How-to3 min readBoris, Founder at VendurisPublished
How to Respond to a SaaS Price Increase Email
The reply that keeps the conversation open is short, unemotional, and asks for the basis of the number.
I spent years on the vendor side of enterprise software, and the short answer is: don't accept it in your first reply, acknowledge the notice, ask what the increase is based on, and open a conversation rather than closing one.
Three replies, and what each one signals
1Accept
Confirmed, thanks
- Closes the conversation
- Sets next year's baseline
- Reads as low pushback
2Silence
No reply until later
- Deadline moves closer
- Leverage moves to the vendor
- Also reads as acceptance
3Open it
What is this based on?
- Acknowledge, don't agree
- Ask for the basis
- Propose a dated call
The reply that keeps options open is short, unemotional, and asks a question.
What the reply should contain
- Acknowledge that you've received the notice, without agreeing to the number.
- Ask what the increase is based on: indexation, a list price change, or a change to your specific terms.
- Ask whether it applies to your full contracted quantity or only part of it.
- Say you're reviewing usage ahead of the renewal, which signals that quantity is also on the table.
- Propose a call with a specific timeframe, so the conversation is scheduled rather than left to drift toward the deadline.
What not to do
Don't reply with a flat acceptance, and don't leave it unanswered until close to the notice deadline. Silence is read on the vendor side as low pushback, and the quote you were sent is often the opening position rather than the final one.