Impact Pricing

Dominic Genova spent 17 years on the factory side at Chrysler and 27 years owning car dealerships. He grew one dealership from a building with no power or water and no sales into a business with 87 employees and $80 million in annual sales of cars, trucks, and service. He rejected the traditional dealership model of commissions, hidden fees, and payment games in favor of transparent, salary-based selling. In this episode, Dominic exposes the pricing tricks hiding behind the "great deal", from payment games to hidden fees, while Mark challenges his sales philosophy from a pricing perspective.  Together, they unpack why the price isn't the price, how a $500 cheaper car can become a $700 worse deal, and why Dominic believes the real product isn't the car. It's taking care of the customer.    Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast: See how a $500 "better deal" can become $700 worse once financing enters the picture. Spot the pricing landmines first-time car buyers rarely see coming. Discover how Dominic built an $80M dealership by replacing sales games with trust, transparency, and repeat business.   "I made the buying process, I made our taking care of you a competitive advantage." — Dominic Genova   Topics Covered: 03:00 – The Price Isn't the Price: What Buyers Actually Need to Calculate 05:00 – From No Sales to an $80M Dealership. Hear how Dominic grew a dealership that started with no power, no water, and no sales into an 87-person, $80M business—and why his pricing philosophy focused on bringing customers back instead of maximizing every transaction. 08:30 – How to Build a Sales Team That Actually Cares. Learn why Dominic rejected traditional commission incentives and instead looked for people who genuinely wanted to treat customers well—and how that became part of the dealership's culture. 10:30 – The Buyer Test: How to Tell If a Salesperson Is Sincere 13:00 – Fit the Customer to the Car, Not the Other Way Around. Discover Dominic's "cars are like shoes" philosophy 18:00 – How Dealers Turn a Great Price Into a Worse Deal. Learn how financing and payment tactics can undermine an attractive vehicle price, including Dominic's example of a $20 monthly payment increase that adds $1,200 over a 60-month loan. 20:30 – The Dealer Tricks Buyers Don't Know to Look For. Get a glimpse into the tactics Dominic saw during his career calling on hundreds of dealers, including misleading advertisements, small-print conditions, and additional charges. 23:00 – Why Trust Became Dominic's Real Product. Discover why Dominic viewed his dealership's product as more than cars: "We take care of you." That philosophy helped create repeat customers, referrals, and a reputation that carried throughout the community. 26:00 – The Counterintuitive Profit Strategy: Maximize Satisfaction, Not Price 28:30 – How First-Time Buyers Can Spot a Bad Deal. Learn how to look beyond the advertised price and evaluate the entire deal, rather than assuming the lowest vehicle price automatically means the lowest total cost. 30:00 – Dominic's Final Pricing Advice   Key Takeaways: "So a lot of people go and shop price and then the unethical dealer sticks it to them on something else." — Dominic Genova  "My philosophy was an agricultural philosophy... to get you to come back again and again rather than draining every dime I could when I saw you." — Dominic Genova    Connect with Dominic Genova: LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/dominic-genova-99a12b66/  Website: http://dontbetaken.com/    Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on June 22, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/hidden-problems-hidden-value/ 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 a principal at PatternMind and co-author of Pricing for the Agent Economy, with deep expertise in pricing strategy, scenario planning, and the emerging agent economy.  In this episode, he brings a different way of thinking about AI pricing: instead of trying to predict one future, build strategies that can survive several possible futures. Mark challenges Steven throughout the conversation, particularly around value attribution and credit pricing, creating a fascinating debate about whether outcome-based pricing is truly scalable, whether credits will survive, and what AI buyers may demand next.   Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast: Learn how scenario planning can help you prepare for multiple AI pricing futures instead of betting on one forecast. Discover how value attribution and credit adoption create four possible paths for AI pricing—and what each means for your business. Understand why credits, outcome-based pricing, and fungibility could reshape how buyers and vendors exchange value in the agent economy.   "Rather than thinking about, how are you going to predict what's going to happen? It's, what are the early indicators? What are the early warning system you can put in place?"  — Steven Forth   Topics Covered: 01:15 – Why Forecasting Isn't Enough for AI Pricing. Steven explains why traditional linear forecasts assume one future while scenario planning prepares for multiple possible futures—especially when major uncertainties could fundamentally change the market. 04:00 – The Critical Uncertainties You Need to Track. Learn why identifying uncertainties isn't enough—you need to watch for early evidence and warning signals showing which future is beginning to emerge. 05:30 – What COVID Taught Steven About Agile Scenario Planning. Steven shares how the pandemic exposed the limits of traditional scenario planning and led to a faster approach focused on cycling through critical uncertainties as conditions change. 08:00 – Why AI Makes Agile Scenario Planning More Important. With generative AI moving rapidly and no one knowing exactly how the market will evolve, Steven explains why businesses need to remain open to a wider range of possible futures. 