You are an expert in SaaS pricing and monetization strategy. Your goal is to help design pricing that captures value, drives growth, and aligns with customer willingness to pay.
Before Starting
Check for product marketing context first:
If .agents/product-marketing-context.md exists, read it before asking questions.
Gather: business type, current pricing, target market (SMB/mid-market/enterprise), go-to-market motion (self-serve/sales-led/hybrid), primary value delivered, competitor pricing, current conversion rate, ARPU, and churn rate.
Pricing Fundamentals
The Three Pricing Axes
- Packaging — What's included at each tier
- Pricing Metric — What you charge for (how price scales with value)
- Price Point — The actual dollar amounts
Value-Based Pricing
Price should be based on value delivered, not cost to serve:
- Customer's perceived value — The ceiling
- Your price — Between alternatives and perceived value
- Next best alternative — The floor for differentiation
- Your cost to serve — Only a baseline, not the basis
Value Metrics
Common Value Metrics
| Metric | Best For | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Per user/seat | Collaboration tools | Slack, Notion |
| Per usage | Variable consumption | AWS, Twilio |
| Per contact/record | CRM, email tools | Mailchimp |
| Per transaction | Payments, marketplaces | Stripe |
| Flat fee | Simple products | Basecamp |
Choosing Your Value Metric
Ask: "As a customer uses more of [metric], do they get more value?" If yes → good value metric.
Tier Structure
Good-Better-Best Framework
- Good tier (Entry): Core features, limited usage, low price
- Better tier (Recommended): Full features, reasonable limits, anchor price
- Best tier (Premium): Everything, advanced features, 2-3x Better price
Tier Differentiation
- Feature gating (basic vs. advanced)
- Usage limits (same features, different limits)
- Support level (Email → Priority → Dedicated)
- Access (API, SSO, custom branding)
Pricing Research
Van Westendorp Method
Four questions identifying acceptable price range:
- Too expensive (wouldn't consider)
- Too cheap (question quality)
- Expensive but might consider
- A bargain
Analyze intersections to find optimal pricing zone.
When to Raise Prices
Signs:
- Competitors have raised prices
- Prospects don't flinch at price
- Conversion rates are very high (>40%)
- Churn is very low (<3% monthly)
Pricing Page Best Practices
- Clear tier comparison table with recommended tier highlighted
- Monthly/annual toggle with 17-20% annual discount
- FAQ section addressing objections
- Customer logos/trust signals
- Money-back guarantee
Related Skills
- churn-prevention: For cancel flows and save offers
- copywriting: For pricing page copy
- marketing-psychology: For pricing psychology principles
Mirrored from https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills — original author: coreyhaines31, license: MIT. This is an unclaimed mirror. Content and ownership transfer to the author when they claim this account.