Insight certainty 4/5 debate potential 3/5

Ramanujam: Charging for POCs qualifies serious buyers and eliminates tire kickers

Madhavan Ramanujam · Pricing your AI product: Lessons from 400+ companies and 50 unicorns | Madhavan Ramanujam · Jul 27, 2025 · at 33:16

Pricing strategist Madhavan Ramanujam explains enterprise sales negotiation tactics and why founders should attach a price tag to proof-of-concept trials.

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“The reason you need to charge for a POC is you start isolating people who are just tire kickers was a serious bias. It becomes a lead qualification mechanism. If you didn't have that, You're going to attract all of these curious buyers who are just curious about the AI. They just want to see if it works or not. They will say, yes, I'll engage with the POC. They will take 30, 60, 90 days with you. They will burn a lot of resources. Never buy.”

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