Brinkerhof Distributie / BB-Demo – Negotiation
Callcompleted
Brinkerhof Distributie: documents · 2025-10-10 15:15
Ruud Verhoeven and Ilse Smits reviewed terms for Growth. The £56,000 figure includes one-off implementation. Quarterly invoicing, 30-day terms and GBP were agreed in principle; a draft order form follows, with a target close of 10 Nov 2025.
What was said
What this says
Current to 11 Oct 26Ruud Verhoeven and Ilse Smits reviewed terms for Growth. The £56,000 figure includes one-off implementation. Quarterly invoicing, 30-day terms and GBP were agreed in principle; a draft order form follows, with a target close of 10 Nov 2025.
What happened: Sophie Ling and Owen Tallis took the financial director and credit manager through price structure, invoicing and paper. Ruud said the timeline is realistic but he does not decide on a call.
Customer view: Ruud wants the contract and the invoice to say the same thing, with term, renewal and notice in plain words. Ilse asked for quarterly invoices matched to order form lines, sent to her directly.
Commercial: Owen offered something modest on price in the first term only, against a close by Monday 10 November 2025. Any discount ends at renewal, when the list price then in force applies.
Watch: Ruud noted that paying in pounds is a cost for them. The implementation payment trigger and start dates are still to be written into the draft.
Themes
Current to 9 Oct 26Theme
Growth terms and invoicing
Importance
renewal
Sentiment
neutral
Voice
decision-maker
Who was there
BB-Demo
CRMmade from
Them
CRMmade from
Follow-up
Next steps
Current to 9 Oct 26- Sophie Ling to send the draft order form to Ruud and Ilse early the following week.
- Ruud and Ilse to come back with comments by the end of that week, Ilse flagging any questions by Thursday.
- Sophie and Owen to aim for signature by Monday 10 November 2025.
Risks
Current to 9 Oct 26- Ruud will not decide on a call, so the 10 Nov 2025 close depends on his review of the draft.
- The implementation payment trigger and start dates are not yet fixed on paper.
Opportunities
Current to 9 Oct 26- Extra users in blocks of ten and extra connectors in blocks of five can be sold later as add-ons.
Transcript
Sophie Ling NoneHello, can everyone hear me alright? Ruud, Ilse, good afternoon. Owen's in the lobby, I'll let him in now.
Owen Tallis NoneAfternoon, all. Sorry, the call before ran over. Can you hear me?
Ruud Verhoeven NoneYes, we hear you. Good afternoon.
Ilse Smits NoneAfternoon. Ruud asked me to join for the invoicing side, so I will mostly listen and ask when I need to.- Sophie Ling NoneThat's exactly why I asked for you to be here, Ilse, thanks. So, quick agenda. Last time we landed on Growth as the right fit for the account managers, so today is terms, how the invoicing works, and what the paper looks like. Owen's here because he signs off on anything about structure.
- Owen Tallis NoneThanks, Sophie. Ruud, I'll start where I always start: where does the deal stand against the date? We have Monday 10 November 2025 as the target close. I want to know if that's real or hopeful.
- Ruud Verhoeven NoneIt is realistic, but I do not decide on a call. First I want to understand the numbers. What does it cost per year?
- Sophie Ling NoneFair question. The figure on the proposal is fifty-six thousand pounds all-in, and that includes the one-off implementation fee. So it's not an annual price. The annual subscription is the larger part of it, and the implementation is charged once, at the start.
- Ruud Verhoeven NoneSo in year two it is lower than fifty-six.
- Owen Tallis NoneYes. Year two is the subscription only, no implementation. And I'd rather say it plainly now than have you find it on an invoice.
- Ruud Verhoeven NoneGood. No surprises. Is that written in the contract, the split?
- Sophie Ling NoneIt will be on the order form as two separate lines: the subscription for the year, and the implementation fee as a one-off. Nothing hidden away in the master agreement.
- Ilse Smits NoneCan I ask about when you invoice? We prefer to match each invoice to a contract line, and we like quarterly where possible. Annual in advance is a large amount to pay at once for us.
- Owen Tallis NoneAnnual in advance is the standard, but quarterly is possible on request. Let's not discount twice though: if we go quarterly the price stays the price. We're not trading anything else on top.
- Ilse Smits NoneQuarterly is fine. And the payment terms?
- Sophie Ling NoneThirty days from invoice date. The implementation fee goes out as its own invoice, so you can match it to its own line.
- Ruud Verhoeven NoneAnd the implementation, when is it paid? Before the work starts, or after?
- Owen Tallis NoneSophie, you have the draft. What's the trigger?
- Sophie Ling NoneI'll confirm the exact trigger in writing rather than quote it from memory. I don't want to give you something wrong on a call. It will be in the draft order form so it's there to read.
- Ruud Verhoeven NoneThat is good. I prefer in writing.
