Articles on Negotiations

Microsoft hasn’t stopped negotiating — the rules just changed. EA tier discounts have flattened, account teams have lost deal authority, and direct competes with CSP on the same renewal. Daryl Ullman maps where 2026 buyers can still push.

When salespeople negotiate through intermediaries instead of decision-makers, deals stall and margins shrink. A six-step framework for reaching the people who hold budget authority and closing faster.

Independent Microsoft advice means no hidden sales agenda: we don’t sell licences, we negotiate harder, cut costs deeper, and challenge Microsoft without compromise.

Microsoft partners provide valuable knowledge, but their incentives often align with Redmond, not clients. True independence means unbiased advice, direct consulting fees, and strategies optimised for customer—not Microsoft—outcomes.

More than just numbers, benchmarks represent the collective wisdom of the market, providing insights into what’s acceptable, expected, and exceptional.

Negotiation is a mindset. Adopting a positive Negotiation Attitude instils confidence, empowering us to advocate for what we genuinely believe we deserve.

The 2024 outlook for Microsoft cloud negotiations is set against a backdrop of intensifying regulatory scrutiny, an opportunity to secure more favourable terms

When negotiating an Enterprise Agreement renewal, finding common ground between yourself and Microsoft is essential if both sides are to reach an agreement. 

The recession makes us focus on cutting costs and expenses. One area that may bring significant wins is negotiating your Microsoft Enterprise Agreement.

Nothing has a more significant impact on the negotiation or the interaction between people than the personalities of those individuals.

Microsoft 365 prices rise on 1 July 2026. Daryl Ullman reads the published numbers, shows why the headline per-SKU figures understate the real renewal hit, and sets out the steps to take before your renewal date.

For two decades, the Microsoft EA renewal was a known quantity. Not anymore. Four overlapping changes — discount removal, July’s list-price hike, M365 E7, MCA-E migration — push effective costs up 20% against last cycle’s baseline, and modest Copilot adoption takes the figure past 23%. Microsoft hasn’t framed it as a 23% increase. Your CFO will.