Delancey Haig / BG-Demo – Negotiation
Callcompleted
Delancey Haig · 6 Jun 2024 09:00
Negotiation call on the Growth deal. Rupert Lasker and Desmond Oyelaran tested price, discount, payment terms and stale-data cover. Rupert said he could sign by Wednesday 19 June 2024 if the paper is clean, but made no promise.
What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Negotiation call on the Growth deal. Rupert Lasker and Desmond Oyelaran tested price, discount, payment terms and stale-data cover. Rupert said he could sign by Wednesday 19 June 2024 if the paper is clean, but made no promise.
What happened: On 6 Jun 2024 Priya Raman and Owen Tallis took the CFO and Finance Manager through the £54k deal total, discount, billing and the order form.
Customer view: Rupert wants payback inside a year and fewer suppliers. Desmond asked about data location, quarterly billing and the order form listing connectors by name.
Commercial: Discount applies to the first term only and was held to Wednesday 19 June 2024. Owen was clear that Growth carries no service credit for stale data.
Watch: Rupert rejected an early upsell. The evidence does not show whether the order form was signed.
Themes
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Theme
Growth discount and terms
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- Priya Raman to send the order form, master agreement and side-by-side annual and quarterly billing with the discount date.
- Desmond Oyelaran to review and send comments, plus the two system owners' names.
- Rupert Lasker to decide on signing by Wednesday 19 June 2024.
Risks
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Rupert Lasker needs payback inside a year, and Growth gives no service credit for stale data.
- The first-term discount falls away at renewal, which he has now been told.
- Rupert said he tends to raise the awkward question the day before signing.
Opportunities
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Quarterly billing was requested and can be offered in the order form to ease cash flow.
- Desmond Oyelaran raised adding a contract recruiters team later, through add-ons or a higher tier at renewal.
Transcript
Priya RamanMorning, everyone. Can you hear me alright? I can see Rupert, just waiting on Desmond.
Rupert LaskerMorning. Yes, I can hear you. Desmond is just dialling in from the finance floor.
Desmond OyelaranMorning, sorry about that. The link took a moment. Can you hear me?- Priya RamanLoud and clear. And Owen's with us as well, you both met him on the demo.
Owen TallisMorning, Rupert, morning Desmond. Thanks for making the time. Bit grey out there this morning, isn't it.- Rupert LaskerIt is. Before we start, how long is this going to take? I have another call at 09:30.
- Priya RamanHappy to make this easy. We've got the full twenty-five minutes booked but I think we can do it in less. Let me recap where we are, and then Owen can pick up the commercial side.
- Rupert LaskerGo on.
- Priya RamanSo, after the demo on your own data, you told us the client-account directors liked seeing vacancies, placements, invoices and complaints for a client all in one place. We scoped Growth for that. The proposal went across, and the number on the table is fifty-three thousand eight hundred pounds, which is the all-in figure, implementation included. What we'd like, to keep momentum, is to get the order form over the line by Wednesday 19 June 2024.
- Rupert LaskerRight. And remind me of the annual cost. Is the fifty-three eight a year?
- Owen TallisNo, and it's worth being clear on that. The fifty-three eight is the total value of the deal. It includes the one-off implementation fee. The subscription is annual, billed in advance, and the implementation is paid once. The order form shows the two as separate lines.
- Rupert LaskerSo the second year is less than that.
- Owen TallisThe one-off doesn't recur, so yes, the second year is the subscription alone. I'd rather not quote you a split off the cuff on a call, though. Priya will put it in writing today, with both lines, so you're looking at the same thing we are.
- Priya RamanYes, I'll send it straight after this.
- Rupert LaskerMm. What are we actually using, though? Honestly. We're a recruitment group with thin margins. Anything we buy has to pay for itself inside a year.
- Owen TallisThat's a fair test, and I'd hold us to it. What you described in discovery was a director getting ready for a client call and having to ask three different people for the same picture. Which vacancies are open, what's been placed, what's been invoiced, and whether there's a complaint sitting in the helpdesk. With the brain, they ask once and get one answer. The saving is those hours, and the call where a director didn't know an invoice was disputed.
- Rupert LaskerCan we do this ourselves? We've got a data person. Couldn't she build something over the CRM and the accounting system?
- Priya RamanShe could build a piece of it, and I'd be the first to say so. The part that tends to bite is keeping it alive. Every time a system changes, a connector breaks and someone has to notice. That's what you're paying us to run, inside your own Snowflake account, so it's your data and it stays with you.
- Rupert LaskerMm. I want fewer suppliers, not more.
- Owen TallisUnderstood. It sits on top of what you already have. It's not another system for your people to key into. Nobody changes how they log a placement. The brain reads what's already there.
