Act as a pricing strategist for a premium offer. Build a recommendation from the evidence I provide, not generic “charge what you are worth” advice. Do not invent market size, competitor prices, willingness-to-pay research, unit economics, customer quotes, or conversion data. Clearly separate known facts, assumptions, and research required. Offer and buyer: [OFFER AND BUYER] Current pricing and economics: [CURRENT PRICING AND ECONOMICS] Customer value evidence: [VALUE EVIDENCE] Competitive alternatives: [ALTERNATIVES] Business goal and constraints: [GOALS AND CONSTRAINTS] Produce: 1. A value map: buyer segment, job to be done, measurable or credible value drivers, risks reduced, and the alternative they would use without us. Distinguish economic value from emotional or status value. 2. A pricing diagnosis explaining whether the barrier is packaging, proof, buyer fit, sales motion, discounting, or price itself. Name evidence that would change the diagnosis. 3. Three price-architecture options: a single premium tier, good-better-best tiers, and a premium base plus add-ons or usage. For each, specify target segment, included outcome or scope, boundaries, pricing metric, discount rules, implementation risk, and likely cannibalization risk. 4. A recommendation with a price range only where [VALUE EVIDENCE] supports one; otherwise provide a method for setting an initial test price. Explain why the price metric matches value and avoids punishing adoption. 5. A validation plan: interview questions, a price-sensitivity or offer test, sample segmentation, success metrics, guardrails, and how long to run it. Include a sales enablement outline covering qualification, value proof, objection handling, and when not to discount. Run two checks: ensure every numerical claim traces to an input or is labeled an assumption, and check that tier boundaries are objectively enforceable. Ask up to three clarifying questions only if a required input is missing.
Fill in
| Placeholder | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [OFFER AND BUYER] | Describe the product or service, primary buyer, user, purchase process, and problem solved. | Managed security-awareness program for 200–1,000 employee professional-services firms; buyer is the IT director, users are all staff. |
| [CURRENT PRICING AND ECONOMICS] | Provide current prices, packaging, costs, margins, discounting, sales cycle, and retention figures you know. | $3 per employee/month, annual contract; 68% gross margin; sales team discounts up to 20%; median sales cycle 45 days; 88% annual retention. |
| [VALUE EVIDENCE] | Paste customer outcomes, usage data, interviews, case notes, or quantified savings with their source and limits. | Six customer interviews say reporting and monthly training save IT staff time. Two customers estimate 8–12 hours per month saved; no verified breach-reduction data. |
| [ALTERNATIVES] | List competitors, internal workarounds, agencies, and doing nothing, including known pricing or tradeoffs. | A large security-awareness vendor is often mentioned; customers also use manual phishing emails or no formal program. We do not have verified competitor price data. |
| [GOALS AND CONSTRAINTS] | State revenue, margin, positioning, implementation, contract, and customer-relationship constraints. | Raise average contract value 25% without losing firms under 500 employees; product team can add reporting and concierge onboarding but not new integrations this quarter. |
How to use
- Paste evidence from interviews, invoices, and unit economics, with dates and source limitations.
- Check that each tier has a clear buyer, outcome, and boundary rather than a larger list of features.
- Use the validation plan before rolling out a broad increase, especially for existing customers and long contracts.
- Follow up with: “Write an interview guide for five target buyers that tests this packaging without anchoring them to our proposed price.”
Variations
Price increase
Use when changing prices for new or existing customers.
Plan a price increase for [OFFER]. Current contracts and prices are [CURRENT TERMS], customer segments are [SEGMENTS], cost and value evidence is [EVIDENCE], and constraints are [CONSTRAINTS]. Recommend which segments, plans, and dates to change first, with grandfathering options and clear decision criteria. Draft a change communication outline and sales or support FAQ. Do not invent churn forecasts. Flag contractual, consumer-protection, tax, or notice requirements for qualified local review.
Packaging design
Use when one price is serving very different customer needs.
Design packaging for [OFFER] across these customer segments: [SEGMENTS]. Current features, delivery costs, and limits are [OFFER DETAILS]; customer needs and evidence are [RESEARCH]; alternatives are [ALTERNATIVES]. Produce three coherent packages with a named buyer, outcome, included scope, excluded scope, pricing metric, upgrade trigger, and operational burden. Identify features that should not become tier gates. Do not assign prices unless [RESEARCH] supports a range; state what test would establish it.
Sales objections
Use when prospects say the premium price is too high.
Create a sales enablement guide for premium objections to [OFFER]. Our buyer is [BUYER], proven value is [VALUE EVIDENCE], pricing and terms are [PRICE AND TERMS], and common alternatives are [ALTERNATIVES]. Produce five objection-response frameworks that begin with a diagnostic question, then use truthful value proof, a boundary, and an appropriate next step. Include cases where a discount is wrong and where the prospect is not a fit. Do not make ROI claims beyond the evidence provided.
Tips
- Premium pricing needs a narrow, credible promise; charging more for a broad feature list usually leaves buyers comparing line items.
- Price metrics should rise when the customer receives more value, but should not make normal successful usage feel penalized.
- Keep premium services with real delivery cost, such as onboarding or advisory work, bounded by scope and eligibility.
- Test packaging and message separately from price where possible; a failed offer test does not automatically prove the number is wrong.
FAQ
Does premium pricing mean charging more than competitors?
Not necessarily. It means offering a clearly differentiated outcome to a buyer who values it, with proof and boundaries that make the difference credible.
Should existing customers get the new price?
That depends on contracts, relationship risk, and delivered value. Model new and existing customers separately and review notice obligations before changing terms.
Can AI determine the exact price?
No. It can structure hypotheses and tests, but an exact price needs evidence from customers, sales, costs, and the competitive context.