SaaS Pricing Strategy

Apply proven pricing frameworks from Daniel Priestley (demand generation) and Patrick Campbell (value-based pricing) to optimize SaaS pricing strategy.

When to Use This Skill

• Defining or revising pricing tiers
• Selecting value metrics (per-seat, usage-based, flat-rate, hybrid)
• Competitive positioning and market analysis
• Writing pricing page copy
• Planning pricing experiments or A/B tests
• Evaluating pricing model changes

Core Pricing Philosophy

Daniel Priestley's Oversubscription Principle

Demand > Supply = Pricing Power

DO NOT compete on price. Compete on demand generation.

Key tenets:

• Transparent capacity constraints create urgency
• Waiting lists signal value and scarcity
• Price reflects perceived value, not just costs
• Market positioning matters more than feature comparison

Patrick Campbell's Value-Based Framework

Price on value delivered, not cost incurred

Key principles:

1. Value metric alignment: What you charge for should match what customers value
2. Buyer persona intimacy: Different segments have different willingness to pay
3. Continuous iteration: Pricing is ongoing optimization, not one-time decision
4. 3-tier sweet spot: Fewer tiers = analysis paralysis, more tiers = choice overload

Value Metric Selection

Common Value Metrics

Per-Seat (Per-User)

• Best for: Collaboration tools, team software, platforms where value scales with team size
• Pros: Predictable, simple, aligns with organizational growth
• Cons: Can discourage adding users, ceiling effect for small teams

Usage-Based (Consumption)

• Best for: Infrastructure, APIs, data processing, services with variable usage
• Pros: Fair pricing ("pay for what you use"), no ceiling on revenue
• Cons: Unpredictable billing, complex to explain, requires usage tracking

Flat-Rate (All-You-Can-Eat)

• Best for: Simple products, low variance in usage, commoditized markets
• Pros: Simplest to communicate, no metering overhead
• Cons: Leaves money on table with power users, doesn't scale with value

Feature-Based (Good-Better-Best)

• Best for: Products with clear feature differentiation, tiered capabilities
• Pros: Upgrade path is clear, captures different willingness to pay
• Cons: Feature bloat temptation, can feel arbitrary

Hybrid (Combination)

• Best for: Complex products where multiple dimensions drive value
• Pros: Captures more value, serves diverse segments
• Cons: More complex to communicate and implement

Decision Framework for Value Metric

Ask these questions:

1. What metric correlates most strongly with customer value received?
2. What's simple enough for customers to predict their costs?
3. What aligns incentives (not penalizing desired behavior)?
4. What grows naturally as customer success grows?
5. What can you reliably measure and bill for?

Tiered Pricing Structure

Optimal Tier Count

3-4 tiers is ideal

• 2 tiers: Not enough choice, hard to capture variance
• 3-4 tiers: Sweet spot for conversion
• 5+ tiers: Analysis paralysis, decision fatigue

Tier Differentiation Strategies

Capacity Limits (quantity-based)

• Users, seats, projects, API calls, storage, transactions
• Example: "Up to 5 users" vs "Up to 25 users"

Feature Access (capability-based)

• Advanced features, integrations, customization, priority support
• Example: "Basic reports" vs "Custom dashboards + API access"

Service Level (support-based)

• Response time, dedicated support, onboarding, account management
• Example: "Email support" vs "24/7 phone + dedicated CSM"

Usage Rights (commercial terms)

• Commercial use, white-labeling, resale rights, SLA guarantees
• Example: "Personal use" vs "Commercial use + SLA"

Pricing Tier Psychology

Anchor with highest price: Show Enterprise tier first or prominently to make mid-tier seem reasonable

Highlight recommended tier: Use "Most Popular" or "Best Value" badge on target tier (usually middle)

Price gaps should increase: $30 → $60 → $120 feels better than $30 → $50 → $70

Round numbers for simplicity: $99/mo feels gimmicky for B2B; use $100/mo

Pricing Page Best Practices

Page Structure

1. Lead with value, not features

   • Wrong: "Unlimited clients, 5GB storage, custom fields"
   • Right: "Save 10 hours per week on reporting"

2. Show annual savings option

   • Offer 2 months free for annual billing (17% discount)
   • Improves cash flow and reduces churn

3. Transparent tier comparison

   • Feature comparison table with clear differentiators
   • Use checkmarks, not excessive text
   • Highlight recommended tier

4. Social proof by tier

   • Include customer counts, testimonials, use case examples per tier
   • "Perfect for teams of 5-10" or "Used by 500+ companies like yours"

5. Remove friction

   • Free trial (14-30 days)
   • No credit card required for trial (increases signups)
   • Easy upgrade/downgrade path
   • Money-back guarantee if appropriate

Copy Framework

Headline: Focus on outcome transformation

• Good: "Close deals faster with intelligent CRM"
• Bad: "Affordable CRM software"

Subhead: Address primary objection

• "Simple enough to start today. Powerful enough to scale with you."

