If you are a SaaS or AI company with at least $1m ARR, we are likely a good fit to work together. Independent and senior. Not part of your sales team.
A renewal is wobbling. A big deal is stuck for reasons nobody wants to name. The price list hasn't moved in two years and nobody wants to be the one to touch it. The board deck needs numbers that hold up under questioning, not numbers that sound good in a Slack channel.
That's usually the moment someone sends an email.
I've spent my career inside pricing and Deal Desk work at SaaS and AI companies - in the room when deals close or fall apart. I now do that work independently, for a small number of companies at a time.
Engagements run a few days, sometimes a few months. Written down as we go, so you own the work after I leave.
You have a live opportunity that's too big to leave to sales instinct alone. I come in and look at the pricing model, the negotiation posture, how the value story links back to the overall price story, and the financial risk on the table. Usually a short engagement.
An ongoing engagement with a regular cadence. I challenge the pricing decisions you're making before they calcify into next year's problem. Founders and CFOs use this when they want someone who will say "that's a bad idea" without needing to justify it to a sales VP first.
You're adding AI features and the unit economics no longer behave the way your old per-seat model assumed. Token costs and inference variability push against flat pricing, and customer usage patterns rarely match what was forecast. I help you decide what to meter and what to bundle, and set a price that lets margin and forecast survive contact with usage.
I'm Ron Kugler. For over 25 years I've worked inside pricing and monetization at SaaS companies - venture-backed, PE-owned, and public. I work with founders and CFOs on the parts of pricing where judgment matters more than the model, and the numbers still need to make sense to both sides of the table.
Email works best. Tell me what is going on - a stuck deal, a packaging question, a board meeting in three weeks.
Here is what happens next. I reply within a day. We get on a call so I can understand the situation properly - if a few calls are needed with different members of your team, that's what we do. If we agree I can help, I propose a shape of work. If you still need help but don't think I'm a good fit, I'll put you in touch with someone who might be.