This article on “the inflation imperative” is an excerpt from the second edition of Pricing with Confidence, due to be published in October 2022. Pricing with Confidence: Ten Rules for Increasing Profits and Staying Ahead of Inflation was written by Reed K. Holden and Jeet Mukherjee of Holden Advisors, with the intent to provide readers with the tools and resources required to build an organization that executes well in the face of volatility.
Inflation is back, cost volatility and supply chain disruptions are continuing, and the availability and supply of raw materials are inconsistent. While these trends show no signs of abating, economic concerns are growing, and companies are wondering how they should adjust their pricing to offset constant inflation without jeopardizing future revenues. Industrial players are paying more attention to their pricing strategies to cope with inflation and ensure sustainable impact, as the authors explain.
Charging different prices is often fairer than charging everyone the same price. While there are no standard answers to the question of what makes a price fair, business leaders can embrace market transparency, understand what drives the perceptions of fairness in their market, and ensure that they offer prices that customers will perceive as fair. With the right understanding and the right approach, companies can vary prices in ways that mutually benefit themselves and customers, and perhaps society as well, as the author explains.
The purpose of this paper is to provide more information about what customer value means, how it is materialized in pricing and selling processes, and how buyers perceive value and manage it versus price. Customer value is now the number one imperative for all organizations as they build the plans for their next five to ten years, as the author explains.
In pricing, there are two types of complexity. Good complexity can lead to competitive advantage if you can make it simple for customers to absorb. Bad complexity can frustrate potential customers and cause them to seek another solution. In this article, the author provides best practices for making your differentiators and value drivers easy for customers to understand.
In 2021 there were more than 2,000 mergers with a deal value of more than $100 million in the US (from Statista). The received wisdom, supported by a fair amount of evidence, is that mergers often destroy value. There are many reasons for this, but one of them is pricing. Pricing is where buyers give a verdict on your offers and whether or not they are valuable. Alignment on pricing is critical to a successful merger, as the author explains.
This article is a sneak peek at Per Sjofors’ upcoming book “The Price Whisperer.” You can order a copy here. This book explores the complex network of variables that regulate customer perception of price and value, that is, why people buy one product and not another. By isolating key factors that determine a target market’s willingness to pay, businesses can effectively hack their existing model, thereby increasing asking price and sales volume.
With rising prices, raw material costs, and energy expenses, it’s safe to say goods are more expensive than they have been in years. And there seems to be no relief in sight. In this article, the authors explore best practices for pricers in both B2B and B2C industries to grow profits despite inflation.
This paper was originally published as chapter 5 in the book called “Pricing: The New CEO Imperative” edited by Stephan Liozu.
Evidence of an inflationary acceleration is accumulating. Price actions by industry leaders are both responding and contributing to it. Price increases are a frequent response to inflation. They can range from purely defensive “layman’s pass-thru”, to opportunities for profit growth. This creates profit opportunities for competitors. Whether followers or contrarians, middle market firms must decide which path is more advisable given their competitive strengths, margins profile, and their pricing “culture.” Timing and preparedness matter, as the author explains.