Clashmore Recruitment / BG-Demo – Negotiation
Callcompleted
Clashmore Recruitment · 22 Aug 2025 14:00
Negotiation call on 22 Aug 2025 with Owen Tallis joining. Cian O'Leary called the £25k deal amount a lot for a firm his size. A first-term discount will come on a revised order form, with signature targeted for 4 Sep 2025.
What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Negotiation call on 22 Aug 2025 with Owen Tallis joining. Cian O'Leary called the £25k deal amount a lot for a firm his size. A first-term discount will come on a revised order form, with signature targeted for 4 Sep 2025.
What happened: Owen Tallis joined Lewis Kerr to discuss price. Cian O'Leary likes the product but measures it against fee income per head and asked for a discount.
Customer view: Deirdre Barry described lost time and embarrassment from calling placed clients or missing unpaid invoices. Cian wants a number to take to his business partner.
Commercial: Owen offered room on the first term only, no second discount, and said the renewal returns at the standard tier price. Scope stays at four connectors, and no figure was given on the call.
Watch: Cian signs alone but said he is not promising to sign on the day. The revised order form is due by Monday and he said he will be asking.
Themes
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Theme
Starter price negotiation
Importance
neutral
Sentiment
mixed
Voice
decision-maker
Who was there
BG-Demo
CRMmade from
Them
CRMmade from
Follow-up
Next steps
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Lewis Kerr to send the revised order form to Cian O'Leary, copied to Deirdre Barry, by the Monday after the call.
- Lewis Kerr to resend the note on how the brain sits in the Snowflake account.
- Target signature on 4 Sep 2025.
Risks
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Cian O'Leary benchmarks price against fee income per head and is not committing to sign on the day.
- The discount figure was not given on the call, so the revised order form carries the weight.
- The first-term discount ends at renewal, which will return to the standard tier price.
Opportunities
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Both customer contacts say they like the product and the consultant use case.
- Scope is agreed as unchanged, so a later connector add-on stays a separate conversation.
Transcript
Lewis KerrAfternoon all. Cian, Deirdre, you know Owen Tallis, our VP Sales, from the email. Owen's joining because we're going to talk about price.
Owen TallisAfternoon. Good to put faces to names. Where does the deal stand against the date, Lewis?- Lewis KerrStill aiming for signature on Thursday 4 September 2025, Starter tier, deal amount £24,525, which is the total including implementation.
Cian O'LearyHello, Owen. Lovely day over here, finally. Did you get any of the heat in London?- Owen TallisToo much of it. Office was like a greenhouse. Right, let's get into it.
Deirdre BarryBefore you do, quick one from me. Can the consultants see the invoice status in the first view, or will they have to click through?- Lewis KerrIn the first view. It's on the client page, same as I showed you the last time. That doesn't change whatever we agree on price.
- Deirdre BarryGrand. I just wanted that on the record before we get into numbers.
- Cian O'LearyOkay. Headline from my side. I like it, Deirdre likes it, the consultants will like it. But twenty-four and a half grand is a lot for a firm our size. What can you do?
- Owen TallisFair, and thanks for being direct. Can I ask what you're comparing it with? Is it another quote, or is it the cost of doing nothing?
- Cian O'LearyNeither, really. It's what I'd pay a consultant for half a year. I look at everything as fee income per head.
- Owen TallisThen let's use that. If the brain gives each consultant back even a little time every week before client calls, that's fee income you're not currently getting. I'm not going to put a made-up number on it for you. Deirdre, what do the consultants lose today?
- Deirdre BarryTime, mostly. Ringing a client who's already been placed, or not knowing there's an unpaid invoice. And it's embarrassing. Then I'm the one fixing the record afterwards.
- Cian O'LearyRight, right. But that's the value case. I still want to hear a discount.
- Owen TallisHere's how I'll frame it. There's room on the first term, and only the first term. Subscription discounts don't carry beyond that, and I don't discount twice. So whatever we agree now is an introduction, and the renewal comes back at the standard price for the tier.
- Cian O'LearySure, sure. How much room?
- Owen TallisThere's a ceiling on what I can offer, and I'm not going to improvise a figure on a call. Lewis will put it in a revised order form so you've got it in writing. What I can say is that it'll be a real movement, not a token one.
- Cian O'LearyI've heard that before. I need a number to take to my business partner.
- Lewis KerrCian, you'll have the number on the revised order form, co-termed to your start date, in writing, by Monday. I'd rather you had a number I can stand behind than one I made up on a Friday afternoon.
- Cian O'LearyMonday. Fine. And you'll remember it, because I'll be asking.
- Lewis KerrI'll remember, and so will Owen. It's on both our lists.
- Deirdre BarryCan I raise something? If the price moves, is the scope staying the same? Same four connectors, same everything?
- Owen TallisSame scope. The discount is on price, not on what's delivered. We don't trade connectors for money. If you want more later, that's a separate conversation.
- Deirdre BarryGrand. That's what I wanted to hear.
- Cian O'LearyOne more. What if it doesn't work for us? I don't want to be stuck.
- Owen TallisStraight answer: you're signing a subscription, so there's a term. What protects you is the implementation plan and the check-ins with Elena. If a connector isn't loading, you'll have a named person to chase, and Deirdre will see it before the consultants do.
- Cian O'LearyHmm. Okay. That's honest at least.
- Owen TallisLet me recap so nobody leaves with a different version. One, Starter, same scope as the proposal. Two, a first-term discount, put in writing by Lewis on Monday on a revised order form. Three, no further discount beyond the first term. Four, target signature Thursday 4 September 2025. Cian, is that your understanding?
- Cian O'LearyThat's it. I'll look at the number when it comes, and I'll ring you if I've got a problem. I'm not promising to sign on the day, mind.
- Owen TallisUnderstood, and I'd not ask you to. Who signs, Cian? You alone, or your partner too?
- Cian O'LearyMe. I sign everything. My partner just has opinions.
- Deirdre BarryWhich is why I like to have the answers ready for both of you.
- Lewis KerrNext steps from my side: revised order form to Cian by Monday, copied to Deirdre, with the first-term discount and the VAT position stated. I'll also resend the note on how the brain sits in your Snowflake account.
- Deirdre BarryThanks a million, Lewis. I'll share it with the person who looks after our IT before the end of next week.
- Owen TallisGood. Thanks, both. Cian, enjoy the weekend, and I hope the hurling goes better.
- Cian O'LearyHa, don't. Cheers, lads. Talk Monday.
- Lewis KerrCheers all. Speak soon.
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