1---
2name: pricing-strategy
3description: "When the user wants help with pricing decisions, packaging, or monetization strategy. Also use when the user mentions 'pricing,' 'pricing tiers,' 'freemium,' 'free trial,' 'packaging,' 'price increase,' 'value metric,' 'Van Westendorp,' 'willingness to pay,' 'monetization,' 'how much should I charge,' 'my pricing is wrong,' 'pricing page,' 'annual vs monthly,' 'per seat pricing,' or 'should I offer a free plan.' Use this whenever someone is figuring out what to charge or how to structure their plans. For in-app upgrade screens, see paywall-upgrade-cro."
4metadata:
5  version: 1.1.0
6---
7 
8# Pricing Strategy
9 
10You 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.
11 
12## Before Starting
13 
14**Check for product marketing context first:**
15If `.agents/product-marketing-context.md` exists (or `.claude/product-marketing-context.md` in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.
16 
17Gather this context (ask if not provided):
18 
19### 1. Business Context
20- What type of product? (SaaS, marketplace, e-commerce, service)
21- What's your current pricing (if any)?
22- What's your target market? (SMB, mid-market, enterprise)
23- What's your go-to-market motion? (self-serve, sales-led, hybrid)
24 
25### 2. Value & Competition
26- What's the primary value you deliver?
27- What alternatives do customers consider?
28- How do competitors price?
29 
30### 3. Current Performance
31- What's your current conversion rate?
32- What's your ARPU and churn rate?
33- Any feedback on pricing from customers/prospects?
34 
35### 4. Goals
36- Optimizing for growth, revenue, or profitability?
37- Moving upmarket or expanding downmarket?
38 
39---
40 
41## Pricing Fundamentals
42 
43### The Three Pricing Axes
44 
45**1. Packaging** — What's included at each tier?
46- Features, limits, support level
47- How tiers differ from each other
48 
49**2. Pricing Metric** — What do you charge for?
50- Per user, per usage, flat fee
51- How price scales with value
52 
53**3. Price Point** — How much do you charge?
54- The actual dollar amounts
55- Perceived value vs. cost
56 
57### Value-Based Pricing
58 
59Price should be based on value delivered, not cost to serve:
60 
61- **Customer's perceived value** — The ceiling
62- **Your price** — Between alternatives and perceived value
63- **Next best alternative** — The floor for differentiation
64- **Your cost to serve** — Only a baseline, not the basis
65 
66**Key insight:** Price between the next best alternative and perceived value.
67 
68---
69 
70## Value Metrics
71 
72### What is a Value Metric?
73 
74The value metric is what you charge for—it should scale with the value customers receive.
75 
76**Good value metrics:**
77- Align price with value delivered
78- Are easy to understand
79- Scale as customer grows
80- Are hard to game
81 
82### Common Value Metrics
83 
84| Metric | Best For | Example |
85|--------|----------|---------|
86| Per user/seat | Collaboration tools | Slack, Notion |
87| Per usage | Variable consumption | AWS, Twilio |
88| Per feature | Modular products | HubSpot add-ons |
89| Per contact/record | CRM, email tools | Mailchimp |
90| Per transaction | Payments, marketplaces | Stripe |
91| Flat fee | Simple products | Basecamp |
92 
93### Choosing Your Value Metric
94 
95Ask: "As a customer uses more of [metric], do they get more value?"
96- If yes → good value metric
97- If no → price doesn't align with value
98 
99---
100 
101## Tier Structure Overview
102 
103### Good-Better-Best Framework
104 
105**Good tier (Entry):** Core features, limited usage, low price
106**Better tier (Recommended):** Full features, reasonable limits, anchor price
107**Best tier (Premium):** Everything, advanced features, 2-3x Better price
108 
109### Tier Differentiation
110 
111- **Feature gating** — Basic vs. advanced features
112- **Usage limits** — Same features, different limits
113- **Support level** — Email → Priority → Dedicated
114- **Access** — API, SSO, custom branding
115 
116**For detailed tier structures and persona-based packaging**: See [references/tier-structure.md](references/tier-structure.md)
117 
118---
119 
120## Pricing Research
121 
122### Van Westendorp Method
123 
124Four questions that identify acceptable price range:
1251. Too expensive (wouldn't consider)
1262. Too cheap (question quality)
1273. Expensive but might consider
1284. A bargain
129 
130Analyze intersections to find optimal pricing zone.
131 
132### MaxDiff Analysis
133 
134Identifies which features customers value most:
135- Show sets of features
136- Ask: Most important? Least important?
137- Results inform tier packaging
138 
139**For detailed research methods**: See [references/research-methods.md](references/research-methods.md)
140 
141---
142 
143## When to Raise Prices
144 
145### Signs It's Time
146 
147**Market signals:**
148- Competitors have raised prices
149- Prospects don't flinch at price
150- "It's so cheap!" feedback
151 
152**Business signals:**
153- Very high conversion rates (>40%)
154- Very low churn (<3% monthly)
155- Strong unit economics
156 
157**Product signals:**
158- Significant value added since last pricing
159- Product more mature/stable
160 
161### Price Increase Strategies
162 
1631. **Grandfather existing** — New price for new customers only
1642. **Delayed increase** — Announce 3-6 months out
1653. **Tied to value** — Raise price but add features
1664. **Plan restructure** — Change plans entirely
167 
168---
169 
170## Pricing Page Best Practices
171 
172### Above the Fold
173- Clear tier comparison table
174- Recommended tier highlighted
175- Monthly/annual toggle
176- Primary CTA for each tier
177 
178### Common Elements
179- Feature comparison table
180- Who each tier is for
181- FAQ section
182- Annual discount callout (17-20%)
183- Money-back guarantee
184- Customer logos/trust signals
185 
186### Pricing Psychology
187- **Anchoring:** Show higher-priced option first
188- **Decoy effect:** Middle tier should be best value
189- **Charm pricing:** $49 vs. $50 (for value-focused)
190- **Round pricing:** $50 vs. $49 (for premium)
191 
192---
193 
194## Pricing Checklist
195 
196### Before Setting Prices
197- [ ] Defined target customer personas
198- [ ] Researched competitor pricing
199- [ ] Identified your value metric
200- [ ] Conducted willingness-to-pay research
201- [ ] Mapped features to tiers
202 
203### Pricing Structure
204- [ ] Chosen number of tiers
205- [ ] Differentiated tiers clearly
206- [ ] Set price points based on research
207- [ ] Created annual discount strategy
208- [ ] Planned enterprise/custom tier
209 
210---
211 
212## Task-Specific Questions
213 
2141. What pricing research have you done?
2152. What's your current ARPU and conversion rate?
2163. What's your primary value metric?
2174. Who are your main pricing personas?
2185. Are you self-serve, sales-led, or hybrid?
2196. What pricing changes are you considering?
220 
221---
222 
223## Related Skills
224 
225- **churn-prevention**: For cancel flows, save offers, and reducing revenue churn
226- **page-cro**: For optimizing pricing page conversion
227- **copywriting**: For pricing page copy
228- **marketing-psychology**: For pricing psychology principles
229- **ab-test-setup**: For testing pricing changes
230- **revops**: For deal desk processes and pipeline pricing
231- **sales-enablement**: For proposal templates and pricing presentations
232