Enable Self-Service Plans and Custom Deals
In yesterday's post, we explored how the OpenMeter No-Code Product Catalog simplifies launching new products and changing pricing. Today, we're looking at how SaaS companies benefit from a billing platform that supports both self-service and sales-led monetization.
Balancing Product-Led and Sales-Led Growth
SaaS companies operate in dynamic markets where customers expect quick access to products without going through lengthy sales cycles. To meet this demand, many organizations have embraced Product-Led Growth (PLG), reducing onboarding friction and enabling users to start with self-service. As adoption grows and customer needs evolve, sales teams step in to convert these users into enterprise deals, a process often referred to as Product-Led Sales (PLS).
PLG and PLS together create a powerful combination. Customers start small, experience the product's value, and later upgrade to higher-value contracts tailored to their needs. However, supporting both models introduces challenges, especially in billing and pricing management.
The Billing Challenges of PLG and PLS
Early-stage startups face two major challenges: finding product-market fit and determining the right pricing model. Modern service offerings benefit greatly from pricing innovation, but implementing changes requires constant engineering effort.
For PLG, the goal is to create a seamless customer experience with a straightforward pricing model that users can subscribe to without assistance. This means frequent iterations to optimize pricing and packaging, putting pressure on developers to implement changes quickly.
At the same time, companies using PLS need the ability to structure custom enterprise deals. Sales teams often negotiate tailored contracts with unique feature access and pricing terms, requiring manual implementation by developers. This deal-by-deal customization slows down deal closures and adds technical debt.
A Unified Solution for PLG and PLS
Wouldn't it be simpler if a single billing platform could handle both self-service and sales-led growth?
For Product-Led Growth:
- Provide no-code pricing and packaging for rapid pricing iterations
- Manage trial phases and reverse trials
- Offer self-service subscription management
- Enable quick pricing changes and migrations
- Enforce feature access and usage limits
For Product-Led Sales:
- Empower sales teams to structure custom Deals
- Allows setting per-customer pricing and feature access
- Support ramp up periods and contract length
- Support pre-purchased commitments and discounts
And all of this without creating additional engineering work?
How OpenMeter Supports Both Models
At OpenMeter, we built our subscription management system with PLG and PLS in mind. Businesses need a billing solution that allows frictionless onboarding for self-service customers while giving sales teams the flexibility to close enterprise deals efficiently.
- Product-Led Growth: Let the product drive adoption with smooth trial experiences and instant credit card transactions when customers recognize the value.
- Product-Led Sales: Give sales teams the tools to customize pricing, adjust feature access, and close deals without relying on developers.
For self-service onboarding, OpenMeter makes it easy to assign plans to customers with a single API call while automatically provisioning pricing and feature access. When expanding ARR through sales-led motion, the platform enables sales teams to tailor subscription details and provision deals on the dashboard without requiring engineering involvement.
Launch Self-Service Pricing Faster
By combining OpenMeter's product catalog with subscription management, you can:
- Assign Plans Instantly: Use the dashboard or API to assign plans to customers.
- Auto-Provision Feature Access: Define entitlements and usage limits within plans.
- Upgrade or Downgrade Seamlessly: Switch plans and versions effortlessly.
- Automate Trials and Ramps: Implement free trials, reverse trials, and pricing ramp-ups without extra code.
Example: Start a Subscription with Your Published Plan
Unblock Sales Teams and Enable Deals
Empower your sales team to customize pricing and structure deals in real-time. No more waiting on developers to hardcode package updates. Every price, feature access rule, and usage allowance can be adjusted instantly, supporting CPQ workflows that help close deals faster.
Migrate Customers to New Plans
With OpenMeter's versioned plans, updating pricing or moving customers between plans is seamless. You can test new pricing, transition users gradually, and ensure existing customers remain unaffected.
Roll Out New Pricing Without Disruptions
- Test different pricing for new customers while keeping existing subscribers on their current rates.
- Grandfather legacy customers on their original pricing while offering new features or packages at updated rates.
- Introduce market-specific pricing without impacting global subscribers.
Seamless Customer Migration
- Transition users from retired plans to new ones without manual intervention.
- Offer temporary discounts to ease migration to higher-tier plans.
Minimize Risk with Plan Versions
- Isolate pricing version so existing customers are never affected by pricing tests.
- Control when and how customers transition, aligning with renewal cycles.
- Maintain pricing agreements for long-term customers while testing new models for new users.
OpenMeter ensures pricing updates are flexible, controlled, and risk-free.
Ready to Simplify Subscriptions?
With OpenMeter, you get a billing system that keeps up with your business. Whether that means letting customers self-serve or giving sales teams the flexibility to structure deals on the fly, everything stays seamless. No more engineering bottlenecks. No more rigid pricing structures. Just a better way to manage subscriptions, grow revenue, and stay agile.
Tomorrow, we'll dive into why real-time invoicing is the key to revenue growth and how automating your billing can help prevent revenue leakage while keeping your operations transparent and efficient.
