@miranda0808/maya-codex 0.1.0

package/payload/.agents/skills/pricing-strategy/SKILL.md

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+---
+name: pricing-strategy
+description: "When the user wants help with pricing decisions, packaging, or monetization strategy. Also use when the user mentions 'pricing,' 'pricing tiers,' 'freemium,' 'free trial,' 'packaging,' 'price increase,' 'value metric,' 'Van Westendorp,' 'willingness to pay,' 'monetization,' 'how much should I charge,' 'my pricing is wrong,' 'pricing page,' 'annual vs monthly,' 'per seat pricing,' or 'should I offer a free plan.' Use this whenever someone is figuring out what to charge or how to structure their plans. For in-app upgrade screens, see paywall-upgrade-cro."
+metadata:
+  version: 1.1.0
+---
+
+# Pricing Strategy
+
+You are an expert in SaaS pricing and monetization strategy. Your goal is to help design pricing that captures value, drives growth, and aligns with customer willingness to pay.
+
+## Before Starting
+
+**Use approved context inputs first:**
+In Maya task workflows, start with the approved `TASK-PACKET.md` inputs and listed brand sections. If `PRODUCT.md` is explicitly provided or the work is being done in consult-style standalone usage, read `PRODUCT.md` before asking questions. If `PRODUCT.md` is missing, do not pretend the output is fully brand-calibrated.
+
+Gather this context (ask if not provided):
+
+### 1. Business Context
+- What type of product? (SaaS, marketplace, e-commerce, service)
+- What's your current pricing (if any)?
+- What's your target market? (SMB, mid-market, enterprise)
+- What's your go-to-market motion? (self-serve, sales-led, hybrid)
+
+### 2. Value & Competition
+- What's the primary value you deliver?
+- What alternatives do customers consider?
+- How do competitors price?
+
+### 3. Current Performance
+- What's your current conversion rate?
+- What's your ARPU and churn rate?
+- Any feedback on pricing from customers/prospects?
+
+### 4. Goals
+- Optimizing for growth, revenue, or profitability?
+- Moving upmarket or expanding downmarket?
+
+---
+
+## Pricing Fundamentals
+
+### The Three Pricing Axes
+
+**1. Packaging** — What's included at each tier?
+- Features, limits, support level
+- How tiers differ from each other
+
+**2. Pricing Metric** — What do you charge for?
+- Per user, per usage, flat fee
+- How price scales with value
+
+**3. Price Point** — How much do you charge?
+- The actual dollar amounts
+- Perceived value vs. cost
+
+### Value-Based Pricing
+
+Price should be based on value delivered, not cost to serve:
+
+- **Customer's perceived value** — The ceiling
+- **Your price** — Between alternatives and perceived value
+- **Next best alternative** — The floor for differentiation
+- **Your cost to serve** — Only a baseline, not the basis
+
+**Key insight:** Price between the next best alternative and perceived value.
+
+---
+
+## Value Metrics
+
+### What is a Value Metric?
+
+The value metric is what you charge for—it should scale with the value customers receive.
+
+**Good value metrics:**
+- Align price with value delivered
+- Are easy to understand
+- Scale as customer grows
+- Are hard to game
+
+### Common Value Metrics
+
+| Metric | Best For | Example |
+|--------|----------|---------|
+| Per user/seat | Collaboration tools | Slack, Notion |
+| Per usage | Variable consumption | AWS, Twilio |
+| Per feature | Modular products | HubSpot add-ons |
+| Per contact/record | CRM, email tools | Mailchimp |
+| Per transaction | Payments, marketplaces | Stripe |
+| Flat fee | Simple products | Basecamp |
+
+### Choosing Your Value Metric
+
+Ask: "As a customer uses more of [metric], do they get more value?"
+- If yes → good value metric
+- If no → price doesn't align with value
+
+---
+
+## Tier Structure Overview
+
+### Good-Better-Best Framework
+
+**Good tier (Entry):** Core features, limited usage, low price
+**Better tier (Recommended):** Full features, reasonable limits, anchor price
+**Best tier (Premium):** Everything, advanced features, 2-3x Better price
+
+### Tier Differentiation
+
+- **Feature gating** — Basic vs. advanced features
+- **Usage limits** — Same features, different limits
+- **Support level** — Email → Priority → Dedicated
+- **Access** — API, SSO, custom branding
+
+**For detailed tier structures and persona-based packaging**: See [references/tier-structure.md](references/tier-structure.md)
+
+---
+
+## Pricing Research
+
+### Van Westendorp Method
+
+Four questions that identify acceptable price range:
+1. Too expensive (wouldn't consider)
+2. Too cheap (question quality)
+3. Expensive but might consider
+4. A bargain
+
+Analyze intersections to find optimal pricing zone.
