EPISODE · Jan 8, 2026 · 1H 1M
EP79: SaaS and agency pricing is broken and no one wants to say it
from ASOM Pod · host ASOM Pod
In this episode of the ASOM Pod, hosts Jimmy Kim (CEO of eCom Email Marketer, formally Founder of Sendlane), John Roman (CEO of BattlBox) and Amer Grozdanic (CEO of Praella) go straight at one of the most uncomfortable questions in eCommerce:Should SaaS companies and agencies really be taking a percentage of your revenue?This conversation gets opinionated fast. Here’s what they dig into:Why percentage-based SaaS pricing feels great early and painful laterWhether agencies should earn upside or stick to flat feesWhen “we grow when you grow” turns into misaligned incentivesThe hidden costs of SaaS taking a cut without taking any downsideWhy cancel threats, discounts, and churn games are becoming normalizedHow brands should actually think about value, pricing, and long-term sustainabilityIf you’ve ever looked at your SaaS stack or agency invoices and thought “this doesn’t feel right anymore”, this episode puts words to that feeling._____Big shoutout to our sponsor who makes this podcast possible!Omnisend — With 125,000+ eCommerce merchants, Omnisend is the all-in-one email & SMS marketing platform built to deliver seamless, personalized experiences via email and sms with ease. Learn more at https://www.omnisend.com/Subscribe at https://asompod.com__00:00 Teaser Trailer03:15 Debate on Agency Pricing Models16:32 Discussion on SaaS Platforms and Pricing32:17 A True Story from the SaaS World32:43 Debating Gross Margins in SaaS33:12 The Cost of Processing and Technology34:36 The Reality of SaaS Market35:26 Examples from the Reviews and Loyalty World36:24 Challenges in SaaS Implementation37:39 Pricing, Positioning, and Product47:47 The SaaS Subscription Hack54:06 The Financial Reality of SaaS Companies01:00:32 Concluding Thoughts and Final Remarks___Follow us on:X: https://x.com/TheAsomPodLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theasompodTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theasompodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/theasompod/Contact us at [email protected] for sponsorships, appearance requests, interviews, or general information!#asompod #businesspodcast #businessinsider #entrepreneurship #entrepreneur #ecommercepodcast #ecommerce #ecommercebusiness #ecom #dtc #dtcpodcast #ecommercetips
What this episode covers
In this episode of the ASOM Pod, hosts Jimmy Kim (CEO of eCom Email Marketer, formally Founder of Sendlane), John Roman (CEO of BattlBox) and Amer Grozdanic (CEO of Praella) go straight at one of the most uncomfortable questions in eCommerce:Should SaaS companies and agencies really be taking a percentage of your revenue?This conversation gets opinionated fast. Here’s what they dig into:Why percentage-based SaaS pricing feels great early and painful laterWhether agencies should earn upside or stick to flat feesWhen “we grow when you grow” turns into misaligned incentivesThe hidden costs of SaaS taking a cut without taking any downsideWhy cancel threats, discounts, and churn games are becoming normalizedHow brands should actually think about value, pricing, and long-term sustainabilityIf you’ve ever looked at your SaaS stack or agency invoices and thought “this doesn’t feel right anymore”, this episode puts words to that feeling._____Big shoutout to our sponsor who makes this podcast possible!Omnisend — With 125,000+ eCommerce merchants, Omnisend is the all-in-one email & SMS marketing platform built to deliver seamless, personalized experiences via email and sms with ease. Learn more at https://www.omnisend.com/Subscribe at https://asompod.com__00:00 Teaser Trailer03:15 Debate on Agency Pricing Models16:32 Discussion on SaaS Platforms and Pricing32:17 A True Story from the SaaS World32:43 Debating Gross Margins in SaaS33:12 The Cost of Processing and Technology34:36 The Reality of SaaS Market35:26 Examples from the Reviews and Loyalty World36:24 Challenges in SaaS Implementation37:39 Pricing, Positioning, and Product47:47 The SaaS Subscription Hack54:06 The Financial Reality of SaaS Companies01:00:32 Concluding Thoughts and Final Remarks___Follow us on:X: https://x.com/TheAsomPodLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theasompodTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theasompodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/theasompod/Contact us at [email protected] for sponsorships, appearance requests, interviews, or general information!#asompod #businesspodcast #businessinsider #entrepreneurship #entrepreneur #ecommercepodcast #ecommerce #ecommercebusiness #ecom #dtc #dtcpodcast #ecommercetips
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EP79: SaaS and agency pricing is broken and no one wants to say it
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