Most businesses price by adding a margin to their costs. It feels safe, logical, even responsible. It's also one of the most reliable ways to leave money on the table — or worse, price yourself out of a market you should own.
When a deal stalls, the instinct is to offer a discount. It feels like problem-solving. It's actually a form of panic — and customers can smell it.
Finance teams are trained to manage costs and protect margins. That makes them brilliant at a lot of things — and structurally poorly placed to own pricing strategy.
Most SaaS pricing pages are designed to answer the question 'how much does it cost?' They should be designed to answer a different question entirely.
Early-stage pricing decisions have a long shadow. The rates you charge in year one shape customer expectations, competitive positioning, and your own psychology about what your work is worth — sometimes for years.