After Your Advisor Call: 4 Tips To Keep Your Software Purchase on Track

Once you’ve met with your Software Advice advisor to discuss options, the following steps can still feel overwhelming. From managing vendor outreach to handling follow-ups to scheduling demos, you can quickly feel like you’ve taken on a part-time job just to purchase your next software. For many, software purchases are unfamiliar territory, and the stakes are high. Software is expensive, often comes with multi-year contracts, and it’s not a decision you want to get wrong.

Plus, the initial search is just one step of the software selection journey. Implementation is crucial, and adoption ensures you’re getting the best return on your investment.

If you’re navigating the early stages of the software buying process and need guidance to communicate effectively with vendors, schedule demos, and maintain control of the conversation, take a look at this detailed guide. We’re also aggregating specific feedback from our in-house team of expert software buying pros.

1. Manage vendor outreach: Schedule software demo calls on your terms

Ideally, you’ll want to see a thorough demo from at least three to five different platforms. However, from initial discovery calls to the actual demo to another walk-through, all of a sudden, you’re scheduling 20+ calls in addition to your daily work. In a software buying process, consolidate your communication and scheduling strategy. Stay firm to your preferences, and keep detailed activity logs on your own:

• Batch schedule demos across a single day to avoid disrupting your workflow daily. It’s also easier to compare features.

• Schedule demos for the afternoon when it’s easier to listen passively. Generally, people are most productive in the morning and prefer to focus on active tasks.

• Don’t feel rushed to fit into a vendor’s timetable. They’ll likely want to get your purchase in before the quarter ends or with specific incentives, but you should follow your own pace.

• Keep communications over email. Sometimes, vendors will want to text or call continually, but this can easily get lost.

• Send follow-up questions over email, too.

Buyer advocate team lead Nate Pozen has some recommendations: “Get strategic with your research by scheduling out demos and pricing conversations when it’s convenient for you.” A clear vendor outreach strategy will help you prioritize conversations with the most promising providers and streamline the software buying process. However, even the best-laid plans can derail. If you need to pause, take a step back from active conversations, consolidate your notes, and revisit vendors the next week.

Don’t be afraid to schedule multiple vendor follow-up calls or demos. Vendors are there to walk you thoroughly through the process, so if you have questions, don’t feel shy to ask.

2. Clarify expectations: Ensure vendors understand your software needs

Before scheduling any demos or starting calls, clarify your expectations. Create a shortlist of required features and prioritize the desired business outcome. For example, do you want to increase sales rapidly within the next three months? Clarify your business goals to ease your software buying process.

When speaking with vendors, it’s common for them to initially lack a comprehensive understanding of your business. Use this as an opportunity to steer the conversation and clearly articulate your requirements. Articulate your must-haves, budget, and timeline up front. This not only saves time but also helps vendors tailor their demos and proposals to your real needs. If a vendor seems out of sync with your expectations, don’t hesitate to reiterate your business requirements or share a prioritized list of features.

Buyers and vendors often miscommunicate about features and functionality. Buyers may struggle to explain the functionality they need, and vendors may struggle to interpret those requirements. In fact, Software Advice advisors may not immediately know which products integrate with one another. It takes years to become an expert in all the functionality, offerings, and integrations that each vendor in a specific market offers, and they are constantly changing and being updated. As you work with someone, they’ll start to understand your use case better and better.

3. Declining a vendor: How to exit conversations gracefully

Declining a vendor is a normal part of the software buying process. Maybe they’re way over budget in your vendor comparison, or their cons outweigh their pros. When creating your vendor shortlist, you will inevitably eliminate platforms from contention.

Stick to the facts:

• Remember that the software selection process isn’t personal to the individual sales rep selling the software. Keep it short, and avoid going into specifics.

• Thank the vendor for their time and clearly state that you’re moving forward with other options. Keep the response direct and straightforward.

• Also, be prepared that some vendors might not take no for an answer. Keep communications concise, clear, and polite yet firm.

Remember that vendors are so eager to talk to you. A salesperson’s job is to get you to sign up for an account before another vendor does. This means that even if you decline, they’ll likely ask follow-up questions and continue to reach out.

If an account executive starts to feel pushy, try these responses:

• “We just felt more comfortable about the overall value of another vendor and have chosen to use them going forward.”

• “While you have a competitive product, there was not a singular factor that caused us to choose the other company over yours. We had to look at the entire offering, and they just won out this time.”

Nate Pozen shared another helpful reminder: “Vendors want to sell their product, and they can be persistent. Take these steps to ensure you’re in control of the pace at which your research proceeds and you’re making clear what your needs are.”

44% of buyers who regretted a purchase eventually replaced the product with another vendor, highlighting the importance of thoughtful vendor comparison and shortlisting practices.

4. Build a productive vendor relationship during the software buying process

Use each conversation to gather information, ask clarifying questions, and assess whether the vendor’s approach aligns with your business goals. According to the 2026 Software Buying Trends Survey, the most successful buyers actively engaged with vendors and leaned on trusted expert resources to inform their decisions. Building a positive vendor relationship can turn a standard sales conversation into a genuine partnership, one that supports your long-term success.

When it comes to creating a vendor shortlist, our 2025 Tech Trends Survey** shows that buyers begin with an informal list of vendors already in mind, based on factors such as vendor reputation (53%), previous experience with a vendor/product (48%), peer recommendations (32%) and products or vendors they saw at a conference or trade show (31%).

Also, seek recommendations from peers and colleagues. Feedback from real, trusted individuals is the most reliable source of truth. In our 2026 Software Buying Trends Survey, 52% of successful software adopters who experienced no disruption or disappointment from a purchase specifically sought out advice from industry experts. Additionally, 43% highlighted review and comparison sites as a key source of information for researching options. Avoid relying solely on marketing and sales collateral and seek opinions from real users.

Next steps in your software management journey

Navigating the software buying process doesn’t have to be daunting. To have software purchase confidence, take control of your outreach, clarify expectations, gracefully decline mismatches, and build collaborative relationships. Not only will you manage vendors seamlessly, but you’ll also set your business up for a successful software implementation. Keep collaboration on your terms, create a vendor shortlist upfront, and prioritize building productive relationships throughout your search. Also, remember it’s completely natural to decline vendors and stay firm in your decision.

Download our free vendor comparison scorecard to keep your evaluation organized and objective. Reach out to one of our advisors throughout the process for assistance. Our advisors possess an incredible depth of knowledge in the specific software type they work with, as they continually research to stay up-to-date with the changes, trends, and functionalities of each market.