Renewals don't happen by accident. They happen because someone followed a disciplined timeline that started months before the contract ended. Here's what to do when, from 120 days out through the post-renewal phase.

Why Timeline Discipline Matters

Every week you wait to start the renewal process reduces your chances of success. Not because customers need months to decide, but because you need months to prepare, address issues, and build the case for renewal.

Late-starting renewals rush everything. You discover problems too late to fix them. There's no time to document value properly. Customers feel pressured. Approvals get jammed up. What should be a confirmation becomes a scramble.

Early-starting renewals give you options. Time to resolve concerns. Space to explore expansion. Room for normal approval processes. Ability to negotiate without deadline pressure.

Timeline Overview: The Key Milestones

The standard renewal timeline follows major milestones at T-120, T-90, T-60, T-45, T-30, T-14, T-7, and T-0 days. Not every renewal hits every milestone, but the structure provides a framework.

Enterprise deals often extend the timeline to 150+ days. SMB deals might compress to 30 days. The principles stay the same even as timing adjusts.

The timeline also varies by account health. Green accounts move quickly with minimal intervention. Yellow accounts need more prep time. Red accounts should trigger renewal work even earlier (T-180 days) to allow time for recovery.

T-120 to T-90 Days: Internal Readiness

This phase is all internal. You're not reaching out to customers yet. You're getting ready so when you do reach out, you're fully prepared.

Account Review and Planning

Pull the team together for comprehensive account assessment. This review should involve your CSM, their manager, and potentially sales or executives for strategic accounts.

What's the current health status? Look at scores, trends, signals. How's product adoption and usage going? Check metrics and feature utilization. What value have we delivered? Think outcomes, ROI, actual wins. How strong are our relationships with the champion, stakeholders, executives?

What concerns or issues exist? Look through support tickets, complaints, feedback. Any competitive risks—mentions, evaluations, pressure? What's changed in their business recently? Growth, leadership changes, shifting priorities?

Health Verification

If your health score system hasn't already flagged issues, now's the time for a fresh look.

Is product usage growing, stable, or declining? When did we last have a meaningful conversation with them? What are they saying in tickets, calls, reviews? Are they actually achieving their goals? Have any key stakeholders left or changed roles?

This audit determines your renewal approach. Healthy account means confirmation process. At-risk account means intervention strategy.

Value Documentation Prep

Start compiling the value story you'll share. Don't wait until T-60 to search for this data. Start now so you have time to find it, validate it, and tell it well.

Gather usage statistics—adoption rates, activity levels, feature use. Document time savings from efficiency gains and automation. Calculate cost reductions from eliminated tools or reduced overhead. Measure revenue impact if you can. Track quality improvements like error reduction or better compliance. Collect user satisfaction data from CSAT, NPS, testimonials.

Stakeholder Mapping

Who needs to be involved in this renewal? Map them all.

Users are your daily product users who need to stay satisfied. Your champion is the internal advocate who needs ammunition to fight for you. The economic buyer has budget authority and needs ROI. The decision maker gives final sign-off and needs strategic alignment. Procurement processes the contract and needs terms. Legal evaluates risk and needs security/compliance info. IT/Technical owns integration and needs technical validation.

For each stakeholder, note their current relationship strength (strong/moderate/weak), their renewal concerns or priorities, who from your team should engage them, and when to reach out.

The bigger the account, the more stakeholders. Enterprise renewals might have 8-12 people involved. SMB renewals might just be one buyer.

Renewal Strategy Development

Based on everything above, decide your approach.

You might go with streamlined confirmation for a healthy account with straightforward renewal. Value reinforcement when they're healthy but need to be reminded why. Issue resolution to address concerns before the renewal conversation starts. Relationship rebuild to repair damaged connections first. Save mode for full intervention on an at-risk account. Or expansion focus to lead with growth opportunity.

Document the strategy so everyone's aligned. Don't just carry it in your head.

T-90 Days: Renewal Kickoff

This is when renewal work officially begins. Still mostly internal, but starting to prep for customer engagement.

Internal Renewal Kickoff

Schedule a formal kickoff for important renewals. Cover account background and history, health status and concerns, your renewal strategy and approach, the value story and materials you'll need, stakeholder engagement plan, timeline and responsibilities, risk mitigation plans, and expansion opportunities.