- Ilse Smits NoneOne more thing. Who should the invoices go to? I would like them to come to me directly, with the order form reference on them, so I can match them without asking Ruud.
- Sophie Ling NoneOf course. I'll note you as the invoice contact. And yes, each invoice will point back to the order form, so the match should be simple.
- Ruud Verhoeven NoneOkay. Then the question for Owen. Is there room on the price?
- Owen Tallis NoneA little, in the first term only, and only against a close date we can both hold. If we sign by Monday 10 November 2025, I can look at something modest. But I'm not going to promise a number on this call. I'd put it on the order form so it's visible, and so it ends cleanly at renewal.
- Ruud Verhoeven NoneWhat do you mean, ends cleanly?
- Owen Tallis NoneAnything we take off applies to the first year only. At renewal you pay the list price then in force. I'd rather you know that today, not in year two.
- Ruud Verhoeven NoneOkay. Is that in the contract?
- Sophie Ling NoneIt would be, yes, written on the order form next to the line it applies to.
- Ruud Verhoeven NoneGood. And if I want to add things later, more users?
- Sophie Ling NoneGrowth comes with forty users and eight connectors. Extra users are sold in blocks of ten and extra connectors in blocks of five, priced separately, so nothing extra is committed now.
- Ruud Verhoeven NoneFine. I do not want to talk about features, Femke can do that with you. I need the contract and the invoice to say the same thing.
- Owen Tallis NoneUnderstood, and that's what we'll send. Sophie, what's the next dated step?
- Sophie Ling NoneI'll send the draft order form early next week. Two lines, quarterly invoicing, Ilse as invoice contact, and the payment terms written out. You and Ilse review it, and then we have a short call to go through it before the close date.
- Ruud Verhoeven NoneWho signs on your side, Owen? I like to know whose name is on it.
- Owen Tallis NoneThe order form sits under the master agreement. I put my name to the commercial terms on this side, and you sign for Brinkerhof Distributie. Who signs for you, Ruud, you alone?
- Ruud Verhoeven NoneMe, I sign. Ilse checks the credit and invoice details first.
- Ilse Smits NoneYes. If I see the draft before it goes to Ruud, I can check the invoice and payment details. Is that okay?
- Sophie Ling NoneAbsolutely, I'll send it to you both at the same time. Ilse, you flag anything about invoicing. Ruud, you read it for the totals.
- Ruud Verhoeven NoneWhat happens if the start date moves? If we sign on the tenth, when does the implementation start, and when does the first invoice come?
- Sophie Ling NoneGood one, and I won't guess. The implementation team plans the start once the order form is signed, and the first subscription invoice follows the contract start date, which will be on the form. I'll make sure both dates are in the draft.
- Owen Tallis NoneAnd if the signature slips, the start slips with it. We don't start work on unsigned paper.
- Ruud Verhoeven NoneThat is logical.
- Ilse Smits NoneHold on, let me find my notes. I had one more question from the last email thread.
- Owen Tallis NoneNo rush, take your time.
- Ilse Smits NoneFound it. The currency. Everything is in pounds? We pay mostly in euros.
- Sophie Ling NoneEverything is invoiced in pounds sterling, yes. Your bank does the conversion. I'll put it on the order form too so it's explicit.
- Ruud Verhoeven NoneFine. That is a cost for us, but it is known.
- Owen Tallis NoneNoted. It's the same for every customer outside the UK, so no surprise on our side either.
- Sophie Ling NoneRuud, anything else on the commercial side? Anything you'd want on the draft that you haven't seen yet?
- Ruud Verhoeven NoneOne thing. I want the contract length clear: the term, the renewal, the notice. Nothing automatic that I do not see.
- Owen Tallis NoneWe'll set out the term and the renewal notice on the form in plain words. Our customer success team also writes to you well before renewal, so there's no surprise in either direction.
- Ruud Verhoeven NoneGood. Then I think the commercial part is clear. I will read the draft with Ilse and come back with questions. I do not decide today.
- Owen Tallis NoneThat's fine, and it's the right way to do it. We just need the next step dated, so let's say you come back with comments by the end of next week.
- Ruud Verhoeven NoneEnd of next week, yes. If Ilse has no questions.
- Ilse Smits NoneI will tell you by Thursday if I have any, so Ruud can plan.
- Sophie Ling NoneGreat. To recap so we're all on the same page: I send the draft order form early next week, to you both. It has the subscription and the implementation as separate lines, quarterly invoicing, thirty-day terms, pounds, and Ilse as the invoice contact. You come back by the end of next week, and we aim to sign by Monday 10 November 2025.
- Owen Tallis NoneThanks, Sophie. And if anything moves, tell me early. I'd rather re-date a deal than sit on a hopeful one.
- Ruud Verhoeven NoneUnderstood. Thank you both. Goodbye.
- Ilse Smits NoneThanks all. Bye.
- Sophie Ling NoneThanks everyone, speak soon.
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