--- name: renewal-playbook description: "Build a structured renewal playbook for a customer account. Use when asked to plan a renewal, structure a renewal negotiation, prepare for an expansion conversation, or build a renewal strategy for at-risk or healthy accounts. Produces a renewal brief with health assessment, negotiation strategy, objection responses, expansion levers, and a timeline." --- # Renewal Playbook Skill This skill produces a complete renewal playbook for a specific customer account, covering health assessment, commercial strategy, negotiation preparation, expansion opportunity mapping, and a step-by-step timeline. Output is ready for the CSM or account team to execute 90–180 days before renewal. ## Required Inputs Ask the user for these if not provided: - **Account name** - **Renewal date** - **Current ARR** and proposed renewal ARR (if different) - **Account health** — RAG status and main reasons (or describe the account situation) - **Key stakeholders** — economic buyer, champion, and any detractors - **Renewal risk factors** — budget pressure, low adoption, competitive threat, champion departure, etc. - **Expansion opportunity** — any upsell or cross-sell potential? - **Contract terms** — current plan, duration, and any terms up for renegotiation ## Output Structure --- # Renewal Playbook: [Account Name] **Renewal date:** [Date] **Current ARR:** [£/$/€ X] **Target renewal ARR:** [£/$/€ X — flat / +X% expansion / contraction risk] **Health status:** [Green / Amber / Red] **CSM:** [Name] **Account executive:** [Name] **Days to renewal:** [X days] --- ## 1. Account Health Snapshot | Dimension | Score (1–5) | Evidence | |---|---|---| | **Product adoption** | [X/5] | [e.g. 3 of 5 purchased seats active; core feature used weekly] | | **Business outcomes** | [X/5] | [e.g. Customer reports X% improvement in [metric]; no formal ROI review done] | | **Relationship depth** | [X/5] | [e.g. Strong champion in [name/role]; limited exec sponsorship] | | **Support & satisfaction** | [X/5] | [e.g. 2 open P2 tickets; last NPS 7; no escalations in 6 months] | | **Commercial engagement** | [X/5] | [e.g. Invoice paid on time; no discount pressure raised yet] | | **Overall health** | [X/5 — weighted] | [Green / Amber / Red] | **Renewal thesis:** [One sentence: why this account will renew — or what must change for it to renew.] --- ## 2. Stakeholder Map | Stakeholder | Role | Influence | Sentiment | Our relationship | |---|---|---|---|---| | [Name] | Economic buyer | High | [Positive / Neutral / Negative] | [Warm / Cold / Unknown] | | [Name] | Champion | High | [Positive] | [Warm] | | [Name] | End user | Low | [Neutral] | [Limited] | | [Name] | IT / procurement | Medium | [Neutral] | [Transactional] | **Champion risk:** [Is our champion secure in their role? Any signals of departure or reorganisation?] **Multi-thread plan:** [Who else do we need relationships with before renewal? How do we get there?] --- ## 3. Risk Register | Risk | Likelihood (H/M/L) | Impact (H/M/L) | Mitigation | |---|---|---|---| | [Budget pressure / cost-cutting] | [H] | [H] | [Build ROI case 90 days out; identify budget holder's priorities] | | [Low adoption in [department]] | [M] | [H] | [Run targeted enablement session; tie to champion's OKRs] | | [Competitor evaluation] | [M] | [M] | [Request competitive intelligence; schedule exec-level call] | | [Champion departure] | [L] | [H] | [Map two additional stakeholders; executive intro call] | --- ## 4. Value Story Build the ROI narrative for the renewal conversation: **Headline result:** [e.g. "[Account] saved X hours/week or reduced [metric] by X% using [product]"] **Evidence sources:** - [ ] Product usage data (logins, features used, seat utilisation) - [ ] Business metric improvement (pull from QBR deck or success plan) - [ ] Support resolution time improvement - [ ] Customer-provided testimonial or case study quotes **Value gaps to close before renewal:** [Are there outcomes the customer expected but hasn't seen yet? What's the plan to close these?] --- ## 5. Expansion Opportunity Map upside beyond flat renewal: | Opportunity | Type | Estimated value | Likelihood | Timing | |---|---|---|---|---| | [Seat expansion — [dept] wants to add 10 users] | Upsell | [+£X ARR] | [High] | [Renewal or +3M] | | [Cross-sell — [Product B] use case identified] | Cross-sell | [+£X ARR] | [Medium] | [+6M] | | [Multi-year