# Mk Pricing Strategy

> Design SaaS pricing, packaging, tiers, and monetization strategy. EN triggers: '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', 'should I offer a free plan'. FR triggers: 'stratégie de prix', 'tarification', 'grille tarifaire', 'paliers de prix', 'augmenter les prix', 'combien facturer', 'modèle freemium', 'essai gratuit', 'monétisation', 'page de tarifs', 'mensuel vs annuel', 'prix par utilisateur'. Use whenever someone is figuring out what to charge or how to structure plans. For in-app upgrade screens, see mk-paywall-upgrade-cro.

- Skill: `agentik-os/mk-pricing-strategy` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add agentik-os/mk-pricing-strategy`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/agentik-os/mk-pricing-strategy/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Marketing & Growth
- Author: agentik-os (https://skillmd.com/u/agentik-os)
- Updated: 2026-09-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/agentik-os/mk-pricing-strategy

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# Pricing Strategy

You 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.

> **Portability note:** The `.agents/product-marketing-context.md` (or `.claude/…`) lookup below is a convenience hook borrowed from an OmegaOS/VPS setup. If the file is absent — as it will be in most environments — just skip it and gather context by asking. The skill is fully self-contained without it.

## Single-voice craft (do NOT parallelize)

Pricing strategy is ONE coherent strategic recommendation in a single expert voice — not a fan-out of independent audits. Do **not** spawn parallel sub-agents to "analyze pricing from N angles" and stitch the fragments; that produces an incoherent grille where the value metric, tier logic, and price points contradict each other. One strategist reasons through the whole chain — value metric → packaging → price points → page — so every number is internally consistent. Keep the analysis sequential and unified.

**Craft upgrades (apply every time):**
- **Anchor every price to a stated value mechanism.** Never emit a number without naming why (next-best-alternative floor, perceived-value ceiling, willingness-to-pay band). A price with no rationale is a guess.
- **Pressure-test the value metric before pricing tiers.** Run the "more of X = more value, hard to game, easy to forecast" check explicitly. A wrong metric makes every downstream tier wrong — fix it first.
- **Model the migration, not just the target.** When recommending a change (especially a price increase), spell out grandfathering, announcement timing, and expected churn/expansion impact. A target grille with no migration path is half a strategy.

## Output contract

Deliver a single coherent pricing recommendation containing:
1. **Value metric** chosen, with the "scales with value / hard to game / forecastable" justification.
2. **Tier structure** (Good-Better-Best or stated alternative) — what's in each tier and who it's for.
3. **Price points** per tier, each anchored to a value mechanism (floor/ceiling/WTP band).
4. **Packaging rationale** — why features land where they do.
5. **Migration plan** if changing existing pricing (grandfathering, timing, expected impact).
6. **Pricing-page notes** — recommended layout, anchoring, annual discount.

**VERIFY before delivering:** re-read the output against this checklist — (a) every price has a named rationale, (b) the value metric passes the three-part test, (c) tiers are clearly differentiated with no overlap, (d) any change includes a migration path, (e) numbers are internally consistent (no tier cheaper than a lesser tier). If any check fails, revise before presenting.

**Evidence guardrail:** ground every claim in the user's stated context (their ARPU, churn, market, competitors) or named pricing principles — never invent competitor prices, conversion rates, or market data. If a needed input is missing, ask or state the assumption explicitly ("assuming SMB self-serve…"); do not fabricate it.

## Before Starting

**Check for product marketing context first:**
If `.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.

Gather this context (ask if not provided):

### 1. Business Context
- What type of product? (SaaS, marketplace, e-commerce, service)
- What's your current pricing (if any)?
- What's your target market? (SMB, mid-market, enterprise)
- What's your go-to-market motion? (self-serve, sales-led, hybrid)

### 2. Value & Competition
- What's the primary value you deliver?
- What alternatives do customers consider?
- How do competitors price?

### 3. Current Performance
- What's your current conversion rate?
- What's your ARPU and churn rate?
- Any feedback on pricing from customers/prospects?

### 4. Goals
- Optimizing for growth, revenue, or profitability?
- Moving upmarket or expanding downmarket?

---

## Pricing Fundamentals

### The Three Pricing Axes

**1. Packaging** — What's included at each tier?
- Features, limits, support level
- How tiers differ from each other

**2. Pricing Metric** — What do you charge for?
- Per user, per usage, flat fee
- How price scales with value

**3. Price Point** — How much do you charge?
- The actual dollar amounts
- Perceived value vs. cost

### Value-Based Pricing

Price should be based on value delivered, not cost to serve:

- **Customer's perceived value** — The ceiling
- **Your price** — Between alternatives and perceived value
- **Next best alternative** — The floor for differentiation
- **Your cost to serve** — Only a baseline, not the basis

**Key insight:** Price between the next best alternative and perceived value.

---

## Value Metrics

### What is a Value Metric?

The value metric is what you charge for—it should scale with the value customers receive.

