Prospect originally wanted a 14-day trial. No problem. But then they “just needed one more week” to test a few extra things. Fine. Then they needed “a little more time to get buy-in internally.” Annoying, but okay. Now we’re three extensions deep, and I’m pretty sure they’ve just been using our product for free while dragging this out as long as possible. What’s the move here? Do I keep playing along, or is it time for the “Put up or shut up” conversation?
chatgpt ftw
I'd talk to the product team and view their usage (if you can't just do that yourself). Some orgs will need longer and more proof points to convince procurement. Sometimes buyers will take advantage of you if you let them.
cut em off. youre wasting your time letting them string you along.
I'd respond with - "I wanted to quickly level set where we are. When we originally kicked off the trial, we scoped it for 14 days, which we’ve now extended multiple times to support your testing and internal discussions. That flexibility came with the intent of being a true partner, not just a vendor. That said, this level of engagement — especially with the support we've provided and the specific needs around [X, Y, and Z] — goes well beyond the scope of a standard free trial. At this point, it’s only fair to convert this into a formal try-and-buy agreement. That ensures continued access, accountability on both sides, and sets us up for a clean transition to production. If moving forward is still the plan, let’s get a short-term agreement in place this week. Otherwise, we’ll need to sunset the environment so we can refocus our resources. Let me know which direction you want to take — we’re ready when you are."