Kentmere Underwriting / BG-Demo – Negotiation
Callcompleted
Kentmere Underwriting · 10 Jan 2025 16:15
Kentmere's CFO wants the revised order form back for the board, the availability commitment written into it, and the first-term discount ending at renewal stated plainly. The security review must finish before signing.
What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Kentmere's CFO wants the revised order form back for the board, the availability commitment written into it, and the first-term discount ending at renewal stated plainly. The security review must finish before signing.
What happened: On the 10 Jan 2025 negotiation call, Owen Tallis pressed Lewis Kerr for a defensible first-term discount and the next dated step. The target close was about a week away.
Customer view: Julian Strickland, the CFO, asked whether the £140k on the record was the agreed figure. Owen said the order form sets price and terms, not the CRM deal amount.
Commercial: Julian worried that a year-one discount drops away at renewal. Owen agreed to write that in plainly, and Lewis will co-term the order form to Kentmere's renewal.
Watch: Arabella Fenwick wants the security review done before signing, and no one signs before answers are in writing. Julian wants the availability commitment in the order form, and Owen said Enterprise covers availability and data freshness.
Themes
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Who was there
BG-Demo
Them
Follow-up
Next steps
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Lewis Kerr to send the order form the same day, with the renewal wording and co-termed date, for Owen Tallis to review first.
- Lewis to confirm the security review date with Kentmere that day.
- Lewis to return the revised order form in time for Julian Strickland's board.
Risks
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- The first-term discount ends at renewal, and the CFO fears a surprise unless the wording is explicit.
- Signing depends on the security review answers being delivered in writing.
- The CRM deal amount of £140,000 could be mistaken for the contracted price.
Opportunities
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Kentmere is close to signing an Enterprise order form, and Arabella said she thinks they are close.
- Writing availability and data freshness commitments into the order form answers the CFO's main service-level concern.
Transcript
Lewis KerrAfternoon all. Owen, you're on mute.
Owen TallisNot any more. Afternoon. Right, where does this stand against the date?- Lewis KerrThe seventeenth of January is the target close, so we're about a week out, give or take.
- Owen TallisGood. What's the next dated step?
Julian StricklandThat's a fair question. We need the revised order form back by the end of the week so I can take it to the board.- Owen TallisThen the next dated step is the terms markup. Lewis, have you got a number on the first term that you can defend?
- Lewis KerrI have a discount on the first term only, within what I can approve, and I'd like to keep it there.
- Owen TallisGood. Let's not discount twice. If the price holds on the first term, we don't touch the subscription after that.
- Julian StricklandWe're at £140,000 on the record. Is that the figure we're agreeing?
- Owen TallisThe deal amount on the record is £140,000. What you sign is the order form, and that's what sets the price and terms. I'd rather we fix the order form wording than argue about a CRM number.
- Julian StricklandFine. My worry is that a year-one discount drops away at renewal and we get a surprise.
- Owen TallisIt does end at renewal. We write that in plainly so nobody gets a surprise. Lewis, put the renewal wording in the order form.
- Lewis KerrWill do. I'll co-term it to your renewal so both sides see the same date.
Arabella FenwickFrom our side, we want the security review done before we sign. Is that still on track?- Owen TallisEnterprise includes the security review, and the solutions engineer is handling it. We won't sign before those answers are in writing. Lewis, can you confirm the date with them today?
- Lewis KerrYes. I'll confirm the date and send it over.
- Julian StricklandAnd the service levels. I want the availability commitment in the order form, not on a slide.
- Owen TallisIt'll be in the order form. Availability and data freshness are both covered for Enterprise. I'd rather you read the wording than the deck.
- Julian StricklandGood. That's what I wanted to hear.
- Arabella FenwickI think we're close. Thanks, Owen.
- Owen TallisThanks. Lewis, send the order form today and I'll look at it before it goes.
- Lewis KerrWill do. Thanks everyone.
- Julian StricklandSpeak soon.