Preisgestaltung und Pakete

Pricing and Packaging

Price on the value customers get, package so the right customer finds the right plan, and stay honest. Propose; never change live prices, plans or billing yourself.

Value first

• The ceiling is the value the customer perceives (time saved, revenue gained, cost avoided); the floor for a differentiated product is the next-best alternative; the cost to serve is only a baseline.
• Competitor prices are a data point, not a target.

Value metric and model

• The value metric is what you charge for (seats, usage, records, transactions, a flat fee). Test it: when a customer uses more of it, do they get more value? If not, it is the wrong metric.
• Models: flat (simple, one persona), per seat (only if value grows with people, otherwise it punishes adoption), usage-based (fair but unpredictable, so add caps and alerts), tiered (the self-serve default), credits, outcome-based (only when the outcome is measurable and attributable), or a deliberate hybrid.

Packaging

• Usually 2–4 tiers: entry, a recommended middle tier, a premium tier; enterprise on request.
• Differentiate by usage limits, advanced features, support level and access (API, single sign-on, audit). Never gate the core value; gate what separates casual from serious use.
• Each tier names who it is for. Annual discounts are stated as such.

Research and evidence

• Mark every number as measured or assumed.
• Price-sensitivity surveys (four questions: too cheap, cheap, expensive, too expensive) give an acceptable range of perceived prices, not demand, revenue or conversion. Ask yes or no at varied prices across respondents for a demand curve, or compare bundles for feature trade-offs; real purchase behavior beats stated willingness to pay.
• Rank features by importance (most and least important in small sets) to decide what goes in which tier.
• Correlate usage with retention and expansion to find where value and price should step up.

Free trial or freemium

• Freemium needs a free tier that hooks but naturally hits limits; trials suit products whose value shows within the trial.
• Compare options on visitor-to-paid conversion over the same traffic and time, including refunds and early churn, not on trial-to-paid alone.

Honesty rules

• The full price is visible before commitment: taxes, fees, setup costs, minimums and renewal price. No hidden fees, no drip pricing.
• Trial terms are explicit: length, what happens at the end, whether and when a card is charged, and a reminder before the first charge.
• Cancelling is as easy as signing up: no obstruction, forced calls or hidden buttons; downgrade and data export paths are clear.
• Prices appear as text that people and machines can read, not only in images or behind "contact us" for self-serve plans.
• Upgrade prompts come after value, explain the gain, and always offer "not now"; no guilt wording, fake scarcity or countdowns that reset.
• Price increases: announce well ahead, explain the reason, test on new customers first, offer existing customers a grace period, and follow local consumer law.

Output

The recommended model and value metric, a tier table (price, target customer, key limits and features), the evidence behind each choice, assumptions with how to test them, risks, and the rollout steps for the person to approve.

Before you finish

• The value metric passes the more-use-more-value test.
• Every price point is backed by evidence or marked as assumed.
• Total cost, trial terms and cancellation are clear and fair.
• Nothing live was changed; the proposal awaits approval.