Stage

Launch SaaS pricing plans instantly. On a mission to realize the value of technology.

[Stage @heystage]

@axeliaklein @richardkeuntje @weusekana @GetStigg @Kable_io @uselotusio @Solvimon_com @GetLago @m3terHQ @togaiHQ @GetArchetype @wingbackapp @openmeterio @getmetronome @amberfloio and @useorb are two more metered billing solutions. @getcacheflow started from the CPQ perspective but seems to be moving toward entitlement management and billing as well.

[Beata Klein @axeliaklein]

Frustrated by a billing system that requires many FTEs to run? Still not able to provide the pricing you want?

You are not alone!

Many are stuck with Stripe etc. that easily become 3D chess.

@richardkeuntje and I deep-dived in agile billing ->

https://t.co/XmBEzrwVwt

[Stage @heystage]

https://t.co/iNBiWZKEPx

[Stage @heystage]

https://t.co/x6iKWOeKQu

[Stage @heystage]

https://t.co/OHuiIOiO8h

[Stage @heystage]

Joseph A. Banks pricing page energy

[Chris Frantz @frantzfries]

If you look like this your pricing page says “Contact Us”

[Stage @heystage]

discounting lowers LTV and increases churn simultaneously.

it's kind of like...

[Patrick Campbell @Patticus]

Discounting is a cancer on your growth.

"But our sales team says they can't hit their numbers without them!?"

Lies.

Here's data on how they hurt you more than help (and what to do instead).

A quick 🧵

[Stage @heystage]

🎯

[Jason ✨👾SaaStr.Ai✨ Lemkin @jasonlk]

Organic price points in software are an odd thing

Just renewed a Squarespace site for $250 a year and felt expensive

But it's just as valuable and important as a marketing tool we just renewed for $30,000

Context is a bigger deal in pricing that we sometimes realize

[Stage @heystage]

change the positioning
change the buyer
change the outcome

[Cooper @enlightenedcoop]

Water is free from the tap $3 at the gym $5 at the cinema and $10 at the airport so next time you think you’re not worth anything just remember you’re at the wrong place

[Stage @heystage]

And this is as true with a per seat model as it is with a per API call, but per API call can have significant variance relative to per seat.

we recommend usage tiers with lock-ins shaped around the budget for bigger customers 🤝

[Jen Abel @jjen_abel]

Usage based pricing has many incentives aligned and will continue to take share; however, when you move up-market, large enterprise organizations thrive on predictability.

They (ie procurement) are allergic to “unknown” cost structures.

Be very mindful of this.

[joe kim🗽 @joekim91]

We just had a game changing Office Hours with @pjdgallagher to improve our pricing strategy for our investor and startup clients.

If your startup is working on pricing - I recommend booking PDG to learn about price leveling, structure, metrics, add-ons, and packaging!

[Stage @heystage]

@Stonks_dot_com @loom @RheaplyInc @Rayonapp @Pano_AI any startup would be lucky to have @yoyo_thomas as an angel. we definitely are!

[Stage @heystage]

@ej_beehiiv @Mailchimp @HubSpot @beehiiv @sendwithloops @Braze @intercom Thanks for your comment :)

We did not say which value metric was "correct", just which correlates closely to value (i.e. why @Jason does not like "per contact")

there are customer-friendly methods to mitigate unpredictability that have been used for years

Have a good day!

[Stage @heystage]

1/ let's talk about value metrics.

the value metric (per seat, per contact, per send, etc.) matters more than the price level or package structure.

a good vm closely aligns with your customer's perception of the value of your product or service.

[@jason @Jason]

lazyweb: what's the more affordable version of MailChimp these days. paying $24k a year and not using it all that much (they charge you based on list size, which is insane)

[Stage @heystage]

the force is strong with this one.

[Patrick Campbell @Patticus]

Our Twitter subscriptions plan needs work @elonmusk.

I did a pricing study on 54.3k Twitter users to help you Doge Father.

TLDR:
- Verification should cost much less
- Twitter Blue should cost much more
- Twitter has a unique opportunity to 10x subscribers

Thread time 🧵

[Stage @heystage]

1. how to fail at monetization: start with a solution (square peg) and work backward to the problem (round hole)

2. how to succeed at monetization: start with customer segments with a clear problem and determine how to shape usage, features, and price around them.

this is 1.

[Austen Allred @Austen]

IMO what Twitter should actually do:

Blue check for $8/month that means you're a real/legit person (ID verified). Get a bit of priority in search/replies and some premium features.

VIP "Gold check" that is free if you're a celebrity or expensive ($1k/month) if you're not.

[Stage @heystage]

how *not* to determine willingness-to-pay

call us @Jason

[@jason @Jason]

How much would you pay to be verified & get a blue check mark on Twitter?

[Stage @heystage]

@mike_tempest preach.

[Stage @heystage]

PSA (Public SaaS Announcement): If you have "unlimited" *insert value metric* in any of your pricing plans, please know that you are capping your own growth relative to the value you are providing your customers.