Inside PHMG's Salesforce Renewal: A Conversation with CFO Matthew Toynton

This article is part of a podcast conversation between Matthew Toynton (CFO of PHMG, a global audio leader) and Anders Gustafsson (Co-Founder of SaaSed and Salesforce expert).

For many CFOs, enterprise renewals are a source of lingering frustration. Matthew shared PHMG''s historic experience with software vendors, which left the business with an inferior outcome.

"We had not thought about properly understanding the proposition that the enterprise software vendor was gonna end up having and that it might be confusing... And as a result of that, we got a suboptimal outcome, and we probably knew it was suboptimal at the point where we signed it." — Matthew Toynton, PHMG CFO

As Matthew stated, one of the key reasons that made him want to hear more about SaaSed''s approach was that Anders was keen to understand their business first, their strategic priorities, and was asking challenging and insightful questions.

Salesforce renewals are layered with variables. Delivering a truly optimised commercial outcome requires a diagnostics-first approach. This means identifying gaps in the existing setup, analysing ongoing contract inefficiencies, and aligning the infrastructure with the client''s long-term growth objectives — a pattern we see repeatedly across our client case studies.

At SaaSed, corporate values dictate commercial boundaries. When the company states that it prioritises long-term relationships over short-term gains, it actively shapes its negotiation framework. SaaSed applies controlled friction to secure the premium deal, but never at the expense of the ongoing relationship between the client and the vendor. Preserving mutual respect ensures that long after the contract is signed, the relationship dynamic between PHMG and Salesforce remains healthy and productive.

During the procurement phase, market benchmarks showed there was room to ask Salesforce for an additional 5% discount. However, SaaSed''s role isn''t to force a transaction, but to listen to what the client actually wants and present all the facts. By respecting the boundaries set by PHMG, the focus remained entirely on securing the set goal, whilst ensuring that corporate values are backed by actions, not just fluff.

Managing the Noise of High-Stakes Procurement

Corporate negotiations naturally bring stress and internal friction. Matthew recalled that as the process intensified, a few stakeholders at PHMG who hadn''t interacted with Anders much grew nervous, thinking he was pushing the vendor too hard.

However, the reality is that it was just business as usual. During the final stages of a negotiation process, the different levers get pushed and pulled until both sides can come to an agreement. Hence, it was critical to form the foundational basis of understanding, trust, and alignment between Matthew and Anders early on, sparking highly constructive conversations. This gave the team the reassurance that Anders would represent them in these negotiations as agreed, which let Anders drive the process autonomously.

Two Pillars That Redefine Procurement Value

According to PHMG''s CFO, the traditional procurement market focuses almost exclusively on making what you think you need a little bit cheaper. SaaSed differentiates itself by focusing on two distinct pillars:

• Eliminating Shelfware: Ensuring you only buy the kit you actually need, stripping away redundant add-ons and unused licences.
• Aligning Incentives: Structuring the engagement so the advisor is rewarded depending on the outcome, and not as standard day rates.

The Lesson for CFOs: Engage Early

The market perception that an enterprise negotiation begins three or six months before a contract expires is fundamentally flawed. In PHMG''s case, contact was established long before the renewal date, sparked by the realisation that their initial contracting hadn''t gone well.

SaaSed began analysing data nearly two years before the final renewal was concluded. Engaging this early gave 1) PHMG the time to answer strategic questions, and 2) the advisor the deep operational context required to execute the negotiation phase, while the team was reassured that the trusted advisor would represent them as agreed.

The Outcomes for PHMG

This disciplined, data-driven strategy delivered clear, unhyped results:

• A 19% total cost reduction while growing 18% in sales capacity
• The removal of legacy add-ons and unused licences
• An expanded Sales & Service Cloud capacity on fair terms
• A lower baseline that materially reduced the long-term cost of the foundation

> Our clients are smart enough to handle Salesforce themselves. The reason they hire us is that they know we get the best possible deal and trust we''ll sort it without them having to stress about it.

🎥 Watch the Podcast

You can watch the full conversation between Matthew Toynton and Anders Gustafsson here.