Presenting competition as a viable alternative can significantly enhance your negotiating power. If you discover that a competitor has offered a lower price for similar services, mention this to your vendor. Highlighting that your finance team is pressing for a lower price, referencing a specific competitor, helps to create urgency and pressure to lower rates or improve terms. It's crucial to clearly state your budget limits and express a willingness to explore alternatives if your needs aren't met.

If there are concerns about the return on investment from Open Raven, you can suggest a shorter contract term. Express that your leadership is wary of long-term commitments without proven ROI and that they would prefer month-to-month or very short contracts for new products until they can evaluate their usefulness. This tactic can push the vendor to offer better terms if they want to secure your business during the trial period.

When negotiating a renewal, if there is a large rate increase, emphasize the need for a descope in the contract scope. You can anchor your negotiation strategy by explaining how a large increase in rates cannot be justified without greater usage or service expansion. Use comparative pricing from other vendors to support your request for stable pricing despite reducing anticipated service usage.

If Open Raven is proposing an uplift in the renewal rates,-anchor your counteroffer by stating that you expected a flat renewal rate based on previous agreements. Explain that your company generally does not accept uplift terms, and many of your other software partners adjust pricing based on usage, especially when expanding services. This could open the door for conversation around better terms given your history as a customer.