Against all of the advice in the world, I'm trying to set things up to avoid basically everything described in the article. It's tricky because the truth is that a lot of the tactics work and that is why companies implement them. A lot of investors also consider that process to be best-in-class and look for it as a sign of maturity.
The counter approach is:
- Make complete information available as transparently as possible and don't gate it.
- Be forthcoming about weaknesses. Don't force prospects and customers to find them.
- Ensure that when a prospect or customer does want to talk to someone, they immediately reach someone who can handle the problem or answer the question (no need for escalations.)
- Never have an AI agent call someone unless the customer specifically requests that and be sure that all AI agents immediately disclose that they are AI.
- Offer flexible e-mail list subscription options (monthly, quarterly, annually, only release notes, etc.)
- If the product is not a fit, try to offer something useful anyway such as a suggestion of another product that might be a better match for their needs.
Value based pricing is one of the reasons why a lot of companies end up in these situations. Rather than setting a standard price, the company does a detailed investigation of the customer to try to find out how much value they will gain from using the product and then they set the price based on that determination. Although it maximizes revenue in theory, it is slow and invasive.
The counter approach is: - Make complete information available as transparently as possible and don't gate it. - Be forthcoming about weaknesses. Don't force prospects and customers to find them. - Ensure that when a prospect or customer does want to talk to someone, they immediately reach someone who can handle the problem or answer the question (no need for escalations.) - Never have an AI agent call someone unless the customer specifically requests that and be sure that all AI agents immediately disclose that they are AI. - Offer flexible e-mail list subscription options (monthly, quarterly, annually, only release notes, etc.) - If the product is not a fit, try to offer something useful anyway such as a suggestion of another product that might be a better match for their needs.
Value based pricing is one of the reasons why a lot of companies end up in these situations. Rather than setting a standard price, the company does a detailed investigation of the customer to try to find out how much value they will gain from using the product and then they set the price based on that determination. Although it maximizes revenue in theory, it is slow and invasive.