The Currency Wars Come to Enterprise Sales
Why Your Next Deal Might Die Over Dollar Dominance
Dear Global Gladiator,
A few years back, I lost a large deal over something that had nothing to do with our solution, our price, or our competition.
We lost because the client—a major Asian conglomerate—refused to sign any new contracts denominated in US dollars.
“It’s not about you,” their CFO explained. “It’s about the dollar.”
Welcome to 2025, where one of your biggest competitors isn’t Salesforce or Oracle. It’s the Federal Reserve, the People’s Bank of China, and something called BRICS+ that most salespeople can’t even define.
If you think currency wars are just for forex traders and finance ministers, I have news for you: They’re now reshaping every enterprise deal over $1M, and most sales teams are completely unprepared for the battlefield.
Today, we’re diving into how global monetary chaos is transforming enterprise sales—and how to win deals when nobody agrees what money even means anymore.
The Day the Dollar Stopped Being King
Here’s what your prospects are dealing with that they’re not telling you:
The Numbers That Keep CFOs Awake:
Dollar strength variation: 40% in 24 months
Currency hedging costs: 2-5% of deal value
Payment processing fees: 3% for “exotic” currencies
Exchange rate risk: Can erase entire profit margins
The Real Board Conversations:
“What if the dollar crashes?”
“What if we’re sanctioned?”
“What if SWIFT cuts us off?”
“What if China demands Yuan payment?”
I attended a board meeting once where the discussion focused more on currency risk than solution fit. The world has changed. Have you?
The New Currency Landscape
Here’s what’s actually happening while you’re perfecting your slide deck:
The Dollar Resistance Movement
BRICS+ is building alternative payment systems
Digital currencies are emerging everywhere
Gold clauses are returning to contracts
Commodity-based pricing is appearing
The Sanctions Spiderweb
12,000+ individuals and entities are sanctioned
Secondary sanctions are creating fear
Banks are refusing perfectly legal transactions
Compliance costs are exploding
The Digital Currency Revolution
Digital Yuan processing is $14B daily
Digital Euro is launching in 2025
CBDCs are in 130 countries
Crypto is becoming enterprise-acceptable
The Currency Conversation Scripts
Here are the exact conversations sales teams are now having:
The Opening Reality Check: “Before we discuss pricing, let’s talk about how you prefer to handle currency risk in multi-year contracts.”
Watch their face. If they light up, you’ve just separated yourself from every competitor.
The Multi-Currency Offer: “We can invoice in dollars, euros, pounds, yen, or yuan. We can even discuss SDRs if you prefer currency neutrality.”
SDRs = Special Drawing Rights. Learn what they are. You’ll sound like a genius.
The Hedging Partnership: “We build a 3% currency buffer into our pricing. If exchange rates move in your favour, we share the gain 50/50.”
This transforms you from vendor to financial partner.
The Sanctions Safety Net: “Our contracts include alternative payment routes in case traditional banking faces restrictions.”
Never mention specific countries. They’ll fill in the blanks.
The Real Cost of Currency Chaos
Let me break down a real deal to show you the hidden currency costs:
The Deal:
Software license: $5M
Location: Southeast Asia
Currency requested: US Dollars
Payment route: US Bank
The Hidden Costs They Calculated:
Currency hedging: $150,000 (3%)
Payment processing: $100,000 (2%)
Potential dollar appreciation: $500,000 (10%)
Sanctions risk insurance: $50,000 (1%)
Total hidden cost: $800,000 (16%)
They chose your competitor, who accepted local currency. The competitor’s solution was inferior, but their currency flexibility was worth $800K.
The Geopolitical Risk Matrix
Every enterprise now evaluates deals through this lens:
Level 1: Currency Risk
Will exchange rates kill our ROI?
Can we hedge affordably?
Is this currency stable?
Level 2: Payment Risk
Can we actually transfer the money?
Will banks process this?
Are there sanctions implications?
Level 3: Jurisdiction Risk
Which country’s laws apply?
Can we enforce contracts?
What if relations deteriorate?
Level 4: Regime Risk
What if governments change?
What if policies shift?
What if we’re cut off?
Your job? Address all four levels before they ask.
