MRR-Weighted Feature Prioritization: Build What Your Best Customers Want

Here's a scenario every SaaS product manager knows: You have 50 feature requests in your backlog. Ten customers want Feature A, but they're all on your free tier. Two customers want Feature B, but they represent 40% of your MRR. Which do you build?

If you're treating all votes equally, you'd build Feature A. But that might be a costly mistake.

The Problem with Democratic Feature Voting

Traditional feature voting treats every user equally. One vote = one vote. This sounds fair, but it creates problems:

• Free users dominate: They often outnumber paying customers 10:1
• Enterprise needs get buried: Your biggest accounts might have unique requirements
• Revenue impact is invisible: You can't see which features affect your bottom line

What is MRR-Weighted Prioritization?

MRR-weighted prioritization assigns weight to feature requests based on the monthly recurring revenue of customers requesting them.

Instead of counting votes, you count dollars.

A Simple Example

Dark mode

• Votes: 47 (Traditional Rank: #1)
• MRR Behind Requests: $2,350 (MRR Rank: #3)

API access

• Votes: 12 (Traditional Rank: #3)
• MRR Behind Requests: $18,400 (MRR Rank: #1)

Mobile app

• Votes: 31 (Traditional Rank: #2)
• MRR Behind Requests: $8,200 (MRR Rank: #2)

With traditional voting, dark mode wins. With MRR-weighting, API access jumps to the top - because your highest-paying customers need it.

Why MRR-Weighting Works

1. Aligns Product with Revenue

Your product roadmap should support your business goals. MRR-weighting ensures you're building features that retain and expand your most valuable accounts.

2. Reduces Churn Risk

When a $5,000/month customer requests a feature, there's implicit churn risk if you ignore them. MRR-weighting surfaces these risks automatically.

3. Identifies Expansion Opportunities

Features requested by multiple high-value customers often represent market needs. Building them can help you win similar accounts.

4. Cuts Through the Noise

Instead of debating which features "feel" more important, you have objective data to guide decisions.

How to Implement MRR-Weighted Prioritization

Step 1: Connect Feature Requests to Customer Data

You need to know which customer submitted each request and their MRR. This requires:

• A feature request system that tracks customer identity
• Integration with your billing or CRM system
• A way to calculate MRR per request

Step 2: Calculate Weighted Scores

For each feature, sum the MRR of all customers requesting it:

1Feature Score = Sum of (Customer MRR for each requester)

You can also factor in:

• Recency: Recent requests might indicate urgent needs
• Customer health: Requests from at-risk accounts might need priority
• Strategic accounts: Weight key logos higher

Step 3: Combine with Other Factors

MRR-weighting shouldn't be your only input. Combine it with:

• Effort estimates: A high-MRR feature that takes 6 months might not be worth it
• Strategic fit: Some features are important even without high MRR demand
• Technical dependencies: Some features unlock others

Step 4: Review Regularly

MRR changes as customers upgrade, downgrade, or churn. Review your weighted rankings monthly to keep priorities current.

Common Questions About MRR-Weighting

"Won't this ignore small customers?"

Small customers still contribute to the score - they just don't dominate it. If 100 small customers want something, that MRR adds up. MRR-weighting doesn't ignore small customers; it gives appropriate weight to everyone.

"What about features for acquisition?"

Not every feature needs to come from existing customers. Reserve capacity for:

• Features that help close deals in your pipeline
• Table-stakes features competitors have
• Strategic bets on new markets

"How do we handle enterprise custom requests?"

Enterprise customers often have unique needs. Consider:

• Tagging requests as "enterprise-specific" vs. "generally applicable"
• Weighting broadly-applicable requests higher
• Having separate capacity for enterprise customizations

Real-World Impact

Teams using MRR-weighted prioritization typically see:

• Lower churn: Building what paying customers need keeps them around
• Higher expansion revenue: Features that solve real problems lead to upgrades
• Better resource allocation: Engineering time goes to high-impact work
• Clearer communication: "This feature has $50k MRR behind it" is compelling

Getting Started

You don't need fancy tools to start. Begin with:

1. Export your feature requests to a spreadsheet
2. Add a column for requester MRR (pull from your billing system)
3. Sum MRR for each feature
4. Sort by weighted score

Once you see the value, invest in tooling that automates this process.

Conclusion

Your highest-paying customers are voting with their wallets every month. MRR-weighted prioritization ensures their needs don't get lost in a sea of free-tier requests.

Stop counting votes. Start counting revenue.