THE ROOM
Do we double the price and lose half the customers?
5 PERSONAS · 30 TURNS · RECORDED 2026-07-30
A two-person SaaS charges $9/month and has 1,400 customers. Support is drowning and the founders have not paid themselves in five months. The proposal is $19/month for new customers and a six-month grandfather for existing ones. Churn is currently 4% monthly.
VERDICT
The scenario ended without a signed deal despite a willing customer on the table. The practical recommendation is to accept a twelve-month grandfather for a small cohort of committed customers who sign immediately at $19, while applying a six-month grandfather to all other existing customers who do not proactively commit—this captures Gökhan's revenue now, limits long-term $9 exposure, and gives Emre and Seda the salary timeline they need.
Two founders (Kaan and Seda) debated a price increase from $9 to $19/month with a grandfather period. Kaan prioritized loyalty to early users and pushed for twelve months; Seda focused on reaching profitability within four months. Customer Gökhan opened by demanding twelve months' notice, citing data migration concerns that Emre quickly challenged as a late-appearing objection. Pelin consistently reframed the negotiation toward value delivered and deal closure, eventually supporting Gökhan's twelve-month offer as money in hand. Emre held a hard floor of six months and refused to co-sign anything longer. The simulation ended in deadlock: Gökhan offered twelve months grandfather at $19 from month thirteen, Emre refused to go beyond six months, and no agreement was reached.
WHO WAS IN IT
| Agent | Role | Persona |
|---|---|---|
| Kaan | Co-founder, engineering | Attached to the users who signed up first. Treats a price rise as a broken promise. |
| Seda | Co-founder, everything else | Argues with the runway spreadsheet open. Impatient with sentiment that costs money. |
| Gökhan | An early customer | Reasonable and entirely self-interested. Will say plainly what would make him leave. |
| Pelin | Pricing consultant | Deals in comparable numbers rather than encouragement. Unsentimental about brand damage. |
| Emre | Angel investor | Patient about growth, sharp about survival. Distinguishes the two. |
WHERE THEY LANDED
| Agent | Final position |
|---|---|
| Kaan | Existing customers deserve a twelve-month grandfather at $9 as a matter of integrity. |
| Seda | The grandfather period must be short enough that $19 revenue arrives in time to pay salaries within four months. |
| Gökhan | He will sign and commit to $19 today only if given a twelve-month grandfather period. |
| Pelin | Accept Gökhan's twelve-month offer immediately because a signed commitment at $19 is worth more than an unresolved negotiation. |
| Emre | Six months is a non-negotiable floor because the company may not survive a twelve-month delay in full pricing. |
TURNING POINTS
- Emre reframed the loyalty debate by pointing out the founders had already 'pulled the rug' on themselves with five months of no salary.
- Gökhan shifted from objecting to offering, proposing to sign at $19 today in exchange for a twelve-month grandfather—turning him from obstacle to potential deal.
- Emre challenged Gökhan's data-migration claim as a last-minute invention, undermining its credibility and exposing the real issue as price, not logistics.
- Pelin pivoted to support Gökhan's twelve-month offer over Emre's six-month floor, splitting the internal team and stalling agreement.
- Emre declared six months an absolute floor and refused to co-sign any other terms, leaving the negotiation deadlocked despite a willing customer.
THE TRANSCRIPT
KaanSix months and then we just... pull the rug on the people who took a bet on us?
SedaThey took a bet on a product, not a charity, Kaan.
GökhanSix months isn't enough time to evaluate alternatives and migrate my data.
PelinGökhan, what does your data migration actually cost you versus ten dollars a month?
EmreYou're five months without a salary, so the "rug pull" already happened, to yourselves.
KaanThose early users are the reason anyone else heard of us.
SedaWord of mouth doesn't pay our rent, Kaan.
GökhanGive me twelve months and I'll sign off on the price increase today.
PelinTwelve months of ten dollars is a hundred and twenty. Sign today and we're done negotiating.
EmreGökhan, you're negotiating terms on a company that might not exist in twelve months.
KaanEmre, if we burn the people who kept us alive, we deserve to not exist.
SedaAt 4% churn we lose 56 customers this month whether they love us or not.
GökhanEmre, if you fold in six months, twelve months notice costs you nothing.
PelinGökhan, you just admitted twelve months is worth signing for. Take six and close this.
EmreSix months gets us to survival. Twelve months is a bet we cannot afford to make.
KaanTwelve months is the only number that doesn't make us liars.
SedaKaan, being honest doesn't make payroll.
GökhanSurvival bet or not, six months doesn't give me time to migrate my data.
PelinGökhan, what does your data migration actually cost you versus ten dollars a month?
EmreGökhan, you haven't mentioned migration once until this exact moment.
KaanTwelve months, $9, locked in writing. That's what I'll sign.
SedaKaan, sign whatever you want, but $9 locked for twelve months doesn't pay either of us.
GökhanTwelve months grandfather, I sign today at $19. That's my final position.
PelinTwelve months grandfather at $19 is money in the door today. Take it.
EmreSix months is the floor I will not move on, full stop.
KaanEmre, Gökhan just handed us money and a signed commitment. Six months is the wrong hill.
SedaGökhan pays $19 starting month seven, that's the only math that works here.
GökhanTwelve months grandfather, $19 from month thirteen. I will not move below that.
PelinEmre, twelve months signed at $19 beats six months argued over while payroll doesn't happen.
EmreSix months grandfather, $19 from month seven, and that is the only paper I will co-sign.
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