“We just renewed with our current provider.”
Why they say it. They feel locked in for the term and do not want to admit they may have renewed too quickly. It also closes the conversation cleanly without a real evaluation.
Do not: Do not give up and disappear for a year, which means you arrive at the next renewal as a cold stranger again.
Got it, and I am not going to ask you to walk away from a renewal you just signed, that would not be fair to you. What I would suggest is that the worst time to start evaluating is the month before renewal, when you are out of leverage and out of time. Would it make sense to stay in light touch now so that next time you are choosing from strength instead of scrambling?
Then ask. When you renewed, did you actually compare alternatives, or was it the path of least resistance under a deadline?