Why 98% of SaaS Price Changes Succeed: Pace Pricing’s Counterintuitive Growth Strategy with Bill Wilson, Founder and CEO of Pace Pricing

GUESTS: Bill Wilson, Founder and CEO of Pace Pricing

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While companies are fighting for market share and struggling with efficient growth, most of them overlook one of their most powerful levers: pricing strategy. While companies obsess over product features and marketing tactics, pricing often remains an afterthought. However, according to Bill Wilson, Founder and CEO of Pace Pricing, this approach could be leaving significant value on the table.

In this episode of The B2B Revenue Executive Experience, Bill joins host Cory Cotten-Potter to share why pricing should be treated as a core business function, not just a tactical afterthought, and learn practical strategies for implementing price changes that drive growth.

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What You'll Learn:

• How to shift pricing from a tactical afterthought to a strategic function that drives growth
• Why hybrid pricing models are becoming essential for modern SaaS companies
• The three key levers of monetization
• How to effectively communicate price increases to customers without apologizing
• Why 98% of companies see positive results from even small pricing adjustments
• How to segment customers for strategic price changes and minimize churn

Bill Wilson is the Founder and CEO of Pace Pricing, a consulting and coaching firm specializing in pricing strategies for B2B SaaS companies. With over 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship, consulting, and software development, Bill has achieved three successful exits and guided companies through various growth stages. As a three-time founder and trusted advisor, he has coached hundreds of SaaS teams, partnering with accelerators, PE firms, and pricing consultancies to optimize their pricing strategies.

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Key Insights:

1. 05:47 - Why Pricing Should Be a Department

If you want your SaaS company to scale, stop treating pricing as a one-time decision and start treating it like product or customer success, a living, breathing function inside your business. Pricing isn’t just about what you charge, but how you charge, and the companies winning today are adopting flexible, hybrid models that combine usage, PLG, and packaging strategies to maximize NRR. Pricing should be a constant team conversation, not an afterthought.

2. 11:12 - How to Build Strategic Pricing from the Ground Up

When setting pricing strategy, don’t start by asking what to put in your basic package. Instead, focus on who your customer is and what job they’re actually trying to get done. If people aren’t already willing to pay for that problem to be solved, your entry-level offer won’t land. From there, build a natural progression of value. Strategically, pick your lane, know the price boundaries in your market, and remember that pricing is a growth lever.

3. 19:34 - Why Even a 10% Price Bump Pays Off

Raising prices doesn’t have to be scary. In fact, even small, regular adjustments can create a massive impact on your bottom line without hurting conversions or retention. As Bill explains, if you simply add 15% to your prices while keeping everything else the same, most of that increase goes straight to profit. The real magic happens when you make pricing updates part of your routing: customers come to expect it, you stay aligned with the value you’re delivering, and you avoid shocking them later with giant jumps.

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FAQs

1. Q: What's the biggest pricing mistake SaaS companies make?

A: The biggest mistake? Not changing your pricing at all. Founders often set it once and then never touch it again. But the market shifts, value delivery changes, and customer segments evolve. Pricing should be iterative, not fixed.

2. Q: Should companies apologize when raising prices?

A: A price increase isnțt something to feel guilty about. It’s a reflection of added value. Instead of apologizing, focus on clear communication: What’s changing? Why is it changing? What value do customers now receive?

3. Q: How often should SaaS companies revisit their pricing?

A: At least once per year. Even small tweaks, like a 10-15% increase, can dramatically impact your bottom line without hurting conversion or retention. It’s low-cost, high-impact, and totally within your control.

Tags: B2B SaaS pricing strategy, pricing models, value-based pricing, strategic pricing, pricing optimization, SaaS business growth, pricing structure changes, customer segmentation, hybrid pricing models, product-led growth, price increase communication, pricing transformation

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