What was said
What this says
Current to 11 Oct 26Nell Ashcombe took Douglas Baird and Imogen Hartley through the Starter proposal. Douglas wanted to be sure what the deal amount represents and wants his finance manager to see the split. He expects to talk terms shortly.
What happened: Nell presented the Starter proposal: one team, fifteen users, four connectors, pages, chat and search, with a four-week implementation. Douglas asked what the deal amount represents and raised how member data is held.
Customer view: Douglas was encouraged by the demo on Lornefield's own records and wants a considered view of the commercial shape. Imogen is positive and wants to test the brain against schemes she already knows.
Commercial: Nell said the deal amount is the total including the one-off implementation fee, not the annual price, and the order form will split the two. Four connectors is a hard limit on this tier, and Imogen flagged a possible fifth source.
Watch: Douglas wants his finance manager to hear the split before anything is agreed, and asked for a written note on what BB-Demo touches. Nothing is signed on this call.
Themes
Current to 9 Oct 26Who was there
BB-Demo
Them
Follow-up
Next steps
Current to 9 Oct 26- Nell to send the proposal and the written note on what BB-Demo touches.
- Bring the finance manager to the next call so she hears the implementation and subscription split.
Risks
Current to 9 Oct 26- The deal amount could be misread as the annual price unless the order form split is shown to finance.
- Douglas asked about regulatory difficulty over member information, and BB-Demo has promised a written description of what it touches.
Opportunities
Current to 9 Oct 26- A fifth data source would be a conversation about a bigger tier or an add-on for more connectors.
- Design partner status with a direct line to Nell supports a close on Starter.
Transcript
- Nell Ashcombe NoneAfternoon, both. Can you see the proposal on my screen?
- Imogen Hartley NoneI can. Afternoon, Nell. Douglas is just coming in, I think.
- Douglas Baird NoneGood afternoon. Apologies, I was finishing a call with a trustee. I'm with you now.
- Nell Ashcombe NoneNo bother. What would you like to leave with today? I'm guessing it's the numbers, and what you'd actually be getting.
- Douglas Baird NoneQuite so. Thank you, Nell. Where things stand from our side is that we were encouraged by the demo on our own records, Imogen has been positive, and I'd now like to understand the commercial shape of it in full, so that I can take a considered view.
- Nell Ashcombe NoneGood. Then I'll go through it in order. Page one is scope. This is our Starter tier. One team, in your case the scheme-relationship managers. Fifteen users, four connectors, and that's pages, chat and search. A six-monthly check-in with Daniel.
- Imogen Hartley NoneAnd the four connectors would be the CRM, the call recorder, the helpdesk and the accounting system?
- Nell Ashcombe NoneThat's what I'd suggest, yes. It maps to what you told me at the start. Trustee calls, member-query tickets and fee invoices, and the CRM holding it together.
- Imogen Hartley NoneIt does. I'd just flag that if we find a fifth source we want, that's a conversation.
- Nell Ashcombe NoneIt is, and I'd be straight about it. Four is a hard limit on this tier. If you outgrow it there's a bigger tier, or an add-on for more connectors. But I'd not worry about that on day one.
- Douglas Baird NoneMay I ask about the money? I see a deal amount on the proposal, and I want to be quite sure what it represents.
- Nell Ashcombe NoneYes, and I'm glad you asked it that way, because it's easy to misread. The deal amount on the proposal is the total value of the deal. That includes the one-off implementation fee. It is not the annual price.
- Douglas Baird NoneI see. So it is the implementation and the first year's subscription together.
- Nell Ashcombe NoneWell, I'd put it slightly differently. The deal amount is the total. The order form will then split it for you cleanly into the one-off implementation and the annual subscription, so that your finance team can see each on its own line. I don't want you to think the annual figure is the big number on the front page.
- Douglas Baird NoneThank you, that's a useful distinction. I'd want our finance manager to see that split before anything is agreed.
- Nell Ashcombe NoneOf course. Bring her to the next call, if you'd like. It's better that she hears it from me than from a summary.
- Imogen Hartley NoneCan I come back to timing? What does the implementation actually look like, week by week? Because I need to tell the team what to expect.
- Nell Ashcombe NoneFour weeks, on this tier. First week is access and the Snowflake set-up, which runs in your account. Second and third are the connectors going live and the first indexing. The fourth is training for your fifteen users and checking the answers against things you already know are true.
- Imogen Hartley NoneThat last bit's important to me. I want us to test it against schemes I know the answer to.
- Nell Ashcombe NoneThat's exactly what I'd ask for. What would the brain say, and is it right? If it isn't, that's our problem to fix, not yours.
- Douglas Baird NoneAnd on the matter of the regulator. I assume there's nothing in this arrangement that would cause difficulty for us in terms of how we hold member information.
- Nell Ashcombe NoneBecause it runs inside your Snowflake account, the data doesn't leave your environment. I won't pretend to give you a regulatory opinion, that's yours and your advisers'. What I can do is give you a clear description of what we touch, in writing, for them.
- Douglas Baird NoneThat would be most helpful. I'd welcome that in advance of any decision.
- Nell Ashcombe NoneUnderstood. I'll send it with the proposal. Now, terms. Thirty-day payment terms, subscription annual in advance. Nothing unusual.
- Imogen Hartley NoneAnd as a design partner, is there anything different? You said at the start that we'd get to shape it.
- Nell Ashcombe NoneThere is, though not in the price. What you'd get is a direct line to me and to Daniel, and your requests go to the front of the list when we're deciding what to build. In return I'd ask for honest feedback, including when it's not working.
- Imogen Hartley NoneThat I can do. I'm rarely short of opinions.
- Douglas Baird NoneNell, thank you. I think I have what I need to discuss internally. In fairness, I would not wish to hurry, but I'd expect to be in a position to talk terms shortly.
- Nell Ashcombe NoneThat's all I'd ask. Here's what I'll do. I'll send the proposal and the written note on what we touch today. You take it to whoever you need to. And we pick up again once you've had a chance to read it. Does that work?
- Douglas Baird NoneIt does. Kind regards for your time, Nell.
- Imogen Hartley NoneThanks, Nell. Speak soon.
- Nell Ashcombe NoneBest, Nell. Bye both.