SaaS companies scale revenue not by adjusting price points, but by creating distinct packages for different segments. The same core software can be sold for vastly different amounts to enterprise versus mid-market clients by packaging features, services, and support to match their perceived value and needs.

Businesses often launch with transparent, all-in pricing because it feels honest. However, as seen across e-commerce, strategies like partitioned pricing ($9.99 + shipping/tax) and added fees consistently convert better. This creates competitive pressure that makes adopting such psychological hacks almost inevitable for survival.

Clay deliberately chose usage-based over seat-based pricing because their ideal customer is a technical builder (GTM Ops, Growth Marketer), not an individual salesperson. This model aligns value with the systems these builders create for the entire team, rather than charging for every end-user who benefits from the output.

Despite their power, premium offers are a poor starting point for new ventures without established credibility. Use free or discounted 'foot-in-the-door' offers to prove your value and build a reputation, then transition to a premium model. This approach de-risks customer acquisition when you're an unknown entity.

Deliver's growth stagnated until they shifted from complex, variable fees to a simple flat rate. This treated pricing not as a billing model but as a product feature that solved the customer's core need for financial predictability, which became their primary growth catalyst.

The decision to offer zero-commission trades was not an incremental price reduction; it was a fundamental shift in the business model. The team intuitively recognized that "free" possesses a unique marketing power far stronger than a nominal fee. This is key for any company aiming for mass-market disruption.

Effective pricing is not just a number; it is a value story. The ultimate test is whether a customer can accurately pitch your product's pricing and value proposition to someone else. This reframes pricing from a simple number to a compelling narrative.

For tools requiring a new workflow, like Factory's AI agents, seat-based pricing creates friction. A usage-based model lowers the initial adoption barrier, allowing developers to try it once. This 'first try' is critical, as data shows an 85% retention rate after just one use.

Shure prices its service at $100/month vs. the industry's ~$600. This isn't just to compete with incumbents like Deel, but to serve a massive pool of smaller companies for whom traditional EORs were prohibitively expensive, thereby expanding the total addressable market.