How to price your first US pilot without giving away the market

A pilot is a temporary arrangement with a purpose. It should help the customer decide whether to adopt your solution and help your business understand whether the customer can be served profitably. If neither decision is defined, a pilot can become open-ended product development.

For a Nordic company entering the US, the first request for a discounted trial can feel like a breakthrough. Before accepting, put the scope and the commercial logic on one page.

State the decision the pilot supports

Describe what the customer needs to learn, who will assess the result and what happens next. Name the budget owner and agree a review date. A pilot does not need to guarantee a rollout, but it should have a credible route to a purchasing decision.

Clarify customer commitments too. Access to data, staff time, integration support or a test site can determine whether the work is possible. Record dependencies before committing to a delivery timetable.

Make the cost visible

Estimate implementation time, specialist support, infrastructure, travel and any partner costs. Add the capacity your team needs for review and rework. Distinguish reusable product work from work specific to this customer.

For illustration only: if a bounded pilot needs 40 hours of delivery at an internal planning cost of $150 per hour, plus $2,000 of direct expenses, its estimated delivery cost is $8,000. That is not a recommended price. It is a starting point for discussing value, risk and acceptable margin. Replace every assumption with your own economics.

Limit what the pilot includes

Specify users, locations, integrations, support hours, deliverables and duration where relevant. State how additional requests will be assessed. If the scope grows, revisit the price and timetable instead of quietly absorbing every new requirement.

A free evaluation may sometimes be a deliberate investment, but document why it is justified and who approves the cost. “The customer might become large” is not a complete business case.

Discuss rollout economics early

Explain the proposed commercial unit: users, sites, transactions, capacity or another relevant measure. Make clear which pilot terms are temporary. If a credit against a later purchase is offered, define its conditions explicitly rather than relying on an informal understanding.

Keep negotiation connected to the customer's expected value and your delivery obligations. A headline discount can obscure an expensive service commitment.

Close the loop

At the review, compare agreed criteria with observed results. Record the purchasing decision, unresolved issue or reason to stop. Ask permission before turning any outcome into a public case study.

Request a 20-minute US Entry Review. Greatweek can discuss whether your first offer, pilot scope and next commercial decision fit together.