What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Renewal call with Managing Director Rob Ellery. Starter renews at the same price, quoted as nineteen and a half thousand for the year, with signing pencilled for 22 Dec 2025. Rob does not use the brain himself and wants no pitch.
What happened: Marcus Bell showed weekly usage more than doubled quarter on quarter, with about five people on a typical day against two or so. Tom Ashdown then offered a Starter renewal at the same price, the current term ending 3 Jan 2026.
Customer view: Rob Ellery said he does not use the brain himself and only hears that it saves his team a faff. He welcomed no increase and said he would rather have that than a pitch.
Commercial: The renewal was quoted as nineteen and a half thousand for the year, same tier, with signature pencilled for 22 Dec 2025. Fifteen licensed users leave headroom, but no upsell was offered.
Watch: The decision-maker sees value second-hand, and use rests on the operations manager and a few consultants. Her time is tight, so the January session may slip.
Themes
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Who was there
BG-Demo
Them
Follow-up
Next steps
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Tom Ashdown to send the renewal paperwork in writing so it can be signed by 22 Dec 2025.
- Marcus Bell to send the one-page usage summary to Rob Ellery.
- Marcus Bell to book a thirty-minute session in January with the operations manager.
Risks
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Rob Ellery does not use the brain himself, so his view of its value is second-hand.
- Use rests on the operations manager and a few consultants, a small group for a Starter subscription.
Opportunities
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Fifteen users are licensed and usage is well below that, so more of the team can join without any change.
- A session with the operations manager could turn frequent consultant questions into saved one-click pages.
Transcript
- Marcus BellAfternoon, Rob. Afternoon, Tom. Let me share my screen while we get settled. I want to cover how things have gone this year, then Tom will talk renewal.
- Rob ElleryAfternoon. How long is this, Marcus?
- Marcus BellHalf an hour, thereabouts. I've pulled the numbers so it should be quick.
- Tom AshdownAnd I'll be brief, Rob, promise. How's the week treating you?
- Rob ElleryBusy. Permanent desk is quiet, the rest is flat out. Go on then.
- Marcus BellRight. So can you see the usage page? This line here is people using the brain each week. If you look back over the last quarter against the quarter before, it's more than doubled. You've got about five people in it on a typical day now, and that's up from two or so.
- Rob ElleryIs that good?
- Marcus BellIt's good. It's going the right way, and it's the people who ask it things rather than just logging in. And there's no tickets outstanding, no problems with the nightly refresh, nothing that I'd flag.
- Rob ElleryTo be straight with you, I don't use it myself. Our operations manager does, and a few of the consultants. I just hear that it's saving them a faff.
- Marcus BellThat's honest, thanks Rob. From what I can see the Monday job of working out which clients need chasing is the main thing it does for them. They ask it, they get a list.
- Rob ElleryRight. That's worth something, then. What about the number of users? Are we over?
- Marcus BellNot at all. You're licensed for fifteen and you're nowhere near. So there's room. If more of the team want to come on, they can, without any change.
- Tom AshdownAnd that's partly why I'd keep things simple, Rob. Shall I pick up on the renewal?
- Rob ElleryGo on.
- Tom AshdownSo the current term finishes on 3 Jan 2026, and the renewal would start on 4 Jan 2026. Same tier, Starter, and the renewal is for nineteen and a half thousand for the year. Same as you pay now. I'll confirm it in writing so it's on paper, but there's no change.
- Rob EllerySame money. No increase.
- Tom AshdownNo increase. You're on the original pricing and it carries across for this renewal.
- Rob ElleryFine. What would we be paying for that we're not getting now?
- Tom AshdownSame as now, really. Same users, same connections, Marcus's check-ins. I wouldn't try and sell you something extra, you've not asked for it. If your team grows, we'd talk about that separately.
- Rob ElleryGood. I'd rather have that than a pitch.
- Marcus BellOne thing worth saying, Rob. Because usage has gone up, I'd like to book a short session with your operations manager to see what the consultants are asking it. There may be a couple of questions that could be saved so everyone gets them in one click.
- Rob ElleryTalk to her. She'll tell you if she's got time. The team's flat out.
- Marcus BellUnderstood. I'll keep it to thirty minutes. Shall we book thirty minutes in January, after the renewal's done?
- Rob ElleryYes, January's better.
- Tom AshdownRight, so the aim on my side is to get the paperwork with you well before the end of term. We've got 22 Dec 2025 pencilled in as the date for it to be signed. That way nobody's rushing round at Christmas.
- Rob ElleryThat's fine. Send it over. I'll have a look and talk to the operations manager if there's anything odd.
- Tom AshdownThere shouldn't be. It's the same as before, only with new dates. Leave that with me.
- Rob ElleryAnything else?
- Marcus BellNothing from me. I'll send over the usage summary so you've got it to hand. It's one page.
- Rob ElleryGood. Cheers both.
- Tom AshdownCheers, Rob. Speak soon.