The analyst reports are vendor-funded. The review sites are sponsored. The vendor's marketing looks nothing like the real world. You're selecting technology based on information designed to sell it to you — not to tell you the truth.

The demo was flawless. The sales team knew every answer. Then you signed — and they disappeared. Now you're in implementation with a team that's never seen your environment, and the person who made all those promises is closing their next deal.

You negotiated a 30% discount and felt great about it — until you learned the vendor was prepared to go 70%. The RFP was shaped by the market leader's feature list. The shortlist came from who marketed hardest. Every step felt like due diligence. It was a process designed to feel fair while keeping you at a disadvantage.

You can't negotiate protections you don't know to ask for. Vendor contracts are built on what's missing — no exit ramps, no price caps, no performance guarantees. You won't know what's missing until it costs you — and by then, you're locked in.