Get clear on who owns what. CSM drives most activities but may need sales support, executive engagement, product team help, or legal involvement.

Relationship Mapping Completion

Finish your stakeholder analysis. When did we last talk to each key person? What's their view of us—advocate, neutral, or detractor? What do they care about most? Who should reach out and when? What's our message to them?

If you have weak relationships with key stakeholders, now's the time to start rebuilding. You can't wait until T-30 and expect cold stakeholders to champion your renewal.

Expansion Opportunity Assessment

Should expansion be part of this renewal?

Look for these indicators: customer business is growing, usage is approaching tier limits, they've asked about features in higher tiers, you've identified whitespace opportunities, health and relationship are strong, and budget timing is right.

If yes, document the expansion opportunity. What products, services, seats, or features? Estimated value? Customer business case? Your pricing strategy? How to bundle with renewal?

If no, document why not and plan to revisit post-renewal.

Risk Mitigation Planning

For accounts with any concerns, plan how to address them. What are the specific concerns? What's causing each one? What can we do to resolve it? Who needs to be involved? How long will resolution take? How will we verify it's resolved?

Start executing these plans immediately. You want issues resolved before renewal conversations begin.

T-60 Days: Customer Engagement Begins

Now you reach out to customers. First conversations are soft—checking in, aligning on timing, starting to talk about value.

Renewal Notice and Outreach

Send the first formal signal that renewal is approaching. Email both the champion and economic buyer:

"Your agreement with us renews on [date], now 60 days away. I wanted to reach out early to review the value you've seen over the past year, discuss your plans and goals for next year, ensure renewal goes smoothly with plenty of time, and explore any ways we can add more value. Can we schedule time next week to talk through this?"

Keep it warm and collaborative, not transactional. You're starting a conversation, not asking for signature.

Value Review Meeting

This is the most important meeting of the renewal process. You're recapping the entire year's value.

Start with a brief intro—agenda overview, appreciation for the partnership, context for the renewal discussion. Spend 15 minutes on value delivered: usage and adoption highlights, outcomes and results achieved, specific wins and success stories, ROI calculations if available, user satisfaction metrics.

Then get the customer's perspective. What's working well? What could be better? Any concerns or issues? Feedback and suggestions?

Talk about the future state. What are their goals for next year? How can you support those goals? Are there potential expansion opportunities? What are the next steps?

End with the renewal discussion itself. Timeline and process, any changes to terms, next steps and timing.

Leave time for questions and conversation. This shouldn't feel scripted or rushed.

Usage and ROI Presentation

Come to the meeting with data prepared.

Show active users and growth trend, features adopted, activity levels, and how they compare to baseline or peer benchmarks.

If you can calculate ROI, show time saved and labor cost equivalent, tools and costs eliminated, revenue impacted, and error reduction with quality improvement.

Share specific success stories—projects or initiatives you supported, user quotes or testimonials, team achievement highlights.

Make this concrete. "Your team logged 1,247 hours in the platform" means less than "Your team saved an estimated 312 hours using our automation features."

Future State Discussion

The value review covers past performance. This discussion covers future potential.

What are your biggest goals next year? How does [product area] factor into those plans? Are you planning to grow your team or expand to new departments? What challenges are you anticipating? How can we better support you?

Listen more than talk. These questions reveal expansion opportunities and potential concerns. They also show you're thinking about the customer's success, not just your renewal.

Preliminary Renewal Terms

Float the basic renewal parameters. Cover contract term options (1-year, 2-year, 3-year), pricing (flat, increase, volume changes), any terms changes if applicable, expansion options if relevant, and timeline to finalize.

Don't lock everything down yet. You're setting the frame for negotiation, not closing the deal.

T-45 Days: Proposal Development

Now you formalize everything into a proposal. This is where strategy becomes a concrete offer.

Proposal Development

Build the renewal proposal with these components.

Executive summary with relationship overview, value delivered highlights, renewal recommendation, and key terms snapshot.

Value delivered review showing usage and adoption, outcomes achieved, success stories, and customer quotes if available.

Renewal terms and pricing with current agreement recap, proposed renewal terms, clear and transparent pricing, and term options if you're offering multiple.

Optional expansion items including additional products/seats/features, business case for each, and pricing for each option.

Next steps covering timeline and process, required approvals, contact information, and how to accept.

For detailed guidance on proposal structure and creation, see Renewal Proposal Development.

