From gtm-skills
Guides SaaS pricing decisions with value metrics, tier structures, packaging strategies, discount frameworks, upsells, and experiments.
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Expert guidance on SaaS pricing, value metrics, tier structure, pricing research, and monetization.
Guides SaaS pricing strategies including tiers, packaging, value metrics, price points, competitor analysis, and customer willingness to pay.
Designs and optimizes SaaS pricing strategies including tiering, packaging, value metrics, and experimentation. Useful for initial pricing, conversion optimization, revenue expansion, or monetization queries.
Designs pricing, packaging, and monetization strategies for software products using value-based frameworks, Van Westendorp research, conjoint analysis, and tier design. Useful for SaaS launches or changes.
Share bugs, ideas, or general feedback.
Expert guidance on SaaS pricing, value metrics, tier structure, pricing research, and monetization.
Gather: product type, target market (SMB/mid-market/enterprise), GTM motion (self-serve/sales-led/hybrid), primary value delivered, competitive pricing, current conversion rate and ARPU, pricing goals (growth vs. revenue vs. profitability).
Three axes: Packaging (what's in each tier) + Value metric (what you charge for) + Price point (the amount).
Core principle: 1% improvement in pricing = 11% improvement in profit (McKinsey). Price to value, not cost.
Value-based pricing: Price between the next best alternative and perceived value. Cost is a floor, not a basis.
Perceived value of your solution: $1,000
Your price: $500 ← capture value here
Next best alternative: $300 ← your floor
Your cost to serve: $50
Value calculation template:
Time savings: [hours/week × hourly rate × 52]
Revenue impact: [additional deals × deal value × 12]
Cost avoidance: [errors prevented × cost per error × 12]
Total annual value: $____
Suggested price: $[10% of value] – $[20% of value] / year
| Model | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Flat Rate ($99/mo, unlimited) | Simple to sell | Leaves money on table |
| Tiered (Starter/Pro/Business) | Captures segments, clear upsell | Anchor pricing matters |
| Usage-Based ($0.01/call) | Perfect value alignment, low barrier | Unpredictable revenue |
| Hybrid ($49/mo + $0.50/extra user) | Predictable base + scales | More complex to explain |
The value metric is what you charge for — it should scale with the value customers receive.
| Metric | Best For | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Per user/seat | Collaboration tools | Slack, Notion |
| Per usage/consumption | Variable workloads | AWS, Twilio |
| Per contact/record | CRM, email tools | Mailchimp, HubSpot |
| Per transaction | Payments, marketplaces | Stripe, Shopify |
| Flat fee | Simple, bounded products | Basecamp |
| Revenue share | High-value outcome tools | Affiliate platforms |
Choosing your metric: Analyze which usage patterns predict retention and expansion in your highest-LTV customers. If "more of X = more value," X is your metric.
Ask 100–300 respondents four questions:
Key intersections:
Acceptable range: PMC → PME. Optimal zone: OPP → IDP.
Show sets of 4–5 features; ask "most important" and "least important." Results rank features by utility score:
| Utility | Packaging Decision |
|---|---|
| Top 20% | Include in all tiers (table stakes) |
| 20–50% | Use to differentiate tiers |
| 50–80% | Higher tiers only |
| Bottom 20% | Cut or premium add-on |
The Rule of 3: Starter (50–60% of customers) → Pro/sweet spot (30–40%) → Business/Enterprise (5–10%).
Anchor pricing: Middle tier 3–4× starter price; top tier 2–3× middle. This makes the middle tier the obvious choice.
Starter: $29/mo — core features, 5 users, email support
Pro: $99/mo — everything + integrations, 20 users, priority support ← Most Popular
Business: $299/mo — everything + SSO, unlimited users, dedicated support
| Tier | Purpose | Price | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good (Starter) | Remove barriers to entry | Low, accessible | Small teams, trial converts |
| Better (Pro) | Where most customers land | Anchor price | Growing teams |
| Best (Business) | Capture high-value customers | 2–3× Better | Larger teams, power users |
What to gate:
Never gate: core functionality, security features, data export.
| Freemium | Free Trial | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | PLG, wide top of funnel | Sales-led, high-ACV |
| Conversion | 2–5% free → paid | 15–25% trial → paid |
| Risk | Free riders, support cost | Shorter window to prove value |
| Use when | Network effects, viral growth | Complex product needing onboarding |
What to A/B test: Price points, tier packaging, billing frequency, free trial length, anchor tier.
Sample sizes: ~1,000 visitors/variant to detect 10% change; ~5,000 for 5% change.
Metrics to track: Conversion (trial → paid), ARPU, CAC, LTV, payback period.
Price increases: Raise every 12–18 months as you add value. Communicate 30+ days in advance. Grandfather existing customers for 12 months or offer annual lock-in at current price.
Upsell triggers:
Add-ons (use when a feature has standalone value not everyone needs):
Base plan: $99/mo
+ Extra users: $10/user/mo
+ Advanced analytics: $49/mo
+ White label: $99/mo
+ Priority support: $199/mo
| Segment | Price Point | Sales Motion | Decision Maker | Sales Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMB | $29–99/mo | Self-serve | End user/team lead | Minutes–days |
| Mid-Market | $99–999/mo | Self-serve + light touch | Dept head | Days–weeks |
| Enterprise | $1,000+/mo | High-touch sales | VP/C-level | Weeks–months |
| Metric | Healthy Benchmark |
|---|---|
| Trial → Paid conversion | >15% |
| MRR Growth (early stage) | >10%/month |
| Churn Rate | <5%/mo (SMB), <1%/mo (enterprise) |
| LTV:CAC | >3:1 |
| Payback Period | <12 months |
| Net Revenue Retention | >100% |
| Type | Trigger | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | Commitment to scale | 10–30% |
| Term | Annual commitment | 15–25% (2 months free) |
| Competitive | Switching from competitor | 20–40% |
| Strategic | Reference customer / logo value | Up to 50% |
Never discount when: customer hasn't articulated value, no competitive pressure, early in negotiation, or deal doesn't meet minimum size.
Alternatives to discounting: extended payment terms, additional services/training, extended trial, success milestone unlocks, multi-year lock-in.
Launching pricing:
Optimizing pricing:
Deep-dive on pricing models, discount structures, and services pricing: see references/pricing.md