Inflation & Beyond: Pricing Strategies for B2B Volatility
Aug 29, 2023
auto_awesome
Learn about effective pricing strategies for B2B companies to navigate economic downturns, including the challenges and nuances in managing price decreases, adapting pricing goals and tactics during inflationary and deflation periods, the consequences of delaying price adjustments, and specific industries where decreasing prices over time are the norm.
Being prepared for industry-wide or global economic downturns is crucial for price professionals and B2B companies to maintain competitiveness.
During deflationary times, pricing teams must focus on minimizing price decreases while monitoring market dynamics and maintaining competitiveness.
Deep dives
The Importance of Addressing Price Decreases
In this podcast episode, Barrett Thompson, a business solutions consultant, discusses why it is crucial for price professionals and B2B companies to prepare for and address the possibility of price decreases. He emphasizes that while most professionals have focused on managing price increases throughout their careers, it is essential to be prepared for the challenges of sustaining and navigating through industry-wide or global economic downturns. Thompson highlights the importance of being proactive and developing strategies for managing systematic and intelligent price decreases to avoid being caught off guard and to maintain competitiveness.
Navigating the Differences Between Price Decreases and Increases
Thompson explains that while there are similarities in managing price increases and decreases, there are key differences in their implementation. He discusses the importance of leveraging core pricing skills, such as utilizing technology for price automation and adopting data-driven approaches. However, when it comes to price decreases, understanding how to apply these skills becomes crucial as the details and strategies may vary significantly. Thompson provides examples of how measuring and defining success in price performance need to be reconsidered in a deflationary environment, where negative year-on-year changes in key metrics can be seen as successes relative to industry peers or financial forecasts.
Changing Tactics for Pricing during Recessionary Times
Thompson delves into the shifting goals and tactics of pricing teams during recessionary periods. Inflationary times often focus on raising prices while avoiding revenue risks. However, in deflationary times, the goal shifts to minimizing price decreases and delaying them as long as possible to safeguard revenue and market share. Thompson highlights the importance of being aware that competitors are also adjusting their pricing strategies, creating a mutual bloodletting game where the objective is to mitigate losses more effectively than others. He emphasizes the need for pricing teams to carefully monitor market dynamics, customer feedback, and internal metrics to find the right balance between minimizing price decreases and maintaining competitiveness.
As input prices rose astronomically, margin leakage followed for many companies. This is because the legacy tools and processes being used to pass through cost changes were completely inadequate to deal with inflationary pressures. Our current wave of volatility - embodied by slowed growth, high interest rates, and potential recession – is applying pressure in the opposite direction. Companies equipped to know where, when, and by how much prices may need to decrease will be in the best position to maintain margins and avoid losing volume.
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode