This is exactly what I was wondering. If your SaaS pitch fails because people are multiplying costs out as if they were fixed and are worried about existential risk/switching costs then either don't sell to them or sell up exactly (1-3).

I—for one—love this line when you can afford it: "we have n engineers full time on this project so you can't possibly have an internal product that grows as quickly".

Comparative advantage is an incredible force.