Brinkerhof Distributie / BG-Demo – Renewal
Callcompleted
Brinkerhof Distributie · 2 Sep 2026 09:45
Financial Director Ruud Verhoeven questioned value after Elena Novak reported far fewer active people. He will not decide until he has written numbers, the contract lines and Femke van Gestel's view. Nothing is signed.
What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Financial Director Ruud Verhoeven questioned value after Elena Novak reported far fewer active people. He will not decide until he has written numbers, the contract lines and Femke van Gestel's view. Nothing is signed.
What happened: Ruud Verhoeven (Financial Director) and Ilse Smits (Credit Manager) joined Matteo Ricci and Elena Novak. Ilse confirmed invoices are paid on time and match the order form.
Customer view: Ruud asked what the brain costs and whether it is worth it with so few users. He said he will not decide today.
Commercial: Matteo gave £48k as the current contract and invoiced amount, and £54k as the deal value in BG-Demo's system.
He promised a written build-up checked against the executed order form, and offered to discuss the right size if usage does not recover.
Watch: Nothing is signed. The expected close is 30 Oct 2026 and the term ends 23 Nov 2026, so the follow-up call must happen before the end of October.
Themes
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Theme
Renewal, usage drop, value
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- Matteo Ricci sends a written note with the renewal figure, its build-up and the executed order form lines.
- Elena Novak sends the usage analysis by person and topic within the next two weeks and agrees training with Femke.
- Matteo proposes a time for a follow-up call with Ruud shortly before the end of October.
Risks
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Active users fell by about a third against fifty licences, so the renewal size and value case are in question.
- The deal in the CRM is higher than the current contract and the customer wants it traced to the executed order form.
- Femke van Gestel, who knows the team's use best, was not on the call and the decision waits on her view.
Opportunities
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Ruud welcomed the openness, and a usage analysis and a weekly use case could rebuild habit before renewal.
- A right-sized renewal conversation could keep the subscription rather than push a renewal that does not fit.
Transcript
Matteo RicciGood morning, Ruud, good morning, Ilse. Buongiorno, as we say. Elena is here with me as well. Can everybody hear us?
Ruud VerhoevenGood morning. Yes. Ilse is next to me, we share one screen. First, a question about the invoices. Are there any open items on your side?
Elena NovakGood morning, both. To confirm, from what I see there is nothing overdue and nothing open beyond the normal terms. Ilse, does that match your ledger?
Ilse SmitsYes. Everything is paid on time. I matched the invoices to the order form when they came in, and there were no differences. So for me there is nothing to raise.- Ruud VerhoevenGood. Then the rest. I understand this is about the renewal.
- Matteo RicciIt is, yes. Let me restate the timeline so we are all on the same page. Your term ends on 23 Nov 2026, and the renewal date is 24 Nov 2026. In our system the renewal is open with an expected close of 30 Oct 2026. That is the date we have been working towards, nothing is signed.
- Matteo RicciAnd since I would rather you heard it from me, I want to begin with the thing that is not so good. The usage has gone down. Elena will show you the details, but the number of people active in the last month is lower by about a third compared with the previous quarter.
- Ruud VerhoevenBy a third. Hm. How many people is that, in practice?
- Elena NovakOn a typical day it is now fewer than eight people active, out of fifty licences. A few months ago it was clearly higher. I would like to be careful: this is the average, and I do not yet know the full reason for it.
- Ilse SmitsIt might be the holidays. In July and August half of the account managers were away at some point. But I am not sure, I did not check this.
- Elena NovakThat is possible, and it would be normal for the summer. But I do not want to rely on it as the explanation. As agreed with Matteo, I will look at who stopped asking questions, and whether it is the same people or spread over the team. I will make sure that you have that in writing.
- Ruud VerhoevenFine. Let me be direct. What does it cost per year, and is it worth it? If eight people use it, I have to ask.
- Matteo RicciA fair question, and I will answer it carefully. Your current contract is £48,000 a year, and that is also what has been invoiced. For the renewal, the deal in our system stands at £54,000. I should say clearly that this is the total value of the deal, and I want to confirm in writing how it is built up, so that you can match it to the contract. I do not want to leave a number with you that you cannot trace.
- Ruud VerhoevenSo it goes up.
- Matteo RicciCompared with what you pay today, yes, the figure is higher. The price list changed for customers on the earlier list when they renew, and we wrote to everyone about this at the start of the year. But I would rather not argue it from memory on a call. Let me confirm that in writing, with the exact basis.
- Ruud VerhoevenIs this in the contract? The increase?
- Matteo RicciWhat the executed order form says is what decides, so I will check it against the signed copy and quote the relevant lines to you. I do not want to answer yes or no from memory.
- Ruud VerhoevenGood. No surprises. That is all I ask.
- Ilse SmitsCan I ask something about the invoices? If the renewal changes the amount, will it still be invoiced the same way, in advance for the year? Or quarterly? Because for credit planning I need to know.
- Matteo RicciAnnual in advance is the standard, with quarterly available on request. I will put which one applies to you in the same note. Elena, anything to add?
- Elena NovakOnly that your payment terms are not changing as part of this conversation, to my knowledge. But as I said, I will confirm in writing and not by memory.
- Ruud VerhoevenOkay. Now the value. Femke told me it is useful for the account managers. But eight people. What is the plan to change this?
- Elena NovakI have three proposals. First, I look at the usage by person and by question type, so that we know whether the fall is the whole team or a few people. Second, a short training for those who have not used it recently, once everyone is back, with Femke's account managers. Third, one clear use case that the team gets from it every week, so it becomes a habit. The view of orders and delivery complaints per installer is the one they mention most.
- Ruud VerhoevenAnd you do this before the end of October?
- Elena NovakThe analysis, yes, I can have it with you within the next two weeks. For the training I need to agree dates with Femke. I will not name a date before I have asked her.
- Matteo RicciAnd may I add one thing, Ruud. If the usage does not recover, I would rather say so and discuss the right size with you than push a renewal that does not fit. Fifty licences is a lot for the group that is active now. That is a conversation I would prefer to have openly.
- Ruud VerhoevenI appreciate that. Then let me say it plainly. I will not decide today. I need the written numbers, the contract lines, and I want to hear from Femke what the team says.
- Ilse SmitsAnd from my side, I would like the invoice breakdown to match the order form, line by line, as before. It has worked well, I only want it to stay that way.
- Matteo RicciUnderstood, and noted. Let me then summarise what I will do, and Elena will add hers. I send you a written note with the renewal figure, how it is built up, and the lines of the executed order form it relates to, plus the invoicing pattern. And I will not commit any date or term that I have not agreed internally.
- Elena NovakAnd I send the usage analysis by person and by topic, with my recommendation, and I agree the training with Femke. To confirm, there are three actions on our side, and all of them will be in writing. On your side, Ruud, you speak with Femke, and Ilse checks whether the invoicing pattern matters for the credit planning.
- Ruud VerhoevenYes. Then we speak again, shortly before the end of October. Not on the last day.
- Matteo RicciAgreed. I will send a proposal for a time with the note. Thank you both, and thank you for being so open about the usage question.
- Ruud VerhoevenFine. Goodbye.
- Ilse SmitsGoodbye, thank you.
- Elena NovakGoodbye, and kind regards.
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