CTA Language:

• Entry tier: "Start Free Trial"
• Mid tier: "Start Free Trial" or "Get Started"
• Top tier: "Start Free Trial" or "Schedule Demo"
• Enterprise: "Contact Sales" or "Let's Talk"

Priestley-Aligned Demand Tactics

Capacity Signaling:

• "We're currently onboarding X new customers per month"
• "Join X+ companies already using [Product]"
• "Limited spots available for [special program]"

Demand Indicators:

• Show number of customers/users
• Display recent signups (with permission)
• Highlight waitlist count or assessment completions

Competitive Positioning

Market Research Checklist

Before setting prices, research:

1. Direct competitors: What do they charge? How do they tier?
2. Adjacent solutions: What alternatives exist? (spreadsheets, consultants, etc.)
3. Customer budget: What's typical spend for this category?
4. Switching costs: How hard is it to leave current solution?
5. Perceived value gap: How much better are you, quantifiably?

Positioning Strategies

Price leadership (lowest price)

• Only if cost advantage is sustainable
• Race to bottom risk
• Attracts price-sensitive, high-churn customers

Value leadership (best value)

• Sweet spot for most SaaS
• Middle-market pricing with superior product/service
• "We're not the cheapest, but we're worth it"

Premium positioning (highest price)

• Requires defensible differentiation
• Attracts best customers, lower churn
• "You get what you pay for"

Pricing Experiments & Iteration

What to Test

1. Tier names: Functional vs. aspirational (Starter vs. Essential)
2. Anchor pricing: Show Enterprise price to make Professional seem reasonable
3. Feature bundling: Which features drive upgrades?
4. Annual vs. monthly default: Does showing annual first increase LTV?
5. Trial length: 14 days vs. 30 days conversion rates
6. CTA copy: "Start Free Trial" vs. "Get Started Free"

Metrics to Track

• Conversion rate by tier: Which tier converts best from trial?
• Time to upgrade: How long before customers outgrow their tier?
• Churn by tier: Do certain tiers retain better?
• Revenue per customer by tier: LTV analysis
• Failed payment recovery rate: Billing issue resolution
• Price sensitivity: At what price point do signups drop?

Iteration Cadence

• Review pricing metrics: Monthly
• Minor adjustments (copy, positioning): Quarterly
• Major structural changes (tiers, value metric): Annually
• Always communicate changes in advance and grandfather existing customers when appropriate

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

❌ Competing on price alone: Race to bottom, attracts worst customers

✓ Compete on demand and positioning: Create scarcity, demonstrate value

❌ Too many tiers: Analysis paralysis kills conversions

✓ 3-4 tiers maximum: Clear upgrade path, easy decision

❌ Grandfathering forever: Prevents necessary price increases

✓ Communicate value, migrate gradually: Give notice, explain benefits

❌ Feature-based differentiation only: Customers don't buy features

✓ Outcome-based positioning: "Save X hours/week" or "Increase revenue by Y%"

❌ Hiding pricing: "Contact us" for all tiers reduces trust

✓ Transparent pricing: Builds trust, qualifies leads naturally

❌ Set and forget: Pricing is not a one-time decision

✓ Continuous optimization: Treat pricing like product development

Decision Framework

When evaluating pricing changes, ask:

1. Does this align with customer value perception? (Campbell principle)
2. Does this create healthy demand/supply tension? (Priestley principle)
3. Is it simple to understand and predict? (Complexity kills conversion)
4. Does it scale with customer success? (Value metric alignment)
5. Can we test it without disrupting existing customers? (Iteration safety)

If yes to all five, proceed with experiment. If no to any, revisit approach.

Workflow

When asked to help with pricing:

1. Understand the context

   • What does the product do?
   • Who are the customers?
   • What competitors exist and how do they price?
   • What constraints exist (market, budget, positioning)?

2. Apply the frameworks

   • Recommend value metric using decision framework
   • Suggest tier structure (3-4 tiers)
   • Position against competition using Priestley's demand principles
   • Apply Campbell's value-based approach

3. Deliverable options

   • Pricing strategy document
   • Pricing page copy
   • Competitive analysis
   • A/B test plan
   • Pricing tier structure with rationale

4. Next steps

   • Set up tracking and metrics
   • Plan communication strategy
   • Schedule quarterly pricing review