Optimising Pricing Strategy in Enterprise SaaS: Key Insights from the CEO Forum

For B2B SaaS companies targeting enterprise clients, getting pricing right is both a strategic lever and a competitive advantage — and one that becomes even more critical as companies scale. At ScaleUp Group’s CEO Forum — a confidential, peer-driven platform where CEOs openly discuss critical business challenges — pricing strategy regularly emerges as a key topic. Expertly facilitated, the forum fosters deep, candid conversations that offer leadership insights and practical guidance beyond what traditional reports or networks can deliver.

Optimising pricing strategy in Enterprise SaaS isn’t just about maximising revenue — it’s a critical lever for scaling efficiently and strengthening your position with investors. A well-designed pricing model signals to the market that you understand your value, your customers, and your growth potential. Investors closely scrutinise pricing strategy during fundraising, looking for signs of strong unit economics, market fit, and headroom for expansion. Underpricing can not only leave money on the table but also suggest a lack of confidence or strategic clarity, while smart, scalable pricing builds credibility and lays the foundation for sustainable growth.

At a recent CEO Forum session, we explored a key challenge faced by many scaling SaaS businesses: how to design and evolve a pricing strategy that supports both enticing initial adoption and long-term revenue expansion.

This discussion centred on the principles of a “Land and Expand” strategy — onboarding customers through accessible entry points and systematically expanding (and monetising) value over time.

1. Evolving Pricing Models to Support Expansion

Across participants, pricing models varied significantly, with companies employing different dimensions to scale pricing with usage and value delivered. Common approaches included:

• Per-user pricing – either concurrent users or total seats
• Usage-based pricing – linked to volume of transactions or data handled
• Geographic pricing – per region or market
• Functionality tiers – pricing based on the features accessed
• Hybrid models – combining two or more of the above

Each approach carries its own implications for scalability, customer perception, and sales enablement.

2. Simplicity vs. Complexity: A Strategic Trade-off

While tailored pricing can closely align to customer value, overly complex structures risk slowing the sales cycle or confusing prospects. Striking the right balance—particularly in enterprise environments—was a recurring theme. The most successful companies design for flexibility without sacrificing clarity.

3. Understanding the Competitive Landscape

Knowledge of competitor pricing remains critical—not only as a benchmark but as context for articulating differentiated value. This requires ongoing monitoring, especially in fast-moving or crowded markets.

4. Value-Based Pricing in Practice

One seasoned contributor noted that during their time at process management software firm, the company operated without a formal price list for enterprise sales. Instead, accredited sales professionals conducted in-depth research to estimate the tangible business benefits their solution would bring to a client, and proposed pricing as a proportion of that value. This required a high level of sales skill and confidence—but yielded pricing outcomes directly tied to perceived value.

5. Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) Benchmarks and Mindsets

Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) is a critical metric for B2B SaaS businesses, capturing the predictable, recurring income generated from customers on an annualised basis. It gives a clear view of growth, customer retention, and business health — and is a major focus for investors during fundraising, showcasing the strength and scalability of the revenue model.

Among participants, ARR per client typically started at around £35,000, with growth strategies centred on pushing this average higher over time. Interestingly, increasing ARR was often seen as a mindset challenge — particularly among sales teams used to lower pricing models.

Tactics like raising individual quotas instead of expanding headcount, and ensuring sales leadership isn’t anchored to outdated pricing expectations, were cited as powerful ways to drive ARR growth.

6. Contract Duration and Price Optimisation

Another area of focus was contract structuring. While traditional thinking often favoured discounts for multi-year commitments, the trend has shifted. Many are now charging a premium for single-year deals, recognising the added value of flexibility to the client. This encourages longer commitments while protecting pricing integrity.

7. Additional Considerations in Enterprise Pricing

• Local pricing is typically conducted in local currencies
• CPI adjustments are standard for multi-year contracts but often negotiated down for large enterprise deals
• Most Favoured Nation (MFN) clauses were considered rare and difficult to enforce, offering limited practical value

Pricing as a Growth Driver

A well-calibrated pricing strategy can be the single most impactful driver of revenue growth, profitability, and cash flow in B2B SaaS. For enterprise-focused companies, understanding the dynamics of your market, customer segments, and product value is essential to building pricing that evolves with your growth.

As we’ve seen in the CEO Forum discussions, pricing is more than just a numbers game; it’s a mindset and a strategic capability that evolves with the business. Whether it’s designing flexible pricing models that align with customer value, leveraging annual recurring revenue (ARR) as a fundraising metric, or carefully navigating the complexities of contract structuring, the approach you take can dramatically impact your ability to scale.

Ultimately, pricing should not be static — it should be an active, ongoing process that reflects your company’s value, aligns your teams, and powers your expansion. By adopting a mindset of continuous optimisation and staying attuned to the competitive landscape, enterprise SaaS companies can not only capture more value but also position themselves for sustainable growth and success. Pricing, when done right, is a powerful lever for both short-term results and long-term strategic advantage.

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