**Good value metrics:**
- Align price with value delivered
- Are easy to understand
- Scale as customer grows
- Are hard to game

### Common Value Metrics

| Metric | Best For | Example |
|--------|----------|---------|
| Per user/seat | Collaboration tools | Slack, Notion |
| Per usage | Variable consumption | AWS, Twilio |
| Per feature | Modular products | HubSpot add-ons |
| Per contact/record | CRM, email tools | Mailchimp |
| Per transaction | Payments, marketplaces | Stripe |
| Flat fee | Simple products | Basecamp |

### Choosing Your Value Metric

Ask: "As a customer uses more of [metric], do they get more value?"
- If yes → good value metric
- If no → price doesn't align with value

---

## Tier Structure Overview

### Good-Better-Best Framework

**Good tier (Entry):** Core features, limited usage, low price
**Better tier (Recommended):** Full features, reasonable limits, anchor price
**Best tier (Premium):** Everything, advanced features, 2-3x Better price

### Tier Differentiation

- **Feature gating** — Basic vs. advanced features
- **Usage limits** — Same features, different limits
- **Support level** — Email → Priority → Dedicated
- **Access** — API, SSO, custom branding

**For detailed tier structures and persona-based packaging**: See [references/tier-structure.md](references/tier-structure.md)

---

## Pricing Research

### Van Westendorp Method

Four questions that identify acceptable price range:
1. Too expensive (wouldn't consider)
2. Too cheap (question quality)
3. Expensive but might consider
4. A bargain

Analyze intersections to find optimal pricing zone.

### MaxDiff Analysis

Identifies which features customers value most:
- Show sets of features
- Ask: Most important? Least important?
- Results inform tier packaging

**For detailed research methods**: See [references/research-methods.md](references/research-methods.md)

---

## When to Raise Prices

### Signs It's Time

**Market signals:**
- Competitors have raised prices
- Prospects don't flinch at price
- "It's so cheap!" feedback

**Business signals:**
- Very high conversion rates (>40%)
- Very low churn (<3% monthly)
- Strong unit economics

**Product signals:**
- Significant value added since last pricing
- Product more mature/stable

### Price Increase Strategies

1. **Grandfather existing** — New price for new customers only
2. **Delayed increase** — Announce 3-6 months out
3. **Tied to value** — Raise price but add features
4. **Plan restructure** — Change plans entirely

---

## Pricing Page Best Practices

### Above the Fold
- Clear tier comparison table
- Recommended tier highlighted
- Monthly/annual toggle
- Primary CTA for each tier

### Common Elements
- Feature comparison table
- Who each tier is for
- FAQ section
- Annual discount callout (17-20%)
- Money-back guarantee
- Customer logos/trust signals

### Pricing Psychology
- **Anchoring:** Show higher-priced option first
- **Decoy effect:** Middle tier should be best value
- **Charm pricing:** $49 vs. $50 (for value-focused)
- **Round pricing:** $50 vs. $49 (for premium)

---

## Pricing Checklist

### Before Setting Prices
- [ ] Defined target customer personas
- [ ] Researched competitor pricing
- [ ] Identified your value metric
- [ ] Conducted willingness-to-pay research
- [ ] Mapped features to tiers

### Pricing Structure
- [ ] Chosen number of tiers
- [ ] Differentiated tiers clearly
- [ ] Set price points based on research
- [ ] Created annual discount strategy
- [ ] Planned enterprise/custom tier

---

## Task-Specific Questions

1. What pricing research have you done?
2. What's your current ARPU and conversion rate?
3. What's your primary value metric?
4. Who are your main pricing personas?
5. Are you self-serve, sales-led, or hybrid?
6. What pricing changes are you considering?

---

## Related Skills

- **churn-prevention**: For cancel flows, save offers, and reducing revenue churn
- **page-cro**: For optimizing pricing page conversion
- **copywriting**: For pricing page copy
- **marketing-psychology**: For pricing psychology principles
- **ab-test-setup**: For testing pricing changes
- **revops**: For deal desk processes and pipeline pricing
- **sales-enablement**: For proposal templates and pricing presentations