With over 25 years of experience in pricing strategy, analytics, and customer relationship management, Adrienne Gordon is passionate about empowering businesses to leverage pricing as a long-term strategic advantage and a path to self-actualization. In this episode, Adrienne delves into the profound impact of CEO decisions on overall company pricing. She explores the concept of 'value killers' such as the 'Bob Factor',  the 'Lester Factor,' and ‘Cheryl factor’ illustrating how individual actions and outdated models can undermine pricing policies. Additionally, she discusses the importance of setting clear pricing goals, understanding price distribution and variance, and leveraging pricing processes to maximize profitability.   Why you have to check out today’s podcast: Delve into the crucial role of leadership in effective pricing and value delivery within a company Find out common pitfalls and strategies in pricing that will help you understand how internal processes and individual actions can impact a company's pricing power and profitability Discover actionable advice for immediate impact enhancing your company's pricing approach and proactive value creation   "If you look at pricing as a process, you will self-actualize as a company." - Adrienne Gordon   Topics Covered: 00:51 - How she found herself in pricing 02:26 - How her role in product management helped her develop valuable skills in product segmentation and customer insights 03:55 - Differentiating these two companies she manages, Pricing Empowered and Price Space 06:36 - The role of leadership, specifically CEOs, in pricing strategy 09:09 - Explaining the concept of "value killers" using the metaphor of "Bob" 11:40 - The negative impact of allowing CEOs to negotiate prices and discussing the concept of parameters of empowerment 14:29 - Another value killer: The Lester factor 16:55 - What makes ‘'Cheryl factor' a value killer and the extent of profit leaks this causes 20:15 - Three key actions leaders should take to drive pricing in their companies 24:19 - Differentiating between intentional and unintentional price variance 25:14 - Adrienne's best pricing advice   Key Takeaways: “If the CEO doesn't believe that you can proactively price and influence markets with your pricing, then the company has no faith in it either.” - Adrienne Gordon "Parameters of empowerment: to me sometimes actually retracting some permission and then testing your value proposition, pushing pricing a little bit so that the organization can see the worth doesn't fall apart when you do that. And releasing that empowerment back, I think, actually, can help companies evolve." - Adrienne Gordon "I often make recommendations, do not put on your parameters of empowerment 5, 10, and 15. Put on 4.72. Somebody's going to have to do the hard work to figure out what 4.72% discount is. And that's a good thing." - Adrienne Gordon   People/Resources Mentioned: McKinsey: https://www.mckinsey.com   Connect with Adrienne Gordon: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrienne-gordon-0a93129/ Website: https://www.pricespace.com/   Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on May 2, 2024, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/reduce-the-risk-of-raising-prices/ If you have any feedback, definitely send it. You can reach us at mark@impactpricing.com.  Now, go make an impact.   Connect with Mark Stiving: Email: mark@impactpricing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/

Tim Smith helps executives address critical questions in pricing, marketing, sales, and corporate strategy in the face of high uncertainty by using proven best practices informed by solid academic research. In this episode, Tim delves into the Pricing Spineometer, a comprehensive tool designed to assess a company's pricing capabilities. By examining financial performance and organizational structure, one can provide valuable insights into the gap between a company's current pricing practices and optimal strategies. He also touches on the crucial role pricing plays in business success and the importance of CEO involvement in driving pricing excellence.   Why you have to check out today’s podcast: Discover this pricing tool called Pricing Spineometer for assessing a company's pricing capabilities and learn how it works, its significance, and how it can benefit businesses Gain insights into the world of pricing strategies discover surprising findings about pricing practices in various industries and how they impact business performance Explore the critical role of CEOs in driving pricing excellence within organizations and understand why pricing decisions often require the direct involvement and prioritization of top leadership, and how this impacts business outcomes   "Take the time to apply the expertise necessary to your pricing questions. Think about it, and then listen to that expertise." - Tim Smith   Topics Covered: 01:36 - Sharing an enriching experience teaching and consulting 02:45 - How he found himself in pricing 04:08 - What made him create Pricing Spineometer, what is it all about, clarity on it measuring a gap versus a scorecard 07:31 - The process of using the Pricing Spineometer 11:40 - How the initial financial analysis sets the foundation for understanding a company's pricing needs and capabilities 14:29 - Understanding that creating a Pricing Spineometer for a company involves significant work and expertise 16:26 - AI's impact on pricing and the companies' various reactions on their pricing capabilities assessment with pricing spineometer 19:16 - Valued for the expertise and insight not on time spent 20:08 - Surprises coming up for different companies pricing sophistication 22:19 - Does the CEO takes care of the development of pricing expertise and how does a CRO differ from a VP of Pricing 24:26 - Tim's best pricing advice   Key Takeaways: "If you changed the way you thought about pricing, there'd be a huge bottom line impact to your company." - Tim Smith "You're charging for the intellect