Redacting contracts for sales references: what stays, what goes?

You want to show a signed contract to a prospect as proof that "company X works with us". What's allowed, what must go, and how do you stop a prospect from seeing what the previous client paid?

Social proof with real contracts works better than testimonials. But you can't just share a contract. Here's what needs to stay in to keep it credible — and what must come out.

What stays in

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• Your own company name (obviously).
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• General scope / type of service ("delivery of consulting around access management").
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• Duration in terms ("12 months").
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• Signature block (redacted if needed, but recognisable enough).
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What must go

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• The client's name (unless you have explicit written permission).
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• Contact details of client employees.
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• Amounts and rates.
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• SLA-specific clauses that are competitively sensitive.
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• Penalty clauses and amounts.
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• NDA-specific provisions.
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• IP / ownership clauses (unless generic).
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NDA check first

Most B2B contracts include a confidentiality clause that also covers the very existence of the contract. That means you often can't even mention that you work with client X, let alone share scanned contracts. Check your NDA before you start redacting.

Permission beats redaction

Ask your client if they're willing to act as a reference. Get formal confirmation by email. You'll need to redact far less, and the social proof is much stronger.

How to do it

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• Open the original in PDF Redact.
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• Pattern mode: filter on the client name (including footers and page numbers).
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• Manual pass per page: amounts, specific contact persons.
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• Strip metadata — you don't want "Prepared by Law Firm X" showing up alongside it.
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See also: redaction pillar, stripping metadata.