Pricing and Packaging

Decide your pricing strategy.

Flat renewal keeps same terms, same price (simple, default). Volume adjustment changes pricing for seats or usage changes (fair). Price increase of 3-10% is annual market standard. Multi-year discount gives 10-20% off for 2-3 year commit. Expansion bundle offers special pricing if they expand.

Check with finance and sales on pricing authority and approval needs.

Expansion Bundling

If expansion makes sense, how do you present it?

Offer three tiers: Good is flat renewal at current scope. Better is renewal plus modest expansion. Best is renewal plus full expansion plus multi-year.

Give customers choice but guide them to your preferred option (usually Better or Best).

Internal Approvals

Get necessary internal sign-offs before sending to customer.

Make sure pricing is approved by finance/sales leadership. Custom terms need legal approval if applicable. Discounts should be approved per your authority matrix. Expansion pricing needs confirmation. The whole proposal should be reviewed by your manager.

Don't skip this. Needing to change terms after presenting looks unprofessional.

Executive Alignment

For strategic accounts, align with customer executives before the proposal goes out.

Your executive calls their executive to reinforce the strategic relationship, confirm mutual commitment, preview the renewal proposal, and address any executive-level concerns.

This isn't about closing the deal. It's about ensuring no executive-level surprises when the proposal arrives.

T-30 Days: Proposal Presentation and Negotiation

Proposal is ready. Now you present it and work through any negotiation.

Proposal Presentation

Schedule a meeting to walk through the proposal. Don't just email it.

Spend 5 minutes reaffirming value—quick recap of why renewal makes sense. Then walk through the proposal for 15 minutes: terms explanation, pricing review, options presentation, and answer clarifying questions.

Address concerns for another 15 minutes. What questions do you have? Any concerns with the proposal? What do you need to move forward?

End with next steps. Timeline for decision, approval process needed, how to accept, follow-up plan.

Set expectations for next steps clearly. Don't leave the meeting without knowing what happens next.

Negotiation Commencement

Expect some back-and-forth on terms.

Price almost always comes up. Payment terms (annual vs quarterly vs monthly) are often negotiated. Contract length—they want shorter, you want longer. Volume and seats might need adjusting to actual needs. Terms and conditions go through legal review.

Have your negotiation boundaries clear. What's non-negotiable? What requires escalation? What concessions can you make? What do you ask for in return?

For detailed negotiation strategies, see Renewal Negotiation.

Objection Handling

Address concerns directly and thoughtfully.

"The price is too high": Reinforce ROI and value, compare to alternatives, offer multi-year discount, or potentially adjust scope.

"We need more time to decide": Understand what's driving the delay, offer to help with approvals, set a specific timeline, create appropriate urgency.

"We have concerns about [feature/service]": Acknowledge the concern, explain your resolution plan, offer remediation, and get commitment that resolution leads to renewal.

"We're evaluating alternatives": Ask what's driving the search, understand their criteria, position your differentiation, offer to help with comparison.

The goal isn't to overcome objections through cleverness. It's to understand the real concern and address it honestly.

Decision-Maker Engagement

If decision-makers haven't been involved yet, now's the time.

Escalate appropriately—your executive to their executive, CSM/Sales to economic buyer, product team to technical buyer, implementation team to users.

Match seniority and function. Don't send your CEO to talk to a middle manager (unless they're the actual decision-maker).

Timeline Agreement

Get clear on when things will happen.

"We've discussed the proposal and addressed concerns. Help me understand next steps: What's your internal approval process? Who needs to review and sign off? What's a realistic timeline? How can we help move this forward? When can we target having signatures?"

Push gently toward concrete dates. "Sometime next month" becomes "by March 15th."

T-14 Days: Final Negotiations and Documentation

Two weeks out, the deal should be largely settled. Now you're finalizing details and paperwork.

Final Negotiations

Close any remaining gaps. Confirm pricing is approved, agree on term length, document any special terms, set the payment schedule, and confirm signature authority.

If you're still far apart at T-14 days, something's wrong. Either there's a blocker you haven't uncovered, or the account is at more risk than you thought.

Contract Generation

Create the actual contract. Generate it from the approved proposal, include all agreed terms, get internal legal review, send to customer for review, and answer questions promptly.

Use e-signature platforms when possible. Physical signatures add days or weeks.

