In reviewPrivate betaOwner: Desmond

Artifact

Pricing conversation sheet

Draft founder-facing commercial cheat sheet for live pricing conversations in private beta.

This is a draft founder cheat sheet for live pricing conversations in private beta.

What this sheet is for

  • anchor pricing conversations without improvising
  • explain the commercial model simply
  • keep the beta posture consistent across calls
  • help the founder decide what to share now versus later

Recommended beta pricing posture

  • Keep the conversation commercial, not secretive
  • Use indicative pricing anchors rather than pretending every deal is fixed in advance
  • Keep detailed commercial shaping inside the live conversation

In plain language:

  • show that we know how the product is priced
  • give enough range to feel serious
  • avoid over-committing before pilot scope, delivery mode, and team setup are clear

Suggested talk track

Use this as the default explanation:

  • "We price the platform by the level of system a team needs, not just by seats."
  • "If you only want one tool, we can do seat pricing. If you want the connected system, pricing starts at Foundation."
  • "The trust and confidence layer is built in throughout, so teams are not paying extra just to make the research usable."
  • "When we talk budget, we usually anchor first against tool spend you already have, then look at the hours and rework this should save."
  • "For private beta, we are happy to talk in indicative ranges first, then shape the final proposal around the workflows, support model, and organisational reach involved."

Indicative pricing anchors

Starter / point solution

  • GBP 220 per seat per month
  • Best for: teams that want one tool only, not the connected platform
  • Use when: someone wants a better survey tool, a better discussion forum, or a standalone questionnaire reviewer without the wider system

Foundation

  • GBP 1,500 to GBP 3,000 per month
  • Best for: teams that want the connected research system with the core trust layer, connected evidence, and reusable knowledge built in
  • Use when: the buyer wants access to the real platform rather than a point solution

Growth

  • GBP 5,000 to GBP 10,000 per month
  • Best for: teams that want past work connected across methods so stronger answers are easier to stand behind
  • Use when: they need native plus external research connected and queryable together

Enterprise

  • GBP 15,000 to GBP 40,000+ per month
  • Best for: broader organisational access, governance, and deeper infrastructure value
  • Use when: multiple teams or markets need direct access to customer knowledge

What is always included

  • the trust / confidence layer is built in at every level
  • platform pricing covers the system itself
  • respondent / sample costs are billed separately as pass-through usage

What to say about pilots

  • "Private beta conversations will usually start with scope, workflow, and support level first."
  • "For strategic named-brand or especially high-signal accounts, we may use a free pilot with a clear quote path if the work delivers value."
  • "That free strategic lane should be reserved for accounts with strong logo or signal value, strong product learning value, and a believable path to paid conversion."
  • "For other buyers, we should usually move into a paid pilot or Foundation pricing earlier."
  • "If we structure a pilot, we then define the bridge into annual pricing once the pilot shape is agreed."
  • "The exact commercial shape may vary slightly if the beta is sold as high-touch assisted delivery rather than pure software access."

What not to say

  • do not describe the model as purely seat-based SaaS
  • do not lead with Starter if the buyer is clearly asking for the full connected system
  • do not make free pilot sound like the default for everyone
  • do not imply every customer gets the same fixed beta deal regardless of scope
  • do not position trust as a paid add-on
  • do not over-explain future outcome-based pricing in first conversations

Founder choices still open

  • How much pricing should be public on the website
  • Whether the beta stays mainly conversation-led or exposes more detail up front
  • Whether the Foundation working ceiling of GBP 3,000 per month is the right beta conversation cap, or whether Foundation should stay phrased as "from GBP 1,500 per month" until explicitly approved
  • How pilot-to-annual pricing is framed once the first private beta customers convert

Draft usage note

Treat this as founder review material for now. Once approved, it can become:

  • a pricing appendix in the sales deck
  • a short pricing FAQ
  • a proposal section for private beta conversations