As some newsagents have recently discovered, getting what is offered in the pre-sales process in writing is essential. The amazing deal turned out to not be so amazing when they discovered that they had to pay a compulsory annual fee just to use the software and maintain access to their own business data.
- Get the offer in writing.
- Ensure that the offer fully documents what you have been offered.
- If there is a promise on annual support, subscription or access fees, make sure this is agreed in writing.
- Deals which sound too good to be true often are.
Sales people who are reluctant to document what they offer should be treated as you would an employee who does not want you to put in a security system or who does not want to use employee codes when transacting a sale.
There is one deal I heard of recently offering a complete system for less than the cost price of hardware and manpower offered. The only upside a software company can leverage from such an arrangement is to charge more in the future for support or access to the software. This often makes the great deal more expensive than other offers when considered over several years.