Pitfalls & Failure Patterns
Common pricing mistakes and failure patterns including feature shock, minivation, hidden gems, cannibalization, and customer-driven pricing pitfalls to avoid costly errors.
What's in this category
- Feature shock (overbuilt, overpriced): Overwhelming customers with too many features
- Minivation (underpricing innovation): Leaving money on the table with new products
- Undead (kept alive without demand): Maintaining features that don't add value
- Cannibalization (self-damage from new offers): New products eating existing revenue
- Shelfware (paid-for, unused features): Customers buying unused capabilities
- Customer-driven pricing (direct WTP surveys): Asking customers directly what they'd pay, which almost always leads to underpricing
- Common pricing pitfalls: Overview of mistakes that derail startups
How to use this
This category covers the fundamental principles that should guide all pricing decisions. Start here if you're new to pricing strategy or need to establish a solid foundation before diving into specific tactics. These concepts apply whether you're a startup finding product-market fit or an enterprise optimizing complex pricing structures.
Coming Next
Detailed guides and frameworks for each concept are in development. This section will include:
- • Step-by-step implementation guides
- • Real-world case studies and examples
- • Templates and frameworks
- • Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
- • Metrics and KPIs to track success
Related categories
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PhD economist specializing in pricing and monetization strategy for tech startups. Helping startups and scale-ups optimize their pricing for maximum growth.
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