The Currency Agnostic Contract Architecture
Here’s my framework for structuring deals in the age of monetary chaos:
Base Price in Neutral Units
Use SDRs or gold ounces as a base
Convert to the preferred currency at payment
Include adjustment mechanisms
Cap variance at the agreed percentage
Multiple Payment Options
Traditional bank transfer
Letter of credit
Cryptocurrency (yes, really)
Commodity offset (for specific industries)
Third-party escrow
Hedge Mechanisms
Built-in currency collars
Shared risk/reward on movements
Quarterly adjustment options
Force majeure for extreme moves
Jurisdiction Shopping
Contract under Singapore law (neutral)
Arbitration in Switzerland (trusted)
Payment through Dubai (connected)
Delivery from Ireland (stable)
Tales from the Currency Battlefield
The Bitcoin Believer: A Middle Eastern client insisted on a Bitcoin payment. Not because they’re crypto evangelists. Because they don’t trust any government currency. Set up Bitcoin acceptance. A client won a $5M deal. Converted immediately to dollars, resulting in an extra 3% on Bitcoin appreciation during the week-long negotiation.
The Yuan Yankee: a US company wanted to pay in Chinese Yuan for their Chinese operations. Legal said no. Finance said no. The team said yes. Structured subsidiary transaction. Won the deal. The competitor couldn’t figure out the currency.
The Gold Standard: A mining company wanted prices linked to gold. The client created a “Gold Adjusted Pricing” (GAP). Base price = 100 ounces of gold. They pay a dollar equivalent quarterly. CFO loved the hedge. Closed the largest deal in that company’s regional history.
The Currency Conversation Landmines
Never Say:
“We only accept dollars”
“That’s not our problem”
“Currency risk is your issue”
“We don’t do exotic currencies”
Always Say:
“Let’s find a currency solution that works”
“We understand the challenge”
“How do you typically handle this?”
“We’re flexible on payment terms”
Never Assume:
They want to pay in dollars
Their bank will process payments
Currency is a minor issue
Legal will figure it out
Always Confirm:
Payment routing possibilities
Sanctions implications
Currency preferences
Hedging requirements
The Future of Money in Enterprise Sales
Here’s what’s coming, whether we like it or not:
2025-2026: The Fragmentation
Dollar alternatives will multiply
Payment systems will fragment
Currency clauses will become standard
Hedging costs will be built into every deal
2027-2028: The Digital Shift
CBDCs will become mainstream
Smart contracts will auto-adjust for currency
Real-time settlement will be standard
Traditional banking will be disrupted
2029-2030: The New Normal
AI will handle currency optimisation
Multiple currencies in deals will be standard
Geographic money will be irrelevant
Value will be measured in outcomes, not currency
Your Currency Competence Checklist
Rate yourself (honestly):
Can you explain what SDRs are?
Do you know the current exchange rates for the top 5 currencies?
Can you calculate currency hedging costs?
Do you understand SWIFT alternatives?
Can you structure multi-currency deals?
Do you know the implications of sanctions?
Can you explain CBDCs to executives?
Do you have crypto payment capability?
Can you price in non-dollar currencies?
Do you understand correspondent banking?
Score less than 5? You’re losing deals you don’t even know about.
The Currency Resilience Playbook
Here’s how to win in the age of monetary chaos:
Month 1: Education
Learn basic forex
Understand the sanctions landscape
Study BRICS+ payment systems
Master currency hedging basics
Month 2: Capability
Set up multi-currency pricing
Build hedging partnerships
Create currency risk frameworks
Develop payment alternatives
Month 3: Differentiation
Lead with currency flexibility
Address currency issues before you’re asked
Offer creative structures
Share currency risk
Month 4: Domination
Win deals on currency terms alone
Become the currency-smart vendor
Build a reputation for flexibility
Expand globally with confidence
The Ten Million Dollar Truth
That Asian conglomerate that rejected our dollar contract? We went back with a completely different approach:
Offered five currency options
Built-in hedging mechanisms
Shared currency upside
Guaranteed exchange rate corridors
Included force majeure for currency crisis
Deal closed at $12M, in Singapore dollars.
Their CFO’s comment: “You’re the first software vendor who understood that currency is strategy.”
That’s when I realised: We’re not selling software anymore. We’re selling financial flexibility in an uncertain world.
Your Currency Action Plan
This week, do three things:
Audit your current deals: How many assume a dollar payment?
Ask your prospects: “How do you think about currency risk?”
Call your CFO: “Can we accept payment in other currencies?”
The answers will shock you.
Then prepare for the conversation that’s coming to every enterprise deal: “We love your solution. But we can’t accept the currency risk.”
Will you lose the deal or lead the change?
Because in the new world of enterprise sales, the close isn’t about agreeing on price. It’s about agreeing on what money means.
And that? That’s a much more interesting conversation.
Until next week, when we decode the cultural dimensions that really determine deal outcomes (spoiler: your slide deck isn’t translating the way you think it is).
Trade wisely,
Gari Johnson
P.S. - Last week, a client’s customer asked if they could accept payment in carbon credits. They said yes, then figured out how—closed the deal. The future is weirder than we think, and the sales leaders who embrace the weird will win.