What was said
What this says
Current to 11 Oct 26Proposal call with Becky Lawton. Tom Ashdown presented Growth at fifty-one thousand six hundred pounds, implementation included. Becky asked about flexibility and quarterly payment, and would not promise the 13 Dec 2024 close. The travel platform connector is unconfirmed.
What happened: Tom Ashdown presented a Growth tier proposal. Becky Lawton opened with a client review where four people could not answer a rebooking question, which is the pain she wants solved.
Commercial: Tom gave the figure as fifty-one thousand six hundred pounds, the whole deal with implementation, not a yearly price. Becky asked for flexibility and said quarterly payment is worth discussing.
Timing: Tom pencilled in 13 Dec 2024 as the expected close. Becky called it doable but dependent on finance and her boss's diary.
Watch: Becky doubts the travel platform can simply be connected, and Tom promised a written answer. The evidence does not show the outcome or who signs.
Themes
Current to 9 Oct 26Who was there
BB-Demo
Them
Follow-up
Next steps
Current to 9 Oct 26- Tom Ashdown sends a one to two page proposal note with the price breakdown and the travel platform answer.
- Becky Lawton raises quarterly payment with her finance team and sends an invite for next week.
- Tom Ashdown takes the flexibility question to colleagues before naming any number.
Risks
Current to 9 Oct 26- Becky Lawton would not commit to the 13 Dec 2024 close and it depends on finance and her boss.
- The travel platform holding the bookings may not be connectable, and Tom Ashdown has not yet confirmed what can be pulled.
- Becky asked for flexibility on price and quarterly payment, and no figure has been agreed.
Opportunities
Current to 9 Oct 26- Growth fits several account managers working across clients, with a dashboard view per client.
- A short session for the account managers before the next round of reviews could help close the deal.
Transcript
- Tom Ashdown NoneHello Becky, can you hear me? I think I'm on mute... no, there we go.
- Becky Lawton NoneI can hear you, Tom! Afternoon. Oh, you will love this. I was at a client review this morning, and the client's travel manager, lovely woman, asks me how many trips were rebooked last quarter because of cancelled trains. And we all just sat there. Nobody knew. Four of us in the room and not one number.
- Tom Ashdown NoneAh, no. That's a miserable place to be. And that's the sort of thing you want to be able to answer on the spot.
- Becky Lawton NoneExactly. That's why I'm so keen on this. Anyway. How's your week? Did you get that train home in the end?
- Tom Ashdown NoneI did, eventually. Rail replacement bus, scenic route. No drama. Right, shall we get into the proposal? I've got it up and I'll share my screen if that's all right.
- Becky Lawton NoneYes, go on. Love that you've got it ready.
- Tom Ashdown NoneSo, what I've put together is the Growth tier for Fairhallow. You said you wanted bookings, service tickets and the account reviews all in the same place, and that your account managers work across several clients. That's what Growth is built for, several teams on one brain.
- Becky Lawton NoneYes. And can we see it by client? That's the big one for me. My team needs this before the review, not after.
- Tom Ashdown NoneYou can. Each account manager asks the brain about their own clients, and the dashboards builder, which comes with Growth, lets you set up a view per client. Bookings on one side, open tickets on the other, and what was said on the last couple of calls.
- Becky Lawton NoneLove that. So if I asked the rebooking question, it'd just tell me?
- Tom Ashdown NoneIf the data's in the connected systems, yes. That's the thing, it can only answer from what we plug in. So in the first stretch we'd agree with you which systems matter most, your CRM, the helpdesk, the call recorder, and get those flowing before anything else.
- Becky Lawton NoneAnd the bookings? They're in the travel platform, which is not a thing I'd want to promise anyone can just connect.
- Tom Ashdown NoneFair, and I'd rather be straight with you. Leave that with me. I'll check with our solutions people exactly what we can pull from it and come back to you in writing. I don't want to say yes today and have it be a maybe in three weeks.
- Becky Lawton NoneThank you. I hate it when people nod at me and then it turns into a project. Okay, so what's the damage?
- Tom Ashdown NoneRight. So the figure on the proposal is fifty-one thousand six hundred pounds. And just so it's clear, that's the whole deal, the implementation included, not a yearly price. I'll confirm the split between the implementation and the subscription in writing, so you've got it on paper rather than from my memory.
- Becky Lawton NoneSo that's all-in, first year, everything?
- Tom Ashdown NoneIt's the total value of the deal as it stands, yes. The subscription then runs annually, and I'll set out how the following years work in the note so there are no surprises.
- Becky Lawton NoneOkay. And is there any wiggle room? I'm not being cheeky, I just have to ask. Our finance team will ask me, and I'll look daft if I haven't.
- Tom Ashdown NoneNo, quite right to ask. There's a bit of flexibility on a first term, within limits. I'd want to talk to my colleagues before I put a number on it, so I'll take that away. Is there something specific that would help, like paying quarterly?
- Becky Lawton NoneQuarterly would be a conversation worth having, yes. I'll flag it to them. Mm. What I need most is something short I can put in front of the people who sign off. Not a forty page thing.
- Tom Ashdown NoneUnderstood. A page or two. What it covers, what it costs, what's included, when it starts. I'll write it so you can lift it straight into your own paper.
- Becky Lawton NonePerfect. And what's the timing? I know you've said something before about the end of the year.
- Tom Ashdown NoneWhat I've pencilled in is Friday 13 December 2024 for getting it signed. That's the date in our system as the expected close. It's not fixed, mind, it's what we're working towards if everything lines up on your side.
- Becky Lawton NoneHmm. That's about five weeks. It's doable, but it depends on finance and on my boss's diary. Let me not promise yet.
- Tom Ashdown NoneNo, that's fine, don't promise anything you can't. If it slips a little, it slips. Let's get something in the diary though, so we're not drifting. Would a catch-up next week suit, to go through whatever comes back from your finance people?
- Becky Lawton NoneYes. Same time, maybe Wednesday or Thursday. I'll send you an invite when I've got a gap.
- Tom Ashdown NoneGrand. And would it help if I did a short session for your account managers, once you've decided? Just to show them what asking the brain actually feels like. That tends to be what gets people over the line.
- Becky Lawton NoneYes please. Do it before the next round of reviews if you can. They'd love it. They get nervous, you know, walking in without the numbers.
- Tom Ashdown NoneI can hear that. Right, so to sum up. I'll send the short proposal note with the price breakdown and the answer on the travel platform. You'll speak to your finance team about quarterly payments, and we'll speak again next week. Anything I've missed?
- Becky Lawton NoneNo, I think that's it. Thanks, Tom, this has been really useful. Properly useful.
- Tom Ashdown NoneCheers, Becky. Good luck with the rest of your day, and mind the trains.
- Becky Lawton NoneHa, I will. Speak soon. Becky x