Guest blog: 5 qualities of a ‘Contract Hero’

This week’s blog is a guest blog written by Pepe Toriello and Marc Doucette, co-hosts of the podcast “Contract Heroes.”

Contracts are the lifeblood of any organization, governing relationships with customers, vendors, and partners. Yet, many companies still see contracts as legal-owned documents instead of what they truly are: business-critical assets. Enter the Contract Hero.

Contract Heroes are forward-thinking professionals who understand that contract management isn’t just about compliance. It’s also about driving revenue, reducing risk, and enabling collaboration across the enterprise.

So, what makes someone a Contract Hero? Here are five key qualities that separate them from the rest:

1. They know that contracts don’t belong to Legal

A Contract Hero recognizes that contracts are strategic business tools that impact every department. Whether it’s Sales closing deals, Procurement managing supplier risk, or Finance ensuring compliance, contracts play a vital role across the organization and can benefit from a relational mindset.

🔹 For Sales Teams: A Contract Hero knows that contracts should be revenue accelerators, not bottlenecks. A well-implemented Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) system streamlines contract approvals, provides visibility into deal cycles, and prevents revenue leakage through automation. By leveraging pre-approved templates and standardized playbooks, Sales can move faster without constant legal involvement.

🔹 For Procurement: Contracts are critical for supplier risk management and compliance. A Contract Hero ensures Procurement has access to contract data that helps track obligations, negotiate better terms, and reduce costs. With CLM automation, procurement teams can easily monitor supplier performance and avoid compliance pitfalls. A Contract Hero ensures that every department sees contracts as a strategic enabler, not just a legal hurdle.

(To learn more about how you can embrace relational contracting, check out the Contract Heroes podcast episode with Jerry Silber, Hal Bretan, & Lita Bollimpalli.)

2. They speak the language of the C-suite

Sometimes you know what your company needs, but it can be hard to convey that without explaining where the changes fit in the bigger picture. James Donald has seen that firsthand. His company’s CLM solution just wasn’t solving their problems, and he knew that switching to Agiloft would lead to a smoother, faster contracting process. But the only way to get the higher-level approval he needed was to let the data do the talking. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but data-driven insights speak even louder. 

One of the biggest challenges in CLM adoption is getting executive buy-in. A Contract Hero knows that leadership cares about results like efficiency gains, cost savings, and risk reduction. To gain support for CLM initiatives, they build a data-driven business case.

Proving Return on Investment (ROI) for CLM systems

A Contract Hero tracks key metrics like:

• Time saved on contract creation & approvals
• Revenue impact from faster deal closures
• Cost savings from improved vendor negotiations
• Risk reduction through better compliance monitoring

By showing the financial impact of better contract management, they ensure CLM gets the attention (and investment) it deserves. Here’s what you can learn from James Donald’s experience getting Accor ready for CLM adoption.

3. They analyze before they automate

It doesn’t matter how great a CLM solution is or how impressive its features are; if it doesn’t solve the problems your business has, it’s not the right tool for you. Just as you wouldn’t use a hammer to bake a cake or a blender to paint a wall, knowing what the right tool for the job is will make that job possible. That’s why understanding your company’s pain points is essential; you must identify the specific problems a CLM solution should solve rather than assuming it will fix every issue. 

Jumping straight into a CLM implementation without assessing current processes is a recipe for failure. A Contract Hero understands the importance of Phase Zero: a deep dive into existing contract workflows, bottlenecks, and inefficiencies before selecting technology.

Common pitfalls avoided by Contract Heroes

✅ Implementing CLM without clear workflows leads to confusion.
✅ Skipping stakeholder input causes resistance and low adoption.
✅ Automating bad processes just speeds up inefficiencies.

A Contract Hero ensures that before any system is implemented, the right people, processes, and policies are in place. Technology is a powerful tool, but it’s only effective when the foundation is solid. If you’re wondering about how you can build a strong foundation for successful implementation, listen to Susan Zagorski talk about her systematic approach to implementing Agiloft CLM.

4. They leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) to work smarter, not harder

Your contracts are more than a handshake and a promise; they’re living documents that are full of information that changes and grows with your company’s needs. And that means that you may need to refer to them regularly to see how these changes impact the terms and functionality of your business. Not only that, but the contracts themselves often need to change based on risk management decisions and market conditions, so you will need updated versions that reflect your business environment.

You could keep massive filing cabinets with every version and revision, going through them all by hand– or you could be a Contract Hero and work smarter, not harder by using powerful AI tools to accurately and instantly find the information you need.

AI is revolutionizing contract management, and a Contract Hero is ahead of the curve. From automating contract reviews to predicting risks, AI-driven CLM tools provide data-driven insights that help businesses negotiate better, mitigate risks, and make faster decisions.

How AI transforms CLM

✅ Automated contract analysis — AI extracts key clauses, terms, and obligations.
✅ Risk assessment — Machine Learning (ML) identifies contract risks before they become problems.
✅ Intelligent search — Find key contract data instantly instead of manually digging through documents.

A Contract Hero doesn’t fear AI—they embrace it as a force multiplier, helping their organization manage contracts more strategically and efficiently.

(Check out what we learned from Brendan Raybuck about how to make the most of our contract data.)

5. They break down silos and drive cross-departmental collaboration

Contracts don’t live in one department—they impact Legal, Sales, Procurement, Finance, and beyond. Yet, many organizations still manage contracts in silos, leading to delays, miscommunication, and compliance risks.

A Contract Hero champions collaboration, ensuring all teams work together seamlessly.

How to break down contracting barriers across the enterprise

✅ Sales needs quick approvals → CLM streamlines workflows.
✅ Procurement needs supplier visibility → CLM centralizes contract data.
✅ Finance needs compliance tracking → CLM automates reporting.

By implementing a centralized, transparent CLM system, a Contract Hero ensures that contracts are not a roadblock but a business enabler. Set yourself up for success by hearing about how Richard Robinson navigates legal operations with a focus on collaboration.

Become a Contract Hero at your organization

The modern Contract Hero isn’t just a legal expert—they are a strategic business partner who understands that contracts impact revenue, risk, and relationships. They don’t just manage contracts: they optimize, automate, and elevate them to drive business success.

Are you ready to become a contract management champion? Check out the “Contract Heroes” podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify today.