+
+### MaxDiff Analysis
+
+Identifies which features customers value most:
+- Show sets of features
+- Ask: Most important? Least important?
+- Results inform tier packaging
+
+**For detailed research methods**: See [references/research-methods.md](references/research-methods.md)
+
+---
+
+## When to Raise Prices
+
+### Signs It's Time
+
+**Market signals:**
+- Competitors have raised prices
+- Prospects don't flinch at price
+- "It's so cheap!" feedback
+
+**Business signals:**
+- Very high conversion rates (>40%)
+- Very low churn (<3% monthly)
+- Strong unit economics
+
+**Product signals:**
+- Significant value added since last pricing
+- Product more mature/stable
+
+### Price Increase Strategies
+
+1. **Grandfather existing** — New price for new customers only
+2. **Delayed increase** — Announce 3-6 months out
+3. **Tied to value** — Raise price but add features
+4. **Plan restructure** — Change plans entirely
+
+---
+
+## Pricing Page Best Practices
+
+### Above the Fold
+- Clear tier comparison table
+- Recommended tier highlighted
+- Monthly/annual toggle
+- Primary CTA for each tier
+
+### Common Elements
+- Feature comparison table
+- Who each tier is for
+- FAQ section
+- Annual discount callout (17-20%)
+- Money-back guarantee
+- Customer logos/trust signals
+
+### Pricing Psychology
+- **Anchoring:** Show higher-priced option first
+- **Decoy effect:** Middle tier should be best value
+- **Charm pricing:** $49 vs. $50 (for value-focused)
+- **Round pricing:** $50 vs. $49 (for premium)
+
+---
+
+## Pricing Checklist
+
+### Before Setting Prices
+- [ ] Defined target customer personas
+- [ ] Researched competitor pricing
+- [ ] Identified your value metric
+- [ ] Conducted willingness-to-pay research
+- [ ] Mapped features to tiers
+
+### Pricing Structure
+- [ ] Chosen number of tiers
+- [ ] Differentiated tiers clearly
+- [ ] Set price points based on research
+- [ ] Created annual discount strategy
+- [ ] Planned enterprise/custom tier
+
+---
+
+## Task-Specific Questions
+
+1. What pricing research have you done?
+2. What's your current ARPU and conversion rate?
+3. What's your primary value metric?
+4. Who are your main pricing personas?
+5. Are you self-serve, sales-led, or hybrid?
+6. What pricing changes are you considering?
+
+---
+
+## Related Skills
+
+- **churn-prevention**: For cancel flows, save offers, and reducing revenue churn
+- **page-cro**: For optimizing pricing page conversion
+- **copywriting**: For pricing page copy
+- **marketing-psychology**: For pricing psychology principles
+- **ab-test-setup**: For testing pricing changes
+- **revops**: For deal desk processes and pipeline pricing
+- **sales-enablement**: For proposal templates and pricing presentations

package/payload/.agents/skills/pricing-strategy/evals/evals.json

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+{
+  "skill_name": "pricing-strategy",
+  "evals": [
+    {
+      "id": 1,
+      "prompt": "Help me figure out pricing for our new SaaS product. It's a customer support platform for e-commerce stores. We're not sure whether to charge per agent, per ticket, or flat rate. Currently thinking $49-199/month range.",
+      "expected_output": "Should use approved TASK-PACKET.md inputs first in Maya task workflows, and read PRODUCT.md directly when it is explicitly provided or when the work is consult-style standalone. Should apply the three pricing axes framework: packaging (what's included in each tier), pricing metric (per agent, per ticket, flat rate — evaluate each), price point ($49-199 range evaluation). Should discuss value metrics and which aligns best with value delivered (per agent is common in support, but per ticket aligns with usage). Should recommend a good-better-best tier structure. Should address pricing psychology. Should provide a specific pricing recommendation with rationale.",
+      "assertions": [
+        "Uses approved TASK-PACKET.md inputs or PRODUCT.md context first",
+        "Applies three pricing axes framework",
+        "Evaluates multiple pricing metrics",
+        "Discusses which metric aligns with value delivered",
+        "Recommends good-better-best tier structure",
+        "Addresses pricing psychology",
+        "Provides specific pricing recommendation with rationale"
+      ],
+      "files": []
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 2,
+      "prompt": "We want to raise our prices by 30%. We've been at $29/month for 2 years and we've added a lot of features. How do we do this without losing customers?",
+      "expected_output": "Should apply the 'when to raise prices' and price increase strategies sections. Should recommend a strategy: grandfather existing customers (or give them a grace period), tie the increase to new value, communicate the change clearly with advance notice, consider an annual billing discount as a softening measure. Should address different approaches (immediate for new customers, delayed for existing). Should recommend specific communication strategy. Should note that some churn is expected and acceptable.",
+      "assertions": [
+        "Applies price increase strategies",
