Introduce alternatives in your discussions with Spanning to highlight competitive pricing and functionalities. This tactic works best by emphasizing that you currently have options from competitors that offer similar services for a significantly lower price. Use this information to justify your negotiation stance and push for reductions.
Address any potential overage fees during the negotiation process. Review your existing contract terms regarding these and push for these fees to be waived entirely, ideally in exchange for a commitment to renew or expand your usage in the future. This helps maintain budget predictability while maximizing usage.
When discussing the renewal, challenge any proposed uplift in pricing. Argue that given your consistent usage, you expected flat pricing and not an increase. Highlight the competitive landscape to strengthen your position, emphasizing that adding users or features typically should provide cost efficiencies rather than increases.
If you're planning to expand your usage of Spanning, negotiate for lower rates based on the increased scale. Articulate your organization's growth and emphasize that the expansion should come with economies of scale that provide reductions in per-user costs.
Insist on removing any auto-renewal clauses from the contract, establishing it as a requirement from your finance/legal team. This step is crucial in ensuring that any future negotiations don't come with the pressure of automatic renewals, allowing for more flexibility.