The CFO on the line

Your champion is on leave, the bill jumped 40%, and the CFO is calling you directly. He is not interested in your roadmap.

You are

A customer success manager at a collaboration platform.

The situation

Diane Okoro, CFO at Calder & Wren, is on a call you did not schedule. Your champion, Tomás Reyes, went on parental leave three weeks ago. The annual invoice renewed at 84,000 — up from 60,000 last year — and Diane wants to know why before she pays it. Tomás never mentioned a renewal conversation.

What you want out of it

Find out what is actually driving the increase, fix what you can on this call, and keep the account — without promising a discount you cannot give.

What you already know

• — Bill went from 60,000 to 84,000 on renewal.
• — Tomás has been the sole contact for two years.
• — Seat count in the admin panel shows 210 active users.
• — Last quarter's business review was cancelled when Tomás went on leave.

4 things they won't volunteer, 2 of them buried.