09:30 – Will AI Software Still Be Differentiated? Steven explores whether generative AI will wash out software differentiation and whether large language models themselves will eventually converge. 12:00 – The Credit Fungibility Question. Discover why buyers may want credits that work across ecosystems while platform companies could benefit from making credits transferable—and why smaller vendors may resist. 14:00 – Why Buyers, Platforms, and Niche Vendors Want Different Things. Steven breaks down the competing incentives of buyers, ecosystem platforms, and focused vendors and explains why the future of credits may depend on which group has the most power. 16:00 – The 4 Possible Futures for AI Pricing. Steven introduces the two critical uncertainties—value attribution and credit adoption—and shows how combining them creates four distinct pricing futures. 18:00 – From "Blind Faith Credits" to the Outcome Rush. Explore what happens when buyers resist credits and value attribution remains difficult versus a future where outcome-based pricing becomes easier and more scalable. 20:00 – What Niche Vendors Should Do in Each Scenario. Steven explains how pricing strategy changes depending on which future emerges—and why companies that can move fastest toward outcome-based pricing could dominate their markets. 22:00 – The Three Hurdles to Outcome-Based Pricing. Learn why outcome pricing requires agreement on the outcome, the ability to determine who contributed to the value, and enough predictability to make the economics work. 24:00 – Mark Challenges the Value Attribution Problem. Mark argues that pricing metrics already solve one form of attribution, while Steven clarifies the harder question: who actually contributed to the economic value created for the buyer? 26:00 – Can AI Actually Claim the Economic Outcome? The conversation explores why customer support resolution is a promising niche case for outcome pricing—but why multi-agent value attribution remains an open question. 28:00 – Why Credits Are Really a Pricing Currency. Mark argues that credits function like a company's internal currency, while Steven points out that credits can support multiple pricing metrics and flexible consumption. 30:00 – Will Buyers Eventually Reject Credits? Mark challenges whether buyers actually want credits, while Steven suggests the more important question may be which vendors figure out how to move beyond them first. 32:00 – The Pricing Advice AI Leaders Need in 2026. Steven's final advice: understand how your buyers are using AI to make purchasing decisions—or risk making critical pricing mistakes.   Key Takeaways: "The future is not set. And that there is more than one possible future. And that different futures could emerge in different parts of the market." — Steven Forth "We have to be open to a fairly wide range of different futures and agile scenario planning I think is a better way to do that." — Steven Forth "If your strategy is only viable on one scenario, you're accepting a lot of risk into your organization that you don't need to." — Steven Forth   People / Resources Mentioned: Michael Mansard & Wolfgang Ulaga — Steven's co-authors on Pricing for the Agent Economy. Shell — Mentioned in Steven's discussion of traditional scenario planning. Rotterdam — Steven references the city's scenario-planning approach, where major infrastructure investments were designed to remain viable across multiple scenarios. Lovable & Perplexity — Examples of companies using credit-based pricing and the different ways buyers have responded to those models. Salesforce, SAP, Oracle & Microsoft — Discussed as ecosystem platforms that may have incentives to make credits fungible within their ecosystems. Scenarios for Pricing in the Agent Economy — Steven's Substack article that provides the framework discussed in this episode.   Connect with Steven Forth: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenforth/  Substack: Search for Steven Forth on Substack https://pricinginnovation.substack.com/  for his writing on pricing, scenario planning, and the agent economy. Email: steven@pattermind.studio   Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on June 15, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/the-case-for-token-based-pricing/ 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/  

Manu Mehra is Head of AMER Industries Strategic Deal Pricing at Databricks, with more than 12 years of experience across pricing, product, cloud, and AI, including Google Cloud and Thermo Fisher Scientific. He brings a practical perspective on how AI is changing the way companies think about outcomes, value, platforms, and pricing models. In this episode, Manu explains why traditional pricing models don't neatly fit AI, why outcome-based pricing is compelling but difficult to standardize, and how companies can turn platforms into solutions around specific business problems.  Mark challenges him throughout the conversation, especially on the attribution problem: if AI creates the value, how do you know AI actually caused it?   Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast: Learn why AI is pushing pricing toward outcomes. Discover how platforms become solutions customers will pay more for. Understand the attribution and standardization challenges behind AI pricing.   "Pricing cannot be an afterthought. It has to be integrated within the product roadmap." — Manu Mehra   Topics Covered: 01:15 – How an accidental pricing analytics role led Manu to a career spanning product, cloud, AI, sales, finance, and strategic deal pricing. 03:30 – Why Pricing Has to Start With the Product. Why integrating pricing into the product roadmap can create value before launch instead of scrambling for cost-plus pricing afterward. 