Penmaen Software / BG-Demo – Renewal
Callcompleted
Penmaen Software · 5 May 2026 12:45
First renewal call with Huw Bevan, CFO. Around eight or nine of forty Growth licences are active. He wants a one-page usage case and another month of usage before deciding. The renewal starting point is £48k.
What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026First renewal call with Huw Bevan, CFO. Around eight or nine of forty Growth licences are active. He wants a one-page usage case and another month of usage before deciding. The renewal starting point is £48k.
What happened: Tom Ashdown and Marcus Bell opened the renewal early. Marcus said around eight or nine people are active against forty licences and that usage is drifting down.
Customer view: Huw wants to know whether the brain has paid for itself and what would be lost without it. He only sees invoices, so he cannot judge day-to-day use himself.
Commercial: Tom gave £48k as the starting point, matching the order form and invoices, and said he would confirm the renewal figure in writing. Huw said he would not decide before seeing the usage case and would like another month of usage first.
Watch: Huw liked the phrase right size. The 5 May 2026 call shows no benefit figure from the customer side, so the value case rests on the team lead.
Themes
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Theme
Renewal value and adoption
Importance
renewal
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- Marcus Bell to write a one-page usage case and speak to the team lead once Huw Bevan makes the introduction.
- Tom Ashdown to confirm the renewal paperwork figure in writing.
- Regroup with Huw Bevan in a few weeks.
Risks
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Only eight or nine of forty Growth licences are active, so the customer may seek a smaller tier.
- Nobody on the customer side can put a figure on time saved, so the value case is unproven.
- Huw Bevan, who signs off spend, does not see the product day to day.
Opportunities
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- A one-page usage case could show the board what questions are asked, by whom and on what.
- The customer success team already uses the brain for the purpose it was bought for.
Transcript
Tom AshdownHello, hello. Can you hear us all right, Huw?
Huw BevanYes, I can hear you. Good afternoon, Tom. Marcus.
Marcus BellAfternoon, Huw. Thanks for making time.- Tom AshdownHow's your week been? Not too many fires, I hope. Month-end behind you?
- Huw BevanMonth-end is done, thank you. Quieter than usual, actually. Which is a relief. Shall we get on? I know it's a short slot.
- Tom AshdownYeah, no drama, let's crack on. So this is the first proper renewal conversation. Your contract runs to 24 Jul 2026, so there's time, but Marcus and I wanted to get something in the diary early rather than leave it to June.
- Huw BevanThat's sensible. Can I start with adoption? Who is actually using it at the moment?
- Marcus BellGood place to start. I'll share my screen, bear with me. Right, can you see that? I've pulled the numbers for the last quarter and I wanted to be straight about them.
- Huw BevanI can see it, yes.
- Marcus BellSo you're licensed for forty users on Growth. On an average day over the last month we're seeing somewhere around eight or nine people actually active. That's a bit lower than the quarter before. Not a cliff, but it's drifting the wrong way.
- Huw BevanEight or nine out of forty.
- Marcus BellYeah. I'm not going to dress that up. It's a fair way under the licence.
- Huw BevanAnd who are those eight or nine? Is it the customer success team, as we intended?
- Marcus BellMostly, yes. The customer success side is the core of it, a couple of people in account management, and then it tails off. I'd say the same handful of people ask most of the questions. Let me pull up that view. Give me a second, it's loading.
- Marcus BellThere we go. So the questions are concentrated. A few people are doing the bulk of it, and they're doing it consistently, which is good. Renewal prep, ticket history per leisure operator, that sort of thing.
- Tom AshdownWhich was the original idea, wasn't it? Reading tickets, renewals and usage per operator without anyone having to stitch it together by hand.
- Huw BevanIt was. I remember the business case. I'd like to understand whether it has paid for itself. What would we lose if we weren't using it?
- Marcus BellThat's the right question, and I'd rather you asked it than I guessed. What I can say is that the people using it are using it for the thing you bought it for. What I can't say is a number for time saved, because I don't have that from your side.
- Huw BevanNo, I wouldn't expect you to. I'd have to ask the team lead.
- Tom AshdownWell, that's something we could help with. Marcus could sit down with the team for half an hour and ask them what they'd do without it. Leave that with me, I can sort the diary.
- Huw BevanLet's not rush into that. I'd rather understand the position first.
- Tom AshdownFair enough. No pressure.
- Huw BevanTell me about the money. What's the renewal as things stand?
- Tom AshdownSo as it stands you're on Growth at £48,500 a year. That's what the order form says and that's what's been invoiced, so those line up. I'm not going to quote you a renewal figure from memory today, I'll confirm it properly in writing. But the starting point is £48,500.
- Huw BevanAnd invoices are all paid, as far as I know.
- Tom AshdownNothing overdue on our side, no. You've always been prompt.
- Huw BevanGood. Then my concern is plain. Forty licences, a handful of users, and an overhead per customer that I have to justify to the board. I don't mind spending on a tool that shows its use. I do mind spending on one that sits there.
- Marcus BellUnderstood. And that's not unreasonable. Could I suggest what I'd want if I were in your seat? A short usage case, just the questions asked, by whom, on what. Something you can put in front of the board in a page.
- Huw BevanThat would be helpful. Brief, please. I won't read ten pages.
- Marcus BellOne page. Happy to jump on a call with your team lead as well if that helps me get the picture from their side.
- Huw BevanYes. I'll introduce you. Though I should say, I won't be making a decision before I've seen it.
- Tom AshdownNobody's asking you to decide today, Huw. The renewal's pencilled in for 24 Jun 2026 on our side, but that's just where we've put it in the system. It moves if it needs to.
- Huw BevanGood. Because I'd prefer to see another month of usage first.
- Marcus BellThat makes sense. If numbers pick up, that helps your case. If they don't, then at least we've all seen it and we can talk honestly about what the right size looks like.
- Huw BevanRight size. Yes. That's a phrase I like.
- Tom AshdownWell, I'd be wary of getting ahead of ourselves, but yes, we'd rather have a conversation about fit than have you paying for something you're not using. Better for the relationship over the long run.
- Huw BevanI appreciate that.
- Marcus BellAnything on the support side I should know about? I've got no tickets from you in the last month, which I'm taking as a good sign, but tell me if that's wrong.
- Huw BevanNothing has been raised with me. I only see the invoices, to be honest. I don't see the product day to day.
- Marcus BellNo, understood. That's why I'll speak to your team lead directly.
- Tom AshdownSo, shall I just recap? Marcus puts together a one-page usage case, speaks to your team lead once you've made the introduction, and I'll confirm the renewal paperwork figure in writing. Then we regroup. Does a few weeks sound right?
- Huw BevanA few weeks is fine. Let's not rush. I'll email the introduction this week.
- Marcus BellBrilliant. Thanks, Huw. I'll send you the one-pager before we speak again.
- Tom AshdownCheers, Huw. Enjoy the rest of your day.
- Huw BevanAnd you. Goodbye.
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