pricing-strategist skill

---
name: pricing-strategist
description: Expert pricing strategy and monetization guidance for SaaS and digital products. Use when designing pricing tiers, creating pricing pages, setting value metrics, developing bundle strategies, planning price increases, writing pricing copy, analyzing competitive pricing, or optimizing annual vs monthly positioning. Use for packaging decisions, discount policies, enterprise pricing, and behavioral pricing tactics.
---

# Pricing Strategist

Expert pricing strategy and monetization guidance for SaaS and digital products — from psychology-driven pricing to enterprise negotiation tactics.

## Philosophy

Pricing is the most powerful lever in your business:

1. **Price is a signal** — It communicates value, market position, and customer fit
2. **Packaging is product** — How you bundle features shapes perceived value
3. **Simplicity wins** — Confused buyers don't buy
4. **Test everything** — Intuition about willingness-to-pay is usually wrong

## How This Skill Works

When invoked, apply the guidelines in `rules/` organized by:

- `psychology-*` — Behavioral economics, anchoring, framing, decoy pricing
- `packaging-*` — Tier structure, bundles, good/better/best frameworks
- `metrics-*` — Value metrics, usage-based, per-seat, flat-rate models
- `page-*` — Pricing page copy, design, and conversion optimization
- `enterprise-*` — Enterprise pricing, negotiation, custom deals
- `lifecycle-*` — Discounts, promotions, price increases, grandfathering

## Core Frameworks

### The Pricing Stack

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    VALUE CREATION                        │
│         What problem do you solve? How well?             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                   VALUE COMMUNICATION                    │
│       How do you convey value through pricing?           │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                    VALUE CAPTURE                         │
│         How much value do you extract as price?          │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

### Pricing Model Comparison

| Model | Best For | Pros | Cons |
|-------|----------|------|------|
| **Per-seat** | Collaboration tools | Predictable, scales with adoption | Discourages sharing |
| **Usage-based** | Infrastructure, API | Aligns with value, low entry | Unpredictable revenue |
| **Flat-rate** | Simple products | Easy to understand | Leaves money on table |
| **Tiered** | Most SaaS | Captures segments | Can be complex |
| **Hybrid** | Mature products | Flexible, optimized | Harder to communicate |

### Value Metric Selection

Your value metric should be:

| Criteria | Question | Example |
|----------|----------|---------|
| **Easy to understand** | Can you explain it in 5 words? | "Pay per user per month" |
| **Aligned with value** | Does customer pay more as they get more value? | More emails sent = more conversions |
| **Predictable** | Can customer forecast their bill? | Seat count is predictable |
| **Scalable** | Does it grow with the customer? | API calls scale with usage |

### The Willingness-to-Pay Curve

```
High WTP │    ●●●  Enterprise
         │   ●●●●●
         │  ●●●●●●●  Pro
         │ ●●●●●●●●●
         │●●●●●●●●●●●  Starter
Low WTP  │●●●●●●●●●●●●●
         └────────────────────
          Few          Many
               Customers
```

Capture value at each segment with differentiated packaging.

## Pricing Psychology Principles

| Principle | How It Works | Application |
|-----------|--------------|-------------|
| **Anchoring** | First price sets expectations | Show enterprise price first |
| **Decoy effect** | Third option makes one look better | Middle tier becomes attractive |
| **Charm pricing** | 9-ending feels cheaper | $99 vs $100 |
| **Price partitioning** | Split price seems smaller | $50/mo + $20 support |
| **Round numbers** | Feel more premium | $1,000 for enterprise |

## Packaging Framework

### Good/Better/Best Structure

| Tier | Target | Feature Strategy | Pricing |
|------|--------|------------------|---------|
| **Good (Starter)** | Entry-level, price-sensitive | Core features, limited usage | Low anchor |
| **Better (Pro)** | Growth, main target | Full features, higher limits | Optimal margin |
| **Best (Enterprise)** | High-value, complex needs | Unlimited, premium support | Value-based |

### Feature Fencing Strategies

| Strategy | Description | Example |
|----------|-------------|---------|
| **Usage limits** | Cap quantity/volume | 1,000 vs 10,000 emails |
| **Feature gates** | Reserve features for higher tiers | SSO in Enterprise |
| **Support tiers** | Differentiate service level | Email vs dedicated CSM |
| **SLA guarantees** | Higher uptime commitments | 99.9% vs 99.99% |
| **Integration access** | Limit connection types | Basic vs premium integrations |

## Annual vs Monthly Framework

| Factor | Monthly | Annual |
|--------|---------|--------|
| **Discount** | Baseline | 15-20% off (2 months free) |
| **Cash flow** | Spread out | Upfront capital |
| **Churn** | Higher (monthly exit) | Lower (commitment) |
| **Target** | Skeptics, small biz | Confident, enterprise |
| **Positioning** | "Flexibility" | "Best value" |

## Anti-Patterns

- **Race to bottom** — Competing on price alone destroys margins
- **Complexity overload** — 6+ tiers confuse buyers
- **Feature stuffing** — More features ≠ higher perceived value
- **Discount addiction** — Training customers to wait for sales
- **One-size pricing** — Leaving money on table from high-value customers
- **Hidden fees** — Surprise charges destroy trust
- **Anchoring backwards** — Showing cheapest option first
- **Ignoring segments** — Same price for SMB and enterprise