that goes into the work, not the actual amount of time it takes to do the work." - Tim Smith "There are ways to get around tools, there are ways to use the tools, but you’ve got to understand what the goal is." - Tim Smith   People/Resources Mentioned: World Class Pricing: The Journey by Paul Hunt: http://www.pricingsolutions.com/world-class-pricing-the-journey/ TI: https://www.ti.com Walmart:https://www.walmart.com Coca Cola: https://www.coca-cola.com/us/en Pepsi: https://www.pepsi.com/ Nvidia: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/ Kraft Heinz: https://www.kraftheinzcompany.com/   Connect with Tim Smith: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drwiglaf/ Website: https://wiglafpricing.com/   Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on April 25, 2024, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/the-value-of-a-feature-how-to-create-value-tables/ If you have any feedback, definitely send it. You can reach us at mark@impactpricing.com.  Now, go make an impact.   Connect with Mark Stiving: Email: mark@impactpricing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/  

Patrick Meegan is a Managing Director at Investor Group Services. Experienced in technology, industrials, consumer products, retail and e-commerce, subscription programs, pricing, and product strategy. In this episode, he delves into the complexities of pricing strategies, emphasizing the importance of aligning prices with the perceived value and understanding market segments. She also explores the nuances between B2C and B2B pricing, highlighting the transparency in B2C and the significance of marketing and packaging in consumer products. Additionally, she provides insights on implementing price changes effectively in different organizational sizes and navigating the challenges of setting prices through distribution channels.   Why you have to check out today’s podcast: Understand buyer drivers in order to make strategic decisions in pricing and packaging Learn practical advice on implementing price changes, particularly the challenges and strategies for ensuring successful pricing execution Gain valuable insights into the differences between B2C and B2B pricing, including unique challenges in B2C and the role of marketing in consumer products   "Spend time pressure testing the ideas." - Patrick Meegan   Topics Covered: 01:51 - The best way to teaching case studies and the how to go about each case 02:49 - How he ended up in pricing despite lack of pricing background 03:59 - Value-based pricing and understanding buyer behavior 05:03 - The process of generating pricing insights 06:39 - Application of a framework to generate pricing insights 08:57 - Challenges and strategies for executing pricing changes, particularly in larger organizations 11:17 - Overcoming fear of raising prices. 13:08 - Strategies for reducing fear and uncertainty when implementing price increases  15:42 - The appropriate role of salespeople in pricing decisions 17:32 - The importance of setting and managing price floors and discounting policies for salespeople 21:34 - Maintaining pricing integrity and avoiding discounts 22:46 - The differences between B2C and B2B pricing strategies and how crucial is setting the end user price first when selling through distribution or channels 26:46 - Pat's best pricing advice   Key Takeaways: "If we can't understand from the buyer's side what's driving their purchase, then it's hard for us to understand how to sell to them, how to negotiate, where to hang the value, how to package and how to structure the pricing model." - Patrick Meegan "I cringe so much when I see people going out with a price of whatever it is with a discount right along with it because whatever value established you just eroded by saying it wasn't worth that." - Patrick Meegan "Your portfolio also plays an important role in how you can influence pricing." - Patrick Meegan   People/Resources Mentioned: Kimberly Clark: https://www.kimberly-clark.com/en-us Kleenex: https://www.kleenex.com/en-us/ Huggies: https://www.huggies.com/en-us/   Connect with Patrick Meegan: Website: maplestreet.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickmeegan/ Email: patrick.meegan@igsinsights.com   Connect with Mark Stiving:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on April 18, 2024, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/b2b-market-research-is-overrated/ If you have any feedback, definitely send it. You can reach us at mark@impactpricing.com.  Now, go make an impact.   Connect with Mark Stiving: Email: mark@impactpricing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/

Steven Forth is Ibbaka’s Co-Founder, CEO, and Partner. Ibbaka is a strategic pricing advisory firm. He was CEO of LeveragePoint Innovations Inc., a SaaS business. In this episode, Steven explains how AI can significantly enhance software customization and pricing, enabling more precise value delivery for each customer. He emphasizes that while AI introduces new capabilities, it does not fundamentally change the core principles of pricing.    Why you have to check out today’s podcast: Dive deep into the comparison between AI and the transformative impact of SaaS, providing valuable insights into the future of software pricing and delivery Understand value models and how AI can optimize pricing strategies Explore how AI can enable highly customized software configurations and pricing, making it easier to deliver and capture value tailored to individual customers   "Before they invest a lot of time and effort in developing or pricing their own AI, find out what their customers are already doing and how they're thinking about the problems." - Steven Forth   Topics Covered: 00:47 - Skepticism as well as optimism regarding AI and addressing the hype surrounding AI 04:15 - Exploring how AI might impact software pricing compared to the changes brought about by cloud-based SaaS. 07:05 - The way AI can optimize software configurations and pricing based on individual value drivers for each customer 10:44 - Discussing how SaaS fundamentally changed software pricing compared to AI 14:11 - How AI, while it enhances capabilities and user experiences, does not fundamentally change the underlying principles of pricing 16:31 - What is a value model? 