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by jimnotgym 2448 days ago
I was interested in this Beacon software, but then I found you had to contact them for pricing and I gave up on the idea.

Lesson: clear pricing keeps people like me in the game

3 comments

I've found a lot more software startups and SaaS companies using this method lately.

When I actually am interested enough to talk to their salespeople (and they're straightforward enough with me) they've told me it helps them target whales more easily.

They can charge a lot more to a huge Enterprise and adjust lower for SMBs.

Of course the fun part of that is when the sales staff mistake a minnow for a whale.

Case in point, a large FTSE, NYSE, NASDAQ listed company with largely siloed internal departments, all with their own budgets. Your yearly budget might be $20,000 -- but they see the Inc. or Plc. with a turnover in the hundreds of millions and quote accordingly...

That situation makes for some fun sales calls.

I'm the same! I like to plan things, so if something doesn't allow me to fit it into my plan easily I will discard it as not an option.

Unknown costs, talking to other people, negotiating; these things produce trace amounts of anxiety. Anxiety I'd rather not deal with. A simple Pricing page solves this.

I'd rather spend an hour googling your competitors than contact someone for a quote.

If the price is not on the website, it is either:

(1) 'Enterprise' oriented software, in which case it is too expensive for you anyway (those long and personal sales trajectories, negotiations and commissions have to be recouped somehow)

(2) Not actually a product, but a Trojan horse to sell you lots of consulting and bespoke development services.