Pricing Strategy System

A Claude Code skill for designing, testing, and optimizing SaaS pricing and monetization strategies. Covers pricing models, tier structure, willingness-to-pay research, and pricing page design with a focus on capturing value, driving growth, and aligning with customer expectations.

When to Use This Skill

Choose Pricing Strategy System when:

• You're setting initial pricing for a new product
• You want to restructure your pricing tiers
• You need to run a willingness-to-pay analysis
• You're considering a pricing model change (flat rate → usage-based)
• You want to optimize your pricing page for conversions

Consider alternatives when:

• You need paywall/upgrade screen design (use a paywall CRO skill)
• You want general marketing strategy (use a marketing strategy skill)
• You need competitive positioning beyond pricing (use a PMM skill)

Quick Start

Copy
# Install the skill
claude install pricing-strategy-system

# Design a pricing structure
claude "Design a 3-tier pricing structure for a project management tool targeting SMBs and enterprises"

# Analyze willingness to pay
claude "Help me design a Van Westendorp price sensitivity survey for my API monitoring service"

# Optimize existing pricing
claude "Our $29/month plan has good adoption but our $99/month plan has almost none. How do we fix the tier structure?"

Core Concepts

Pricing Models

Model	How It Works	Best For
Flat Rate	One price, one plan	Simple products with uniform usage
Tiered	Multiple plans at different prices	Products with distinct user segments
Per-Seat	Price per user/seat	Collaboration tools, team software
Usage-Based	Pay for what you consume	APIs, infrastructure, compute tools
Hybrid	Base fee + usage overage	Complex products with variable consumption
Freemium	Free tier + paid upgrades	Products needing volume for network effects

Value Metric Selection

The value metric is what you charge for — it must align with how customers perceive value.

Good Value Metrics:
  ✓ Scales with customer success (more usage = more value received)
  ✓ Easy to understand and predict costs
  ✓ Grows naturally as customers grow
  ✓ Differentiates small vs. large customers

Examples:
  Stripe → transaction volume
  Twilio → messages sent
  Slack → active users
  GitHub → repositories (private)
  Notion → team members + usage

Tier Design Framework

Component	Starter	Professional	Enterprise
Target	Individuals, small teams	Growing teams, departments	Large organizations
Value Metric Limit	Low threshold	5-10x of starter	Unlimited or custom
Key Feature Gate	Core features only	Advanced features, integrations	SSO, audit logs, SLA
Support Level	Self-serve, docs	Email support, faster response	Dedicated CSM, phone
Pricing Anchor	Accessible entry point	Most popular (highlighted)	Custom, "Contact Us"

Configuration

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
business_model	string	"b2b_saas"	Model: b2b_saas, b2c_saas, marketplace, api, developer_tool
current_arr	number	0	Current annual recurring revenue for context
customer_segments	string[]	["smb"]	Target segments: individual, smb, mid_market, enterprise
pricing_model	string	"tiered"	Current/desired model: flat, tiered, per_seat, usage, hybrid
competitor_prices	object	{}	Known competitor pricing for benchmarking

Best Practices

1. Price on value, not cost — Your price should reflect the value customers receive, not your infrastructure cost. If your tool saves a team 10 hours per week, that's worth far more than your server costs.

2. The middle tier should be the obvious choice — Design your tiers so the middle option is the best value. This is where most customers should land. The top tier justifies the middle tier's price through anchoring.

3. Raise prices before you think you should — Most startups underprice by 2-5x. If fewer than 20% of prospects object to your price, it's too low. Price increases are one of the highest-leverage growth actions.

4. Use annual discounts strategically — Offer 15-20% off for annual billing. This reduces churn (switching cost), improves cash flow, and increases LTV. Display the monthly equivalent prominently.

5. Gate on features, not limits — "You don't get SSO" is a clearer upgrade reason than "You get 500 more API calls." Feature gates create discrete upgrade triggers; usage limits create frustration.

Common Issues

Can't decide between per-seat and usage-based — Per-seat is easier to understand and predict. Usage-based aligns better with value but creates budget uncertainty. If in doubt, start with per-seat for simplicity and consider adding usage components as you learn more about consumption patterns.

Nobody picks the expensive tier — The gap between tiers is either too large in price or too small in value. Add a clear, high-value feature that justifies the jump (SSO, API access, dedicated support) and make the price gap proportional to the added value.

Customers complain about pricing changes — Grandfather existing customers on their current plan for 6-12 months. Communicate the added value clearly. Frame changes as "new plans available" rather than "prices increased."