5 Most Common Enterprise SaaS Negotiation Mistakes
Adam Mansfield sees the same five mistakes derail enterprise SaaS and AI negotiations over and over: no unified message across IT, procurement, and the business; too much focus on what's new and not enough on what you already own; starting the renewal process far too late; failing to force licensing and consumption transparency; and fixating on upfront cost while ignoring what the deal costs over the term.
In this episode, Adam explains which mistakes do the most financial damage, why vendors are happy to see you make them, and what enterprises can do before the next renewal to correct course. His rule of thumb on timing alone is worth the listen: when you cut the check for the final year of your deal, your renewal work starts.
Resources:
BLOG - SaaS Vendors Push Consumption-Based Licensing for AI Offerings: What Customers Need to Know (https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fupperedge.com%2Fartificial-intelligence%2Fsaas-vendors-push-consumption-based-licensing-for-ai-offerings-what-customers-need-to-know%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ckchisholm%40upperedge.com%7C2715866cebdf4687f49d08df253e5fbf%7C4b467f227d9645e3a86c783a55a9a3e4%7C0%7C0%7C639270621987096738%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=h%2BSOuKeZCCPKUWkJsVZIfGQvu5CP83V%2BI%2FK4bBKouQg%3D&reserved=0)
PODCAST - The Hidden Risk in SaaS Renewals: Consumption-Based Products Excluded from Protections (https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fupperedge.com%2Fknowledge-center%2Fdocuments%2Fpodcasts%2Fthe-hidden-risk-in-saas-renewals-consumption-based-products-excluded-from-protections&data=05%7C02%7Ckchisholm%40upperedge.com%7C2715866cebdf4687f49d08df253e5fbf%7C4b467f227d9645e3a86c783a55a9a3e4%7C0%7C0%7C639270621987124603%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=FqyUvng60MAuJeo15%2F%2Blia5WvgSPGr6HDPlyeTv6MTw%3D&reserved=0)
About the Show: Welcome to Insights for IT Negotiations, a podcast by UpperEdge, a leading IT sourcing, negotiation, and project execution advisory firm. Join Adam Mansfield UpperEdge’s SaaS Leader, and Kylie Chisholm, UpperEdge’s Marketing Manager, as they share valuable insights to help you maximize the value of your key IT relationships.
Chapters
0:00 Intro
1:59 The Five Most Common SaaS and AI Negotiation Mistakes
2:53 Mistake 1 and 2: No Unified Message, No Look Back at What You Own
6:13 Mistake 3 and 4: Not Enough Runway, Not Enough Transparency
8:52 Mistake 5: Focusing Too Much on Upfront Cost
12:20 Which Mistake Costs Enterprises the Most
19:23 How to Correct These Mistakes Before Your Next Renewal
4 Sept 2026
What do Salesforce's New Editions and Bundles Mean for Salesforce Customers?
Salesforce made a major announcement on September 3, 2026: new Agentforce Sales, Service, and Industries editions have been rolled out...there three (3) new editions — Core, Advanced, and Max. And notably, Salesforce described "legacy" Enterprise and Unlimited editions appear to have removed from Salesforce's website.In this video, Adam Mansfield, Practice Leader at UpperEdge, breaks down what we know so far and what it means for Salesforce customers:• What's bundled into the new editions — Agentforce, Slack (Slackbot), Tableau Next, enterprise data security, and Premier Success Plans• How Flex Credit thresholds work across Core (500K), Advanced (1M), and Max (2.75M) — and why this is a hybrid consumption-based model• The real list price impact: Core at $195/user/month (up 11% vs. Enterprise), Advanced at $395/user/month (up 13% vs. Unlimited), and Max at $550/user/month (no uplift to Agentforce 1)• Why Salesforce's "more value" claims need to be pressure tested• How this mirrors ServiceNow's recent shift to Foundation, Advanced, and Prime editions• The key questions to ask now: Can you still renew on Enterprise or Unlimited? Does your renewal protection still hold? What happens when you exceed credit thresholds? With Dreamforce right around the corner, more updates are coming, and Salesforce's sales organization already has a playbook. Make sure you have yours.Don't forget to like & subscribe for more insights!
2 Sept 2026
Think Your SaaS Renewal Cap Protects You? Read the Fine Print
Many organizations heading into SaaS renewals this year and next feel confident: they negotiated price caps, price transparency, and renewal protections, so the noise about vendor price uplifts doesn't apply to them. Adam Mansfield, Practice Leader at UpperEdge, explains why that confidence may be misplaced.Most renewal protections come with conditions buried in the fine print. Two of the most common: the product or SKU you licensed has to still be available, and you have to maintain a certain volume, product set, or spend level. In 2026, SaaS vendors like ServiceNow and Salesforce are repackaging, rebundling, and relicensing their products into new tiers built around AI. When your licensed SKU gets renamed or retired, that renewal protection can disappear with it.Adam also breaks down how consumption-based AI offerings compound the problem. Unexpected consumption overages don't just hit your budget mid-term; they get added to the base you're required to maintain at renewal, locking in costs you never planned for just to keep your cap.With vendors expected to keep evolving their licensing and packaging through 2026 and into 2027, Adam's advice is clear: read your renewal language now, build your internal plan, and start conditioning your SaaS vendor with the right people at the right time before the cap you budgeted around is no longer there.Don't forget to like & subscribe for more insights!
Who has been a guest on Insights for IT Negotiations
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Adam Mansfield
Kylie Chisholm
Jeff Lazarto
Shane Griffin
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