What to Prepare for a Data Licensing Call

What do you need for the first call?

Bring a rough map of the records your firm still controls: which systems hold them, how many years they cover, the kinds of work they show and who can answer questions about access and permissions. Counts and examples of workflows are enough to start. You do not need to export files, grant system access or promise that the records can be licensed.

Make a one-page inventory

For each system, write down the product name, approximate date range, whether the account is still accessible and a rough count or size if your admin panel shows one. Start with company email and chat, shared drives, and the software where your team did its work: accounting, CRM, dispatch, ticketing, project management or ERP.

Separate a measured count from a guess. If you cannot see a number, write “unknown.” A storage total alone does not tell a buyer how many usable records exist or whether they connect into complete workflows.

Describe one real workflow

Choose a process your firm handled repeatedly, such as quoting a freight lane, resolving a customer issue, revising an engineering drawing or reconciling an account. Note where the request, decisions and outcome were recorded. AI developers call a job like this, with many steps over hours or days, a long-horizon task, and research group METR tracks their models by the length of task a model can finish. This helps identify whether records can be linked across systems. Describe the workflow; do not bring client files to an introductory call.

Flag permission questions early

List any categories that may contain client confidential information, employee records, regulated information, privileged communications or material owned by another party. Having a copy of a record does not by itself establish a right to license it. Your counsel should review relevant contracts, notices and restrictions before a sample is shared. You can also identify categories to exclude.

What happens after the call?

Pewter can use the inventory to decide whether a more detailed review is worth discussing. With your consent, Pewter may share your firm's name, size and industry with its licensing partner to prepare an estimate. That partner would make any offer, sign the license and pay you. Ask what additional information would be shared before agreeing to a next step.

If a sample is proposed, its scope, recipients, access, permitted use and retention need your written approval before anyone receives it. A sample review is separate from a commercial license. An initial conversation does not establish a buyer, a price or a deal.

For the questions to settle before signing, read Before You Sell Your Data. For a starting scenario based only on headcount and years in business, use the estimator; any actual offer depends on the records, rights and buyer acceptance.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to export files before the first call?

No. Counts and examples of workflows are enough to start. You do not need to export files, grant system access or promise that the records can be licensed.

What if I don't know how much data my firm has?

Write “unknown” for anything you cannot see, and keep measured counts apart from guesses. A storage total alone does not tell a buyer how many usable records exist.

Who should join the first call?

Someone who knows which systems hold the firm's records and someone who can answer questions about access and permissions.

Does an introductory call commit me to licensing my records?

No. An initial conversation does not establish a buyer, a price or a deal. If a sample is proposed later, its scope, recipients, access, permitted use and retention need your written approval before anyone receives it.