisation comes at a price: implementation time, risks to quality, and the need to manage a new provider. Without explaining how it works - how, when, and in which situations - the claim alone offers no value. It just adds another item to their list of things to check.
“We work with similar companies”
That provides context, but it does not make your case. The manager is less interested in who you work with than in what you actually did - and the results it delivered. A case study that names the client tells them something. "Industry experience" is just a platitude.
“We can discuss this in a meeting”
If you offer no value before a meeting, there is no reason to have one. An SSC manager’s calendar is already full of scheduled meetings. Your request for a conversation is competing with their quarter-end close.
What they really want to hear
That you understand their specific organisational structure - not their industry in general
There is a difference between "we understand the realities of working in an SSC" and "we can see that your company has moved to a different reporting model since last year, following an acquisition" or "you are currently hiring for AP roles - what does that tell us about your current volumes?"
The second gets their attention. They scroll past the first.
That bringing you in will not disrupt their processes
When it comes to any external change, an SSC manager’s biggest fear is not the price - it is the risk of disruption. How quickly can a new specialist get up to speed with the processes? Who handles onboarding? What happens if someone leaves after two months?
If you can answer those questions clearly, you are giving them peace of mind rather than a product. In an SSC, that is often worth more than a discount.
That you talk about risk before they ask
A B2B partnership starts when one side says: "This is where we might run into a problem - and we have a plan to deal with it." Rather than: "Everything will run smoothly." Every manager knows that not every change goes smoothly. The question is: who is willing to acknowledge that, and what will they do about it?
That you have something they do not - and you do not hide it behind a contact form
Market data. Rate benchmarks for their location. An observation from a similar implementation. A hiring trend relevant to the type of candidate they need. Anything that offers value before they sign a contract.
That is why they want to talk to you. Not because you "offer comprehensive solutions".
What does this mean for a partnership with Pomerico?
I am not writing this article to claim that Pomerico does everything differently from its competitors. I am writing it because these principles are our starting point, not a goal we are still working towards.
Before suggesting that we work together, we try to establish whether it makes sense in the first place. Not every SSC needs what we offer. The timing is not always right. And not every conversation should end with a proposal.
But if you are a finance manager reading this and thinking, "That sounds like my last meeting with a provider." perhaps it is worth talking about what a different kind of conversation could look like.
