The "high-ticket" SaaS that paid less than the $29 tool

The "high-ticket" SaaS that paid less than the $29 tool

Everyone wants the $2,000/sale enterprise commission. Run the funnel before you fall in love.

Affiliate ran both for a year, same traffic budget:

— Enterprise SaaS: $2,000/sale, but a 90-day sales cycle, demo-gated, and a clawback if the annual contract churned in 6 months. Closed 4 deals. Two churned in the clawback window. Net: $4,000.
— $29/mo SMB tool: self-serve, instant. 140 sales, 14-month average retention, 25% rate. Net: ~$25,500.

The shiny number lost by 6x because high-ticket means long cycles, gatekeepers, and brutal clawbacks you don't control.

Commission size is a vanity metric. Realized commission per click is the only one that buys groceries.

Do the per-click math or the big number will rob you politely.