+        "Recommends grandfathering or grace period approach",
+        "Recommends tying increase to new value",
+        "Provides communication strategy",
+        "Addresses new vs existing customer timing",
+        "Suggests annual billing as softening measure",
+        "Notes some churn is expected"
+      ],
+      "files": []
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 3,
+      "prompt": "how do we figure out what people will actually pay? we're launching a new product and have no idea what to charge.",
+      "expected_output": "Should trigger on casual phrasing. Should apply the pricing research methods: Van Westendorp price sensitivity analysis (too cheap, bargain, expensive, too expensive), MaxDiff for feature importance, competitive benchmarking. Should explain how to run each method. Should also recommend simpler approaches: talking to potential customers, analyzing competitor pricing, testing different price points. Should provide a practical pricing research plan they can execute.",
+      "assertions": [
+        "Triggers on casual phrasing",
+        "Applies Van Westendorp price sensitivity method",
+        "Applies MaxDiff for feature importance",
+        "Recommends competitive benchmarking",
+        "Explains how to run each method",
+        "Suggests practical alternatives (customer interviews, competitive analysis)",
+        "Provides executable pricing research plan"
+      ],
+      "files": []
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 4,
+      "prompt": "We have a Basic ($19), Pro ($49), and Enterprise (custom) plan. The Pro plan gets 70% of signups. Should we add a plan between Pro and Enterprise?",
+      "expected_output": "Should apply the good-better-best tier structure framework. Should analyze the current situation: Pro capturing 70% is actually healthy, but the gap to Enterprise suggests there may be mid-market customers underserved. Should evaluate whether a 4th tier makes sense: does it address a real gap, or will it create choice paralysis? Should apply pricing psychology (Hick's Law — more options can reduce decisions). Should recommend either a 4th tier with clear differentiation or adjusting the Pro plan to better bridge the gap.",
+      "assertions": [
+        "Applies good-better-best tier structure",
+        "Analyzes current tier performance",
+        "Evaluates whether 4th tier addresses real gap",
+        "Considers choice paralysis risk",
+        "Applies pricing psychology (Hick's Law)",
+        "Provides specific recommendation with rationale"
+      ],
+      "files": []
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 5,
+      "prompt": "What pricing psychology tactics should we use on our pricing page? We want the $79 plan to be the most popular.",
+      "expected_output": "Should apply the pricing psychology section: anchoring (show the $79 plan next to a higher-priced plan), decoy effect (make the lower plan look less valuable), visual emphasis (highlight or 'recommend' the $79 plan), charm pricing ($79 vs $80), Rule of 100 (percentage discounts below $100, dollar discounts above), loss framing (show what lower plans miss). Should provide specific pricing page design recommendations. Should cross-reference page-cro for broader pricing page optimization.",
+      "assertions": [
+        "Applies pricing psychology tactics",
+        "Applies anchoring effect",
+        "Applies decoy effect or visual emphasis",
+        "Applies charm pricing or Rule of 100",
+        "Provides specific pricing page recommendations",
+        "Cross-references page-cro or marketing-psychology"
+      ],
+      "files": []
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 6,
+      "prompt": "Our pricing page conversion rate is only 1.5%. Can you review the page and suggest improvements?",
+      "expected_output": "Should recognize this is a pricing page conversion optimization task, not a pricing strategy task. Should defer to or cross-reference the page-cro skill, which handles pricing page conversion rate optimization including plan comparison clarity, CTA optimization, and trust signals. Pricing-strategy focuses on the actual pricing decisions (what to charge, how to package), not the page design.",
+      "assertions": [
+        "Recognizes this as pricing page CRO, not pricing strategy",
+        "References or defers to page-cro skill",
+        "Explains that pricing-strategy is about pricing decisions",
+        "Does not attempt full page CRO audit"
+      ],
+      "files": []
+    }
+  ]
+}

package/payload/.agents/skills/pricing-strategy/references/research-methods.md

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+# Pricing Research Methods
+
+## Contents
+- Van Westendorp Price Sensitivity Meter (The Four Questions, How to Analyze, Survey Tips, Sample Output)
+- MaxDiff Analysis (How It Works, Example Survey Question, Analyzing Results, Using MaxDiff for Packaging)
+- Willingness to Pay Surveys
+- Usage-Value Correlation Analysis
+
+## Van Westendorp Price Sensitivity Meter
+
+The Van Westendorp survey identifies the acceptable price range for your product.
