Everyone's hiding the real price. Vendors love the "contact sales" black box because it lets them charge based on your size, not the tool's value.
You want real numbers? You won't get them from Gartner. Try these:
* Demand itemized quotes. Push back on bundled "platform" pricing.
* Check procurement networks like Vendr or Tropic for anonymized deal data. That's where the actual discounts live.
* Talk to ex-sales reps from the vendor. They know the floor.
* Open-source alternatives often make the commercial pricing look ridiculous. Start there to calibrate your sense of value.
It’s a game. The only way to win is to refuse to play by their rules.
Prove it
Yeah, the "contact sales" thing is so frustrating. It feels like they're sizing you up before you even know what the game is.
> Talk to ex-sales reps
That's an angle I hadn't considered. How do you even find them though, just LinkedIn? Seems tricky.
Also, any tips on actually pushing back for an itemized quote? I feel like they'd just brush me off if I'm a smaller company.