- Desmond OyelaranCan I ask about the data side? Complaints will include candidate names and client names. Where does that sit?
- Priya RamanIn your Snowflake account, Desmond. We don't take a copy away. Your security people can see exactly what's loaded and what's not, and the connectors only read what you've agreed in the order form.
- Rupert LaskerFine. Let me say what I need from this call. Is the price movable? I'll be straight with you, I'd expect it to be.
- Owen TallisStraight answer back. There is some room, on the first term only. That's where we put discount, and it's the only place. At renewal you'd be on the list price for Growth at that time. I'd rather you hear that now than in a year.
- Rupert LaskerMm. So the discount comes back out.
- Owen TallisIt doesn't carry past the first term, no. We say that up front so nobody is surprised at renewal. Let's not discount twice.
- Priya RamanAnd so we're clear, if we can get this over the line by Wednesday 19 June 2024, I can hold the first-term discount in the order form. After that date it comes off the table, and I'd write it down with that date on it.
- Desmond OyelaranIs the discount on the implementation as well, or only on the subscription?
- Owen TallisI'd rather confirm that in the wording than guess on a call. Priya will show you both lines with the discount against each. What I won't do is change the structure. It's a fixed-fee implementation and an annual subscription.
- Rupert LaskerAlright. I'll want a number, in writing, not a feeling.
- Priya RamanYou'll have it today. Number, lines, and the date it holds until.
- Rupert LaskerSecond question. How long does it take? From signature to my directors actually using it.
- Priya RamanEight weeks for the implementation on Growth. Our delivery team do the connectors first, then the pages and dashboards your directors will actually look at.
- Rupert LaskerIs that a firm eight weeks, or does it slip when we're slow giving you access?
- Owen TallisHonest answer, it depends on you as much as us. The connectors named in the order form carry a live-within commitment, so that's on us. But if the keys to a source system are sitting with someone on holiday, that clock is yours.
- Desmond OyelaranThat would be me for the accounting system, and a colleague in IT for the CRM. We can name owners up front.
- Priya RamanThat's exactly the thing. If you can give us those two names, we'll put them straight on the kickoff list.
- Rupert LaskerWho runs it on our side? I don't want this sitting in finance.
- Desmond OyelaranNo, the directors are the users. Day to day I'd want someone in operations as the admin. Not me. I'd rather be the one asking it questions about invoices.
- Owen TallisThat's the right instinct. I'd start with two admins, not one. Then if one person moves on, you're not left with nobody who can change a connector or add a user.
- Rupert LaskerWe lose people. It's recruitment. People move.
- Priya RamanEveryone does. It's one of the reasons we ask for two.
- Rupert LaskerHm. Fine.
- Desmond OyelaranCan we go through payment? How is it invoiced, and when?
- Owen TallisSubscription is annual, in advance. Quarterly if you ask for it. Terms are thirty days from the invoice date. The implementation is a fixed fee, invoiced as its own line, and the order form says when.
- Rupert LaskerI never pay early, so thirty days is thirty days.
- Owen TallisNoted. And we'd prefer on time to early, to be fair to you.
- Desmond OyelaranQuarterly would suit us better for cash. Does that change anything else in the order form?
- Owen TallisIt's available on request and I'd have it written into the order form so there's no ambiguity. I won't make up terms on a call. Priya, can you put both versions side by side so Desmond can compare?
- Priya RamanWill do. Annual in advance, and quarterly, side by side, with the discount and the date.
- Desmond OyelaranThank you. And our solicitors will want the master agreement and the order form together. Can you send both?
- Priya RamanBoth, today. The order form sits under the master agreement, so they'll read them as a pair.
- Rupert LaskerHow many users is this for? I don't want to pay for seats nobody sits in.
- Owen TallisGrowth includes forty users and eight connectors. For your client-account directors and a handful of operations people that's comfortable. If you outgrow it there are add-ons for more users, but I wouldn't buy headroom you don't need.
- Rupert LaskerGood. Say it again, the forty. Is that everyone who logs in?
- Owen TallisYes, named people who can sign in. It's a soft limit, so a few over won't stop anyone, but we'd have a conversation about it.
- Rupert LaskerRight. And what happens if the data is stale? Say a connector stops and a director gets an old answer in front of a client. What do we get?
- Owen TallisTwo different things, and it's worth separating them. Availability is whether the brain is up. On Growth there's a credit if we miss that. Freshness is whether last night's refresh landed. That's a commitment we make, the refresh completes by seven in the morning on business days, but the service credit for it sits on Enterprise, not Growth.
