padelnomics/marketing/founding-member-deal.md

# Padelnomics Founding Member Deal — Structure & Terms

*Internal document. Informs email templates and sales conversations.*

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## Context

Padelnomics is launching its supplier directory with limited cold-start traction. The founding member offer solves the classic marketplace chicken-and-egg problem: we need credible suppliers listed to attract venue investors; we need venue investor traffic to attract suppliers. The founding deal must:

1. Create enough urgency that early suppliers act now, not "when you have more users"
2. Reward early commitment genuinely — not with meaningless discounts that say "we'll take anyone"
3. Avoid attracting passive freeloaders who never engage or upgrade

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## Standard Pricing (Post-Launch Reference)

Before designing the founding offer, anchor it to where standard pricing will land. These are the reference tiers:

| Tier | Annual Price | Included |
|------|-------------|---------|
| **Basic** | €990/year | Company listing, contact info, service description, country/category tag |
| **Professional** | €1,980/year | All Basic + data-enriched profile, market reach statistics, verified badge, featured placement on relevant country pages |
| **Partner** | €3,600/year | All Professional + quarterly data briefing (city-level market reports), lead notifications, priority category placement, 1× featured article per year |

*Note: These prices are the post-launch standard. They are not published yet — they anchor the founding offer internally.*

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## Founding Member Offer

### The Structure

**Professional listing at Basic tier price — rate locked for 3 years.**

| Item | Detail |
|------|--------|
| **Price** | €990/year (vs. standard Professional at €1,980/year) |
| **What's included** | Full Professional tier listing (data-enriched profile, market reach stats, verified badge, featured placement on country pages) |
| **Exclusive additions** | "Founding Partner" badge on profile; name in permanent "Founding Partners" section on the Padelnomics about page |
| **Minimum commitment** | 1 year, paid upfront (or €297/quarter if upfront not preferred) |
| **Rate lock** | €990/year guaranteed for years 1, 2, and 3 |
| **Year 4 onwards** | Converts to standard Professional rate at whatever the prevailing price is (capped at +30% above founding rate = max €1,287/year for founding members) |
| **Slots available** | 20 founding slots total — numbered, not renewable |
| **Deadline** | Closes when 20 slots fill OR March 31, 2026 — whichever comes first |

### Why This Structure Works

**For the supplier:** They get Professional tier at half price, locked for 3 years. The founding badge is a real status signal in a small industry where being "first to see the opportunity" matters. Total 3-year commitment: €2,970 vs. standard €5,940 — a €2,970 saving.

**For Padelnomics:** €990/year per founding supplier is not a giveaway. At 20 suppliers, that is €19,800 ARR from day one, while the platform is still growing. The upfront payment (preferred) immediately validates demand. The 3-year lock-in prevents churn before the product matures.

**Against freeloaders:** The 1-year minimum with upfront preference screens out suppliers who aren't serious. The founding badge only matters to companies that want to project market leadership — which are exactly the suppliers with marketing budgets and commercial intent.

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## Pricing Psychology Notes

- **Anchoring:** Always mention the €1,980 standard Professional price before stating the €990 founding price. Never lead with €990 without the anchor.
- **Scarcity:** Numbered slots (e.g., "Gründungsplatz Nr. 7 von 20") are real constraints, not artificial. 20 is a defensible number for a niche directory and small enough to preserve exclusivity.
- **Urgency:** The March 31 deadline is a genuine working deadline for the launch sprint. It is also a convenient calendar anchor.
- **Risk reversal:** Consider adding a "60-day listing quality guarantee" — if the listing doesn't meet their expectations after setup, they can cancel for a full refund. This removes the "who are you?" risk for cautious buyers.

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## Qualification Criteria

Not every supplier who expresses interest should get a founding slot. Criteria for a high-quality founding cohort:

**Yes:** Court manufacturers, construction/hall build firms, glass suppliers, equipment importers, coaching academy operators, padel-specific software providers, architecture/planning firms with padel experience.

**No:** Generic sports equipment resellers with no padel-specific positioning, consultants with no demonstrated padel project track record, media/marketing agencies without padel clients.

**Edge cases (ask for case-by-case judgment):** Multi-sport facility operators, new entrants clearly building padel presence.

Maintaining quality in the founding cohort protects the directory's value for venue investors — the audience that makes the platform worth paying for.

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## Renewal and Upgrade Path

After year 3, founding members convert to standard Professional pricing (capped at €1,287/year maximum per the rate lock). They retain the "Founding Partner" badge permanently — it becomes a historical credential rather than a current status.

Founding members who want to upgrade to Partner tier in years 1–3 can do so by paying the difference to standard Partner pricing (€3,600/year) — not the discounted rate. This prevents founding pricing from becoming a permanent subsidy at the Partner level.

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## Launch Sequence

1. **Outreach round 1** (first 10 slots): Target the most recognizable names in DACH padel supply — court manufacturers, major hall builders. Personal outreach, warm where possible.
2. **Outreach round 2** (slots 11–20): Extend to international suppliers with DACH presence or ambitions. Use the fact that slots 1–10 are filling to create social proof.
3. **After 20 slots fill**: Move to standard waitlist pricing. Keep a "notify me when slots open" option — useful if a founding member cancels in year 1.