What was said
What this says
Current to 11 Oct 26Renewal call on the Growth tier. Finance Director Andrew Pickering will not agree a rise from £46,300 to £48,500 on a call and wants the reasoning in writing. Helen Varley says the brain has earned its keep.
What happened: Priya Raman put the renewal at £48,500 against £46,300 now, same tier, 40 seats and connectors. She asked for a decision by 25 Apr 2025 so there is no gap at renewal.
Customer view: Andrew does not agree a price increase on a call and wants a written covering note with the reasoning. Helen says key-account managers use it daily but cannot quantify the saving.
Commercial: Paula Rennie will wait for the signed order form before raising anything, and annual in advance on thirty-day terms is acceptable. Andrew said he will not be rushed.
Watch: two high priority tickets are open with support. Helen said they were not minor and she will be watching, so the price case and the ticket outcome will be read together.
Themes
Current to 9 Oct 26Who was there
BB-Demo
Them
Follow-up
Next steps
Current to 9 Oct 26- Priya Raman sends Andrew Pickering a covering note the same day setting out what the figure covers and how it compares with the current price.
- Marcus Bell updates Helen Varley on the two tickets and sends a usage summary copied to Paula Rennie.
- Andrew Pickering comes back to Priya Raman before 25 Apr 2025.
Risks
Current to 9 Oct 26- Andrew Pickering will not accept the rise to £48,500 without a written rationale and may push back on price.
- Two high priority tickets remain with support and Helen Varley says they were not minor.
- Helen cannot quantify the saving, so the value case rests on usage rather than a figure.
Opportunities
Current to 9 Oct 26- Daily use by key-account managers gives a clear adoption story for the Growth renewal.
- Marcus Bell's usage summary can show rising questions and more detailed queries in the same pack.
Transcript
- Priya Raman NoneMorning everyone, can you all hear me? Marcus, you're here too, good. Helen, I think we're just waiting on Andrew.
- Helen Varley NoneHe's coming in now. And Paula from accounts payable is with us as well.
- Andrew Pickering NoneGood morning. Before we begin, would you be kind enough to tell me who I am speaking to, and in what capacity? I'm afraid I've not met everyone.
- Priya Raman NoneOf course, Andrew. Priya Raman, I'm the account executive and I look after the commercial side of your account. Marcus here is your customer success manager, he looks after adoption and the day to day.
- Marcus Bell NoneHello Andrew. Marcus Bell. I run the quarterly reviews with Helen and her team and I'm your first point of contact if anything's not right.
- Andrew Pickering NoneThank you. And who is our account manager now? I ask because I've seen a good many come and go over the years, and I like to know whom to write to.
- Priya Raman NoneThat's me, Andrew. I've owned the account since you signed, and I'm not going anywhere. Marcus is on the success side.
- Andrew Pickering NoneVery good. Do carry on.
- Priya Raman NoneOkay, so, quick recap of where we are, to keep momentum. The current term ends at the end of April and the renewal runs from the first of May. The renewal proposal is with you now, and what I'd love is to get this over the line by Friday 25 April 2025 so there's no gap and Paula's team has what they need.
- Andrew Pickering NoneQuite. And the figure?
- Priya Raman NoneYou're on Growth at £46,300 a year at present. The renewal as proposed comes to £48,500, same tier, same 40 seats, same connectors.
- Andrew Pickering NoneI see. That is a rise, then. I should say at once that I don't agree a price increase on a call. I'd like that in writing, with the reasoning, so I can look at it in the round.
- Priya Raman NoneCompletely fair. It's in the proposal, and I'll send you a short covering note today that sets out what the figure covers and how it compares with what you pay now.
- Andrew Pickering NoneThank you. Helen, perhaps you could tell me, as the person who uses it, whether it has earned its keep.
- Helen Varley NoneYes, I think it has. The key-account managers use it every day now. Orders, delivery queries and renewals per trust, all in one place. Before, they were chasing three people for that. What I can't tell you is the exact saving, I'd be making that up.
- Andrew Pickering NoneI'd rather you didn't make it up. Marcus, is there anything of that sort in your numbers?
- Marcus Bell NoneI've pulled the numbers. What I can say is that usage is up on the previous quarter, with more people in there more days of the week, and the questions they ask have got more detailed. That's the best signal I've got that it's being used for real work.
- Andrew Pickering NoneAnd I see that two tickets have been raised recently. Should that concern me?
- Marcus Bell NoneIt's a fair question. Two tickets, both marked high priority by your team, which is why I'm pleased you've asked. They're with our support team and I'm keeping an eye on them. I won't promise a date on an engineering fix, that's not mine to give, but I'll update Helen directly as soon as I know.
- Helen Varley NoneAnd I'd say, for the record, they weren't minor. A delivery query that can't be seen is a trust phoning me. So I'll be watching.
- Andrew Pickering NoneThat is helpful context. Thank you.
- Paula Rennie NoneCan I come in with a practical one? Is the invoice going to be annual in advance again, same as before? I just need to know what to expect when it lands and how it's coded.
- Priya Raman NoneSame as before, Paula. Annual in advance, thirty-day terms. If you'd prefer quarterly I can ask, but it's the same arrangement unless you tell me otherwise.
- Paula Rennie NoneAnnual's fine. I'll wait for the signed order form before I raise anything on our side, if that's all right. Andrew will want to sign it off first.
- Andrew Pickering NoneThat is the correct order of things, Paula. I shall not be rushed.
- Priya Raman NoneNo pressure at all, Andrew. All I'd say is the term does end at the end of the month, so the sooner you've had a look the easier for everyone. Happy to make this easy.
- Andrew Pickering NoneUnderstood. I will read your note and revert. I do not expect to be chased, but I shall not take offence if you do.
- Priya Raman NoneHa, I'll take that as permission. Right, so next steps. I send the covering note to Andrew today. Marcus gets Helen an update on the two tickets. Andrew comes back to me before the twenty-fifth.
- Marcus Bell NoneAnd I'll send a short usage summary alongside it so Andrew has the adoption picture in the same pack. Shall I copy Paula?
- Andrew Pickering NonePlease do. Thank you all. Kind regards.
- Helen Varley NoneThanks, everyone. Bye.