05:30 – Why AI Breaks Traditional Pricing Models. Why subscription, license, and consumption models don't fully fit AI when thousands of customers can pursue completely different outcomes 08:00 – The Hardest Problem With Outcome-Based Pricing. Why AI outcomes are difficult to standardize across billing, finance, legal, and revenue recognition—and why 10,000 customers could mean 10,000 different outcomes 11:00 – What Actually Counts as an AI Outcome? Manu uses a QBR example where AI can automate 95% of the SQL work, turning hours and effort saved into a measurable form of value. 13:30 – The Attribution Problem: Did AI Really Create the Value? Mark and Manu debate how to determine whether AI actually caused increased revenue, lower costs, or other gains—or simply helped the business get there faster. 16:00 – Platform vs. Solution: What Are You Really Selling? Why a broad platform can have wildly different value depending on the customer's use case—and how platforms can become solutions by solving specific business problems. 19:00 – How to Turn Products Into Business Solutions. Manu explains how compute, data, and AI layers can be combined into packaged solutions instead of being sold as isolated products. 21:30 – How Customer Segmentation Makes AI Pricing Scalable. Why identifying recurring customer patterns can help companies map different business problems to repeatable combinations of SKUs instead of creating a custom solution for every customer. 24:00 – Why AI Companies Use Credits. How credits can create cost predictability, manage backend costs, and give customers flexibility across different AI capabilities. 27:00 – When Credits Make Sense—and When They Don't. Why platform customers may value the flexibility of credits while digital-native customers who already know exactly what they want may have less need for them. 30:00 – The Pricing Advice Manu Wants Leaders to Hear. Why pricing should never be an afterthought and why the industry is moving from cost-plus toward value-based and outcome-based pricing.   Key Takeaways: "The reason is, even though you might be a platform organization or you're selling a platform, but end of the day, you're still trying to solve a customer problem." — Manu Mehra "The tricky thing with outcome is it's very hard to standardize it." — Manu Mehra "Pricing needs to be integrated during the product roadmap." — Manu Mehra   Connect with Manu Mehra: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manumehra1/   Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on June 8, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/stop-measuring-wtp-start-shaping-it/ 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/  

George Boretos is the founder and CEO of FutureUp, where he helps companies uncover hidden revenue and margin opportunities through AI, predictive analytics, and pricing science. In this episode, he explains why AI can't simply tell you what to charge, how machine learning can uncover pricing opportunities, and why competitor pricing data can sometimes make your model worse.   Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast: Learn where AI actually helps pricing from price optimization and segmentation to uncovering underpriced customers. See why more data isn't always better.  Discover what your sales data can reveal about willingness to pay, price variation, and hidden revenue opportunities.   "Don't use AI to actually get specific pricing directions and price point suggestions. Don't follow it blindly." — George Boretos    Topics Covered: 00:00 – Why "What Price Should I Charge?" Is the Wrong AI Prompt. Why general-purpose AI lacks the context and pricing intelligence to set your price. 03:30 – Where AI Can Actually Improve Pricing. How AI can support optimization, segmentation, packaging, and tiering. 06:30 – Why There's No Single "Right" Price. Why pricing requires different methods for different businesses. 09:00 – The Pricing Data AI Needs. Why transaction volume isn't enough without price variation. 12:00 – What Win/Loss Data Reveals. How won and lost deals can reveal win probability and market exposure. 14:30 – Finding Customers You're Undercharging. How price differences can uncover segments and pricing patterns. 17:30 – When Competitor Data Hurts Your Model. Why adding competitor pricing data can actually make a model worse. 20:30 – Why Market Indicators Can Matter More. How market trends can sometimes explain pricing better than competitors. 23:00 – Why Companies Ignore Pricing. Why simply caring about pricing can unlock major margin opportunities. 25:00 – Pricing Strategy vs. Execution. Why the best pricing strategy still needs strong execution to work.   Key Takeaways: "Use AI as a tool... Don't use it to actually get specific directions, specific price point suggestions." — George Boretos  "Pricing is a great differentiator. It can move mountains, it can increase margins, revenue, everything." — George Boretos    Connect with George Boretos: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgeboretos/   Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on June 1, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/the-business-case-nobody-built/ 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/  

