How to price a B2B product when there is nothing to compare it to
Practical ways for early-stage founders to set a first B2B price when the category is new: value, alternatives, and testing with real buyers.
By Prathmesh Soni. Published .
Key takeaways
- Anchor your price to the value the customer gets and to what they pay for the current alternative.
- Early pricing is a test. Expect to change it as you learn.
- Talk about price early in sales conversations to learn what buyers expect.
Where do you start when there are no comparable products?
Look at what customers spend on the problem today. That might be a person’s time, an agency, a different tool or lost revenue. Your product competes with that spend even if no product looks like yours.
How do you estimate value?
- Time saved: hours per week multiplied by the cost of that person’s time.
- Revenue gained: more leads, faster deals or better conversion.
- Risk reduced: fewer errors, missed deadlines or compliance issues.
Price at a fraction of the value so the decision is easy, and be ready to explain the calculation to buyers.
How do you test pricing?
Quote real prices to real prospects and watch how they react. If nobody pushes back, the price may be too low. If everyone hesitates for the same reason, that reason tells you what to change, whether price, packaging or the value story.
Frequently asked questions
Should early customers get a discount?
A clear early-customer discount in exchange for feedback or a case study can be fair. Avoid unclear discounts you will struggle to remove later.
Monthly or annual pricing?
Offering both is common. Annual plans improve cash flow, while monthly plans lower the barrier for new customers.
Should pricing be on the website?
Public pricing reduces friction for smaller deals. Larger, more complex deals often use “contact us”. Many companies show starting prices to set expectations.