How Many Agents Should Pricing Software Have? with Steven Forth

Steven Forth is the founder and CEO of Ibbaka and by far Impact Pricing's most frequent guest. He's currently developing ValueIQ, a set of agents for pricing and value advisory work that will soon be available for broader use.

In this episode, Steven discusses his recent research comparing agent strategies across four major pricing software companies, explores the fundamental question of how many agents is optimal, and reveals how AI is transforming both the buying and selling process in ways most companies aren't prepared for.

 

Why you have to check out today's podcast:

• Learn how the four major pricing software companies (Pros, Vendavo, Zilliant, PriceFX) approach agent development differently.
• Discover the key difference between role-based and task-based agent design strategies.
• Understand how AI will fundamentally change B2B buying processes and what that means for pricing.

 

"Start using AI to get a deeper understanding of how your customers are buying. Because if you don't understand how your customers are buying and buying using AI, you're not going to be able to price properly."

– Steven Forth

 

Topics Covered: 

02:07 – ValueIQ introduction: Steven's new agent platform for pricing and value advisory work 

06:34 – Defining agents: The difference between true agentic AI and wrapped LLM functionality 

10:49 – Sales agent complexity: Breaking down the many tasks salespeople perform and agent granularity

12:35 – Pricing agents vs. features: How to decide between individual pricing and bundling strategies 

15:55 – The future of pricing models: Why "good, better, best" packaging may disappear in 2-3 years 

21:05 – AI's role in B2B buying: How AI intermediaries will transform RFP processes and vendor selection 

25:06 – Understanding AI-powered customers: Why companies must learn how their buyers use AI in purchasing decisions

 

Key Takeaways:

"When I saw that PriceFX announced that it had more than 125 agents... I thought, huh, that's kind of a jaw-dropping number. I don't think I could generate 125 agents for pricing software." – Steven Forth

"The role of AI in the buying process is more important than the role of AI in the sales process." – Steven Forth

"You're going to be creating more content, not less. But that content is primarily going to be consumed by AIs." – Steven Forth

"I think that many of the common packaging assumptions such as good, better, best are going to dissolve away over the next two or three years." – Steven Forth

 

Resources Mentioned:

• Michael Mansard's 14-factor model: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmansard/ 

 

Connect with Steven Forth:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenforth/ 
• Email: steven@ibbaka.com

 

Connect with Mark Stiving:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/
• Email: mark@impactpricing.com