Every software demo is built to look good — that's literally its purpose. What decides whether a purchase will actually work out usually doesn't show up on screen during the presentation: it shows up in the questions that demand a specific answer, not a nice slide.
The 8 questions
1. If I want to leave, does my data leave with me, in a usable format? A serious vendor has a clear, quick answer for this. Hesitation or a vague answer is a warning sign — it means your data could become locked in the system if the relationship ends.
2. How does support actually work — not in the sales material? Ask for a real example: average response time, channel (chat, email, phone), whether there's coverage outside business hours for a critical issue. "24/7 support" on the website doesn't always mean someone actually responds within 20 minutes.
3. Does the integration with [specific system the company already uses] already exist, or would it need to be built? It's worth digging into this question thoroughly before signing — the difference between a ready-made integration and one "to be built" completely changes the real timeline and cost of implementation.
4. How many clients of my size and in my industry do you serve today? It's not about the vendor's company size — it's about knowing whether the product has been tested in a scenario similar to yours, or whether you'd be the first client at that size/industry.
5. How does price adjustment work over the course of the contract? Ask specifically: percentage, index used, frequency. "Adjustment based on the market" without further detail is an open clause that can surprise you later.
6. What happens to my data in case of a security incident on the vendor's side? Ask about encryption, backups, and whether there's a history of a disclosed incident — a vendor that's never had a reported incident could mean strong security, or it could mean it's never been thoroughly audited.
7. Is there a formal SLA (service level agreement), with a defined penalty if it's not met? An availability promise without a formal SLA is an intention, not a contractual commitment.
8. Who, specifically, will be supporting me after the contract is signed? Often the salesperson who did the demo disappears after the sale, and the relationship moves to a different team — it's worth knowing that beforehand, not discovering it later.
Common warning signs
- Pressure to close before answering specific technical questions. A vendor confident in its product has patience for hard questions.
- A client reference chosen by the salesperson, with no option to speak to another one. It's worth asking to talk to more than one client, ideally one you identify yourself, not just the one they suggest.
- A contract with a long loyalty clause and no real trial period. A long-term commitment without prior practical validation shifts all the risk onto whoever is purchasing.
What matters more than price
A low price with poor support, no integration, or data held hostage by the system ends up costing more in the medium term than a slightly more expensive contract with clear answers to all of this from the start. The right question isn't "which is cheapest" — it's "which of these vendors do I still trust after carefully asking the 8 questions above."
It's this same standard we hold ourselves to in the systems we build — PALETIN, CORUZEN SECURITY, FRIAXIS, and CORUZEN TICKETS: real support, portable data, and no fine print hidden in the contract.