Leverage competitive offers from alternative vendors to showcase pricing differences and bolster your negotiation position. Highlight how other competitors provide similar functionalities at a reduced cost, which may push Planful to match or improve upon their offer to retain your business.

Request the removal of any proposed uplift or increase in pricing tied to additional users or functionality. Emphasize that your budget does not allow for increases and that it is common practice for other vendors to offer stable pricing amidst growth. Anchoring on your budget limitations can provide leverage to negotiate better terms.

Communicate to Planful your needs for additional users, emphasizing how this growth should correspond with lowered unit pricing. As you scale, articulate that the investment must align with your increasing user base and drive the expectation for economies of scale in pricing.

Ensure that the negotiated pricing and included features align with your actual utilization and needs. Request data from Planful that captures your usage to negotiate better terms or prune unnecessary functionalities that may contribute to inflated costs.

Offer to become a case study or reference for Planful in exchange for better pricing. Share how using their product can yield positive marketing for them, while you receive a mutually beneficial cost structure.

Negotiate for the removal of any auto-renewal clauses within the contract. This gives you leverage for further negotiations and reassessment of terms in the future. Explain that it’s a mandate from your finance team to avoid auto-renewals to ensure that every renewal aligns with the organizational budget and needs.