commitment] | Discount for term | [+£X TCV / -X% discount] | [Low] | [At renewal] | **Expansion play:** [Which opportunity to lead with, and the sequence for raising it in the renewal conversation] --- ## 6. Commercial Strategy **Renewal scenario planning:** | Scenario | Probability | ARR outcome | Response strategy | |---|---|---|---| | **Flat renewal** | [X%] | [£X — same as current] | [Accept; plant seeds for +6M expansion] | | **Expansion** | [X%] | [£X] | [Lead with ROI evidence; pitch seat or feature expansion] | | **Contraction risk** | [X%] | [£X — downgrade to lower tier] | [Propose phased commitment; demonstrate path to full adoption] | | **Churn risk** | [X%] | [£0] | [Escalate to leadership; executive sponsor engagement] | **Discount guardrails:** - Floor discount: [X% — do not go below without VP approval] - Triggers for discount: [Multi-year / volume / reference customer commitment] - What to ask for in return: [Reference case study / G2 review / executive intro / case study participation] **Pricing flexibility:** - [e.g. Can offer monthly billing in exchange for 24-month commit] - [e.g. Can offer X seats free in exchange for expansion commitment] --- ## 7. Objection Responses Prepare for the most likely objections: **"The price is too high"** > Anchor on value delivered: "[Customer] achieved [X outcome] — at [£X ARR], that's [£Y per outcome / hour saved / user]. What would it cost to deliver that outcome without us?" > If budget is genuinely constrained, explore: phased payment, reduction in scope rather than full churn, multi-year pricing. **"We're not seeing enough adoption"** > Acknowledge, then commit: "You're right — [X seats] are actively using [core feature] out of [Y]. We want to fix this. Here's our 60-day plan: [exec sponsor on enablement call / training session / in-product nudge campaign]." **"We're evaluating [Competitor]"** > Don't panic. Ask: "What's driving the evaluation — is it specific features, pricing, or something else?" Then map gaps honestly. Offer a feature roadmap preview if relevant. Get clarity on their criteria and timeline before responding defensively. **"We need to reduce spend this quarter"** > Separate the commercial conversation from the value conversation. Offer to protect the relationship with a reduced scope today with a committed expansion trigger at a business milestone. Avoid discounting without a reason. --- ## 8. Renewal Timeline | Week | Action | Owner | Notes | |---|---|---|---| | **W–16** (4 months out) | Internal renewal review — health, expansion opportunity, risk | CSM | Flag to leadership if Red | | **W–12** | QBR / executive business review — ROI evidence delivered | CSM + AE | Book 45–60 min with economic buyer | | **W–10** | Champion 1:1 — pulse check on satisfaction and upcoming priorities | CSM | Uncover internal dynamics before commercial discussion | | **W–8** | Expansion conversation — plant seeds, share roadmap | AE | Do not lead with pricing | | **W–6** | Send renewal proposal — pricing, terms, options | AE | Include multi-year option | | **W–4** | Negotiation — address objections, finalise commercial terms | AE + CSM | Escalate to VP if >X% discount required | | **W–2** | Legal / procurement — contract redlines, signature process | AE + Legal | | | **W–0** | Signed. Handoff to post-renewal success plan | CSM | Thank the champion; begin next cycle | --- ## 9. Success Criteria - [ ] Renewal signed before deadline - [ ] ARR outcome within target range - [ ] Champion relationship maintained or improved - [ ] At least one expansion conversation started - [ ] ROI evidence documented and accepted by customer --- ## Quality Checks - [ ] Stakeholder map includes the economic buyer — not just the champion - [ ] Risk register has a mitigation for every H/H risk - [ ] Value story uses product data and business outcomes, not just feature lists - [ ] Commercial strategy includes a floor discount and a reason-to-discount framework - [ ] Timeline starts at least 90 days before renewal date - [ ] Objection responses are specific to this account, not generic ## Example Trigger Phrases - "Build a renewal playbook for [Account Name] renewing in [Month]" - "Help me plan the renewal strategy for an at-risk customer" - "Prepare a renewal brief for my QBR with [Company]" - "What's my renewal strategy for a Red account coming up in 60 days?" - "Create a renewal and expansion plan for [Account]"