Approval Workflow Coordination

Help the customer navigate their internal approvals.

Understand their approval chain. Provide materials for each approver. Answer questions quickly. Offer to join approval meetings. Track progress.

Don't assume the contract is moving once sent. Check in every 2-3 days.

Signature Coordination

Make signing as easy as possible.

E-signature is preferred (DocuSign, etc). Give clear instructions. Identify the right person. Make it mobile-friendly. Send reminders if it stalls.

The easier you make it, the faster it happens.

Payment Terms Confirmation

Ensure the payment process is clear. Confirm payment method, send or schedule the invoice, agree on payment date, handle any PO requirements, and contact accounts payable if needed.

Don't let payment logistics delay the renewal.

T-7 to T-0 Days: Final Push and Closure

Last week. Most renewals should be signed by now. Those that aren't need attention.

Final Reminders and Follow-Up

For renewals not yet closed, do daily check-ins on status. Remove any remaining blockers. Escalate if truly stuck. Create appropriate urgency. Be available for questions.

Balance persistence with respect. Don't harass, but don't let it slip either.

Executive Escalation If Needed

If the renewal is stuck and at risk, you might see no response to outreach, approval process stalled, unexpected objections emerging, competitive threat appearing, or budget concerns surfacing.

Get executive help. Your leader talks to their leader, addresses it at senior level, shows strategic importance, removes executive blockers.

Use escalation sparingly. It should be the exception, not the norm.

Paperwork Completion

Push paperwork through the finish line. Collect all signatures, get the contract fully executed, file it in your system, process payment or schedule it, and mark the renewal closed-won.

Don't consider it done until everything is complete.

Signature Collection

Sometimes you need to hunt down signatures.

"I know you're busy, but wanted to check on the contract." "Is there anything blocking signature?" "Can I help move this forward?" "The contract expires tomorrow—can we wrap this up?"

Be helpful, not pushy. Most delays are logistical, not intentional.

Processing and Systems Update

Once signed, update your CRM (closed-won), update your CS platform (renewal complete), process payment, generate a new account record for the new term, update forecasts and reports, and notify relevant teams.

Good administrative hygiene matters. Don't leave systems messy.

Post-Renewal (T+0): Continuation and Setup

The renewal is signed. Now set up the next year for success.

Celebration and Thank You

Acknowledge the renewal. Send personal thank you to the champion, thank you to executive sponsor, appreciation to procurement and legal, and recognize the team internally.

Make it genuine, not formulaic. Renewals are worth celebrating.

Documentation and CRM Update

Ensure everything is recorded. Final contract terms, any special commitments made, expansion opportunities noted, lessons learned captured, next renewal date set, and calendar reminders created.

Future you will thank current you for good notes.

Lessons Learned Capture

What did you learn from this renewal?

What went well? What could have been better? Were there any surprises? Did the timeline work as planned? What would we do differently? Any process improvements?

Share insights with your team and manager.

Next Year Planning Begins

Start thinking about next year. Set health goals for this year, create an expansion opportunity timeline, identify relationship building priorities, build a success plan for the new term, and set up a check-in schedule.

The next renewal starts now.

Expansion Pipeline Development

If expansion wasn't included in this renewal, plan when to revisit it. What needs to happen first? Who should you involve? What's the timeline for the expansion conversation?

Don't drop expansion opportunities just because the renewal is done.

Timeline Variations by Segment

Not every account follows the full timeline.

Enterprise (150+ days): Extend all phases, add more milestones, do deeper preparation.

Mid-market (60-90 days): Use the standard timeline, possibly compress early phases.

SMB (30-60 days): Compress significantly, automate more, use a lighter touch.

At-risk (180+ days): Start earlier, add a recovery phase before the renewal process begins.

Adjust based on your reality, but maintain the structure.

Making the Timeline Work

Timeline discipline is hard at first. It gets easier with practice and systems.

Build automated alerts at each milestone. Set calendar blocks for renewal activities. Create dashboard views of upcoming renewals. Hold weekly renewal pipeline reviews.

Create email templates for each phase, meeting agendas for key conversations, proposal templates by segment, and negotiation frameworks.

Track renewal success rate by timeline adherence, time spent per renewal phase, common sticking points, and process improvement opportunities.

The timeline is a guide, not a cage. Use it to bring discipline without losing flexibility for unique situations.