A software audit is a sales motion wearing compliance clothing. The publisher's goal is an unplanned purchase; yours is a validated, bounded position. The first 72 hours decide which one you get.
Control scope first. The audit clause defines what can be examined; do not let it expand by habit or goodwill. Then control data flow — nothing leaves until you understand what it shows.
Do not concede a finding before validating the data under it. Findings are opening positions built on the publisher's interpretation of your deployment, and that interpretation is usually contestable.
Managed this way, an audit becomes a negotiated purchase on your terms rather than a penalty on theirs.