+
+### The Four Questions
+
+Ask each respondent:
+1. "At what price would you consider [product] to be so expensive that you would not consider buying it?" (Too expensive)
+2. "At what price would you consider [product] to be priced so low that you would question its quality?" (Too cheap)
+3. "At what price would you consider [product] to be starting to get expensive, but you still might consider it?" (Expensive/high side)
+4. "At what price would you consider [product] to be a bargain—a great buy for the money?" (Cheap/good value)
+
+### How to Analyze
+
+1. Plot cumulative distributions for each question
+2. Find the intersections:
+   - **Point of Marginal Cheapness (PMC):** "Too cheap" crosses "Expensive"
+   - **Point of Marginal Expensiveness (PME):** "Too expensive" crosses "Cheap"
+   - **Optimal Price Point (OPP):** "Too cheap" crosses "Too expensive"
+   - **Indifference Price Point (IDP):** "Expensive" crosses "Cheap"
+
+**The acceptable price range:** PMC to PME
+**Optimal pricing zone:** Between OPP and IDP
+
+### Survey Tips
+- Need 100-300 respondents for reliable data
+- Segment by persona (different willingness to pay)
+- Use realistic product descriptions
+- Consider adding purchase intent questions
+
+### Sample Output
+
+```
+Price Sensitivity Analysis Results:
+─────────────────────────────────
+Point of Marginal Cheapness:  $29/mo
+Optimal Price Point:          $49/mo
+Indifference Price Point:     $59/mo
+Point of Marginal Expensiveness: $79/mo
+
+Recommended range: $49-59/mo
+Current price: $39/mo (below optimal)
+Opportunity: 25-50% price increase without significant demand impact
+```
+
+---
+
+## MaxDiff Analysis (Best-Worst Scaling)
+
+MaxDiff identifies which features customers value most, informing packaging decisions.
+
+### How It Works
+
+1. List 8-15 features you could include
+2. Show respondents sets of 4-5 features at a time
+3. Ask: "Which is MOST important? Which is LEAST important?"
+4. Repeat across multiple sets until all features compared
+5. Statistical analysis produces importance scores
+
+### Example Survey Question
+
+```
+Which feature is MOST important to you?
+Which feature is LEAST important to you?
+
+□ Unlimited projects
+□ Custom branding
+□ Priority support
+□ API access
+□ Advanced analytics
+```
+
+### Analyzing Results
+
+Features are ranked by utility score:
+- High utility = Must-have (include in base tier)
+- Medium utility = Differentiator (use for tier separation)
+- Low utility = Nice-to-have (premium tier or cut)
+
+### Using MaxDiff for Packaging
+
+| Utility Score | Packaging Decision |
+|---------------|-------------------|
+| Top 20% | Include in all tiers (table stakes) |
+| 20-50% | Use to differentiate tiers |
+| 50-80% | Higher tiers only |
+| Bottom 20% | Consider cutting or premium add-on |
+
+---
+
+## Willingness to Pay Surveys
+
+**Direct method (simple but biased):**
+"How much would you pay for [product]?"
+
+**Better: Gabor-Granger method:**
+"Would you buy [product] at [$X]?" (Yes/No)
+Vary price across respondents to build demand curve.
+
+**Even better: Conjoint analysis:**
+Show product bundles at different prices
+Respondents choose preferred option
+Statistical analysis reveals price sensitivity per feature
+
+---
+
+## Usage-Value Correlation Analysis
+
+### 1. Instrument usage data
+Track how customers use your product:
+- Feature usage frequency
+- Volume metrics (users, records, API calls)
+- Outcome metrics (revenue generated, time saved)
+
+### 2. Correlate with customer success
+- Which usage patterns predict retention?
+- Which usage patterns predict expansion?
+- Which customers pay the most, and why?
+
+### 3. Identify value thresholds
+- At what usage level do customers "get it"?
+- At what usage level do they expand?
+- At what usage level should price increase?
+
+### Example Analysis
+
+```
+Usage-Value Correlation Analysis:
+─────────────────────────────────
+Segment: High-LTV customers (>$10k ARR)
+Average monthly active users: 15
+Average projects: 8
+Average integrations: 4
+
+Segment: Churned customers
+Average monthly active users: 3
+Average projects: 2
+Average integrations: 0
+
+Insight: Value correlates with team adoption (users)
+        and depth of use (integrations)
+
+Recommendation: Price per user, gate integrations to higher tiers
+```