After an exhausting year of assessing options, and negotiating each one down, the IT Director of a large forensic engineering firm was given a best and final offer on a 5-year, $1.1 million deal for a major new buy ERP and CRM agreement with Salesforce.
The deal seemed reasonable, and after the laborious process of getting to this point, there was temptation to accept. But, our client was uncertain if there was still room for improvement in the deal's pricing and terms.
This contract was a significant investment and a long term commitment, so the deal needed to be as good as it could possibly be.
Solution
No need to settle with Dark Horse in your corner
Dark Horse was brought into negotiations positioned as consultants to help finalize their decision. Using our unique people and pricing intel, we discovered there was room for a better deal, and the negotiation angles we could leverage to get a win-win for everyone.
Faced with the task of engaging two sides of the organization, we had to collaborate with both the CRM and ERP sales teams. Engaging the teams at the same time, we made a coordinated pitch that brought everyone to the table in a way we all felt good about.
Result
Final Offer: $140k less & better terms
Making use of our global advisory network to uncover key insights about players, strategies and organizational hierarchies, we shifted the power back into our client's hands. The result? Salesforce accepted our counter offer within 2 hours.
Our client saved $140K just 36 hours after engaging Dark Horse. In addition, our client got clearer pricing protections in place for the initial 5- year term and better limits on renewal increases thereafter.
Undeniably, a great deal.
We negotiate tech contracts every day
Dark Horse knows the ins and outs of licensing negotiation - and of getting resolutions that leave everyone satisfied with the result. If you'd like us to review a “best and final” offer, give us a call. The review is always free: you only engage us if we think we can help you do better.