18:15 - Pricing being tied more closely to value with the rise of AI 23:27 - Steven's best pricing advice   Key Takeaways: "The underlying ways that we think about pricing have not changed because of generative AI and will not change, but some of them we’ll be able to execute on much, much more effectively." - Steven Forth "I think of pricing not as being something that is data-driven, but something that is model-driven." - Steven Forth "AI is changing how we build, deliver, and experience the functionality that software and data can bring. But as it does that, it also opens new ways for us to think about the pricing of the applications and the data." - Steven Forth   People/Resources Mentioned: Pros: https://pros.com Microsoft: https://www.microsoft.com/en-ph/Don Norman: https://www.nngroup.com/people/don-norman/ Jacob Nielsen: https://www.nngroup.com/people/don-norman/ Totogi: https://www.totogi.com McKinsey: https://www.mckinsey.com Tom Nagle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-tom-nagle-2bb2288/ Zilliant: https://zilliant.com Pricefx: https://www.pricefx.com Vendavo: https://www.vendavo.com Tomasz Tunguz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomasztunguz/   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  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on April 11, 2024, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/value-for-buyer-personas/ If you have any feedback, definitely send it. You can reach us at mark@impactpricing.com.  Now, go make an impact.   Connect with Mark Stiving: Email: mark@impactpricing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/

As a consultant, coach, and 6-time executive, Amanda Northcutt has launched, grown, and scaled online businesses with fantastic results on both the individual and organizational level, while creating extraordinary, frictionless, and successful journeys for their customers.  In this episode, Amanda delves on the importance of focusing on customer retention and expansion to maximize recurring revenue. And  leveraging foundational desires and social proof to enhance one's marketing efforts. She also highlights the value of dynamic and continuous pricing strategies and the need for personalized connections in sales and the impact of showing proven value to customers.   Why you have to check out today’s podcast: Learn to prioritize expansion, not just acquiring and retaining customers, to maximize lifetime value Discover why it's crucial to avoid static pricing and the importance of regularly testing and adjusting your pricing Gain a deep understanding of your customers' core desires and master the art of leveraging social proof to create highly effective marketing strategies   "Always be testing your pricing. Your pricing should not be static. That is such a rookie mistake to think that you've nailed it the first time, or at any time really." - Amanda Northcutt   Topics Covered: 01:39 - An accidental entry into recurring revenue 03:20 - Talking about the time of Salesforce' rise in the SaaS industry 04:46 - Sharing her journey into the subscription-based business model 05:57 - The challenges and importance of marketing and delivering value in subscription-based businesses 08:25 - An added challenge for SaaS businesses of needing a product that continuously delivers value to retain customers 10:46 - The need to create expansion opportunities with tailored solutions and the need to leverage social proof to strengthen the value proposition to potential and existing customers 13:31 - Understanding and leveraging consumer psychology and desires to drive value perception and retention in both B2B and B2C contexts. 15:46 - Expanding on customer's foundational desires as effective marketing strategies 17:21 - Helping customers achieve their goals and meet their needs rather than simply trying to make a sale. 20:06 - Describing her current work and her pricing approach for her clients' customers.  25:52 - Amanda's best pricing advice 26:57 - What it means to be always testing your pricing   Key Takeaways: "...the whole deal with recurring revenue: If your marketing sucks, one, people aren't going to sign up. Two, if you're not delivering value over and over and over and over and over again, people are going to churn." - Amanda Northcutt "If you truly actually care about someone and you want to help match them with a solution that is actually going to help them not only reach their foundational desires, but the real business needs that they have, that's where the most sales are going to be made." - Amanda Northcutt "Desperation is the enemy of all sales, ever." - Amanda Northcutt "Another element of closing the deal in an automated sales funnel is that guarantee is very, very, very important. It's right up there with social proof." - Amanda Northcutt   People/Resources Mentioned: Texas A&M University: https://www.tamu.edu/ TexAgs.com: https://texags.com Marc Benioff: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Benioff Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com/ap/ Alan Weiss: https://alanweiss.com/about-alan-weiss/ Convertkit: https://convertkit.com Active Campaign: https://www.activecampaign.com/ Amazon Prime Video: https://www.primevideo.com/   Connect with Amanda Northcutt: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/northcuttamanda/ Email: amanda@welevelupcreators.com   Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on April 4, 2024, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/discover-our-custom-pricing-gpt/ If you have any feedback, definitely send it. You can reach us at mark@impactpricing.com.  Now, go make an impact.   Connect with Mark Stiving: Email: mark@impactpricing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/