That would be true is Basecamp was a $500 a month product, but since the price is so low it falls within being a cost that can be expensed. That expense level is usually a few hundred dollar per month, before it needs approval.
Joel Spolsky wrote a post about this[1]. He had a great point - either price your product under the expense level, or if you prive it higher - go all the way and price it as an enterprise product, since it will involve a chain-of-approval, a sales cycle etc.
The other good example is Atlassian. They prices their products so that they can sneak in as expenses. The founders talk about how with a lot of their customers the bosses do not know that their products are being used. It is a way to sneak into an organization through developer love and being a line-item in an expense report rather than something that is bought and procured.
Joel Spolsky wrote a post about this[1]. He had a great point - either price your product under the expense level, or if you prive it higher - go all the way and price it as an enterprise product, since it will involve a chain-of-approval, a sales cycle etc.
The other good example is Atlassian. They prices their products so that they can sneak in as expenses. The founders talk about how with a lot of their customers the bosses do not know that their products are being used. It is a way to sneak into an organization through developer love and being a line-item in an expense report rather than something that is bought and procured.
[1] Camels and Rubber Duckies - http://joelonsoftware.com/articles/CamelsandRubberDuckies.ht...