- Rupert LaskerSo I'm not covered for stale data.
- Owen TallisNot by a credit, no. I'd rather be straight about it. What you do get on Growth is a fast first response if something is broken, and Priya's team will tell you when a source stops loading, because we watch that.
- Priya RamanAnd the quarterly reviews, Rupert. That's where your CSM, Daniel, walks you through usage and what the directors are actually asking, so you can see whether it's earning its place.
- Rupert LaskerThat's the bit I like. What are we actually using. Fine. Tell me that quarterly and I'll be happier.
- Priya RamanThat's the plan.
- Desmond OyelaranOne more from me. If we signed and then wanted to add a team later, say the contract recruiters in a separate division, how would that work?
- Owen TallisTwo routes. Extra users and extra connectors are add-ons, priced separately. If it's a whole new group of teams and you're past Growth's limits, then we'd talk about the next tier at renewal. Nobody makes you decide that now.
- Rupert LaskerDon't sell me the next one before I've bought this one.
- Owen TallisFair. Consider it unsaid.
- Priya RamanHa. Fair enough. Can I take a minute to check I've got your list right, so nothing falls through?
- Rupert LaskerPlease do.
- Priya RamanOne, you want the annual versus quarterly billing side by side. Two, the discount in writing with the date it holds to. Three, the order form and the master agreement together for your solicitors. Four, a clear statement of what's one-off and what's annual. And five, names for the accounting system and the CRM so we can plan the connectors.
- Desmond OyelaranYes, that's it. I'd add one thing. Can the order form list the connectors by name? So we know what's in the price.
- Priya RamanYes, they're listed, each with its live-within commitment. I'll make sure it reads clearly.
- Owen TallisCan I ask the question I always ask? What's the next dated step, and who signs?
- Rupert LaskerI sign. Desmond reviews first, and the solicitors look at the paper. I'm not committing on this call.
- Owen TallisUnderstood, and that's fine. What date should we write down for Desmond's review?
- Desmond OyelaranEarly next week, if I get the paper today. I'd come back with comments, not a yes or no.
- Rupert LaskerAnd if the paper is clean and the discount is as you've said, I don't see why we couldn't sign by that Wednesday. I'm not promising.
- Priya RamanThat's all I'm asking for, Rupert. Wednesday 19 June 2024, with a clean order form in front of you.
- Rupert LaskerHm. One last thing. If it goes wrong, the implementation. Do we have a way to say stop?
- Owen TallisThe order form sets out what's delivered and when, and the connectors carry their commitments. If we miss them, you'll have a conversation with me, not a queue. I'd rather that than a clause you never read.
- Rupert LaskerGood. I'd rather the conversation, to be honest.
- Desmond OyelaranRupert, I need to pop off at twenty past, I've a supplier call. Is there anything else you need from me?
- Rupert LaskerJust the review. Send your comments to Priya and copy me.
- Desmond OyelaranWill do.
- Priya RamanAnd I'll copy Owen on everything, so if there's a question on the commercials it gets answered quickly.
- Owen TallisPlease do. Rupert, if anything on price or terms is bothering you, ring me directly. I'd rather solve it early.
- Rupert LaskerI will. I tend to ask the awkward question on the day before signing, so consider yourself warned.
- Owen TallisHa. Ask it earlier if you can. But noted.
- Priya RamanSo, to read it back. Today, I send the order form, the master agreement, the side-by-side billing and the discount with its date. Desmond reviews early next week, and sends comments. Rupert, you sign, if it's clean, by Wednesday 19 June 2024. Anything I've missed?
- Rupert LaskerThe names. Desmond will send you the two owners for the systems.
- Desmond OyelaranYes, I'll send them over with my comments. Or sooner, this afternoon, if I can.
- Priya RamanBrilliant, that helps us line up the kickoff in good time.
- Rupert LaskerRight. I'm going to ask one more thing and then I'll let you go. Between you and me, what's the one thing that makes these go wrong?
- Owen TallisNobody owns it afterwards. A director or two use it, the admin leaves, the data goes stale and people drift back to spreadsheets. So the two admins, and the quarterly review. That's what keeps it earning its place.
- Rupert LaskerGood. That's an answer I believe.
- Priya RamanThank you, Rupert. Thank you, Desmond. I know it's a busy morning.
- Desmond OyelaranThank you both. Speak soon.
- Owen TallisThanks all. Priya, you'll get that across within the hour?
- Priya RamanWithin the hour. Best of luck with the next call, Rupert.
- Rupert LaskerThanks. I'll be at the next one on time for once. Goodbye.
- Owen TallisGoodbye both. Cheers.
- Priya RamanBye, everyone. Speak soon.
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