SaaS companies often spend time, money, and effort designing a great marketing site that builds up massive momentum, only to kill it all on the Pricing Page.
SaaS and Web App companies that use an automated sales process, where marketing and e-commerce are tied-in with automated provisioning of the application, live and die by their marketing websites. For these companies, the most important page on that marketing website is the Pricing {age. Really? Yes. Read on...
Unfortunately in startups we see at least 75% of all effort going into the application itself, with the remaining 25% going into everything else, including marketing. Since pricing is a function of marketing, that means for most early-stage startups, just a fraction of that 25% of effort is focused on this incredibly important factor in the success of a business.
Developing pricing is often overlooked or put off until later - which sometimes never comes, only to have someone eventually throw some numbers on a page and call it a day. This is a great way to fail, by the way; an over-engineered app that no one will (because they don't know about it) or can (because it is priced wrong) buy. Too many startups you'll never hear of end up this way.
From my experience, far too many SaaS & Web App companies do not have a real pricing strategy - that is, an actual strategy around their pricing decisions - and the window into that strategy, their pricing page, often makes this abundantly clear. Look at enough pricing pages for SaaS or Web Apps and you will notice a disturbing trend; seldom does a pricing page convey the same message as the overall marketing website. Seriously, go look... at yours.
In fact, it is almost as if most companies say "I've done such a great job building my marketing site that when someone clicks 'Plans and Pricing' that it is just a formality at that point." Clearly when you look at your analytics and see most people bounce or exit, it isn't a given that someone who hits your pricing page is ready to buy. The assumption that visitors to your pricing page are ready to buy and don't need to be marketed to just killed any momentum you built up!
One of the easiest fixes most SaaS or Web App vendors could make to their pricing page has nothing to do with the pricing itself, the display of the versions or pricing tiers in grid form, or even where the sign-up buttons are located. The very first thing to look at is their main Call to Action headline - the thing that says, "hey, you made it this far, let me remind you of why you're here so you'll hit the buy button"...
Understanding that the pricing page should maintain, or even better, build on the momentum generated by the rest of the marketing site, and that it is at the beginning of the buying / sign-up process (not the end of the "Sales Funnel"), why would a company let this opportunity slip through their fingers? The answer is simple - and tragic; it is because they don't view the pricing page for what it is: the most important page on their marketing website.
There are always naysayers, but what I've found is that those who argue against this fact are simply trying to justify their lack of attention to their pricing page or overall pricing strategy - but I invite you to try; the comments are open.
You can't assume that the purchasing decision is made and that all you have to do is present three pricing options and a buy button and you're good. Don't let your Pricing Page stop the momentum created by your marketing website. Understand the reason for the pricing page and how important it is to you as a SaaS or Web App company. Use the pricing page to remind the customer of what's in it for them should they decide to sign-up.
I've put together a 5 Hour video series - the Pricing Page Success Formula - to help you get the most out of your Pricing Page. For a limited time you can get the Pricing Page Success Formula video series - with content on Value Pricing, Pricing Page Design, and even Price Testing - for the Introductory Price of ONLY $297.
Go get this amazing video series for only $297 right now. It is up to you to take your business to the next level... get the videos and let me help you.
Good luck!
- Lincoln (@lincolnmurphy on Twitter)