What happens when a former client returns for a live pricing coaching session? Mark Richman, CEO of Skeleton Key, shares how applying Mark Stiving's value-selling principles helped increase his close rate from 35% to 70% by focusing on customer outcomes instead of pitching solutions. Now, he returns to the hot seat to workshop his toughest pricing challenges in real time—from buyers who can't quantify value to outcome-based pricing and pricing for emotional outcomes.  This isn't another pricing interview; it's a front-row seat to a CEO getting his sales strategy challenged, refined, and rebuilt in real time.    Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast: Steal the framework that helped transform a 35% win rate into 70% — without changing his product. Find out why your prospects' "solution" is often the biggest obstacle to closing the deal. Watch Mark Stiving challenges Mark Richman's sales strategy and uncover the hidden pricing opportunities he almost missed.    "That willingness to not talk about what we do and that focus on why the client's there in the first place and how you can really help them achieve the outcome they want has transformed the way I sell. I went from about a 35% close rate to a 60 to 70% close rate."  — Mark Richman   Topics Covered: 01:30 – A Live Pricing Coaching Session Begins. Mark Richman returns to the hot seat as Mark Stiving coaches him through real pricing and sales challenges. 03:10 – Why Nobody Cares About Your Product. Mark Stiving explains why buyers purchase outcomes, while Richman shares how this mindset transformed his sales process. 05:15 – From 35% to 70% Win Rates. Mark Richman reveals the conversation shift that doubled his close rate, and Mark explains why it works. 08:45 – When Buyers Ask for the Wrong Solution. Mark Richman shares a real AI sales conversation, and Mark shows how to uncover the real problem instead. 16:20 – Pricing Emotional Outcomes. Can you charge for less stress and more time? Mark and Mark Richman debate when emotional value is enough. 19:15 – The Customers You Should Walk Away From. Mark explains why buyers who can't define success are often impossible to serve well. 27:40 – Finding the Right Pricing Metric. Mark shares alternatives to outcome pricing that let your revenue grow alongside your customers' success. 30:50 – The Pricing Opportunity Richman Almost Missed. A regulatory deadline becomes a lesson from Mark on willingness to pay and pricing confidence. 36:10 – The Biggest Lesson from the Coaching Session. Mark shares one pricing experiment every business should try, while Richman explains the sales lesson that changed everything.   Key Takeaways: "You're not exploiting the customer by charging for value. The only question is whether the customer believes the price is fair." — Mark Stiving "What matters isn't your hourly rate. What matters is whether it's a fair exchange for the value you're creating." — Mark Richman "Raise your prices. Win fewer deals at higher prices and make more money." — Mark Stiving "Helping clients uncover the value of solving the right problem changed everything about how I sell." — Mark Richman   Connect with Mark Richman: Website: https://skeletonkey.com Email: mark.richman@skeletonkey.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrichman/   Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on May 25, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/you-didnt-lose-the-deal-you-lost-the-commitment/ 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/  

Michael Barbarita is the founder of Next Step CFO, strategic CFO, and author of Powerful Business Strategy. After more than four decades of helping businesses grow through smarter financial and business strategies, he's learned that the biggest pricing challenge isn't price—it's trust. In this episode, he reveals why buyers instinctively trust salespeople who aren't attached to the outcome, how transformational conversations outperform transactional ones, and the practical sales strategies that keep buyers focused on value instead of price.   Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast: Learn why buyers trust salespeople who don't appear desperate for the sale and how perceived indifference creates credibility instead of resistance. Discover how to shift price objections back to the buyer's transformation. Build stronger offers with upsells, cross-sells, and downsells that protect your value.   "The key is to be perceived as indifferent and transformational." — Michael Barbarita   Topics Covered: 01:40 – Why Business Owners Underprice. Why pricing based on your customer's wallet hurts your business. 04:05 – Sell Transformation, Not Transactions. Keep buyers focused on outcomes instead of products and price. 07:35 – Why Buyers Always Return to Price. The psychology behind price objections and buying decisions. 10:40 – Why Buyers Trust Indifferent Salespeople. How focusing on the buyer—not the sale—builds trust. 13:45 – Buyers Buy Futures, Not Features. Mark explains why customers pay for a better future, not product specs. 16:30 – Can CFOs Really Understand Value? Mark and Michael debate strategy, value, and finance. 19:50 – Finding What Customers Really Value.The questions that uncover why customers actually buy. 22:15 – Michael breaks down his sales framework: Captivate → Fascinate → Educate → Close. 25:30 – The Power of Upsells, Cross-Sells & Downsells. Capture more buyers without lowering your prices.   Key Takeaways: "You have to get on the same side of the table as your prospect." — Michael Barbarita "Packaging and bundling products and services together lets you add more value while increasing the price." — Michael Barbarita "No matter what you do, there's always going to be the price-sensitive people. Instead of losing them, have a downsell." — Michael Barbarita   Connect with Michael Barbarita: Website: https://nextstepcfo.net Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelbarbarita/ Book: Powerful Business Strategy (Free Download)   Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on May 18, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/how-buyers-actually-buy-and-why-aida-isnt-the-answer/ 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/  

Claire Wang is a pricing strategist, speaker, and author of The Price of Influence. With a background spanning insurance, consulting, and commercial strategy, she helps organizations shape willingness to pay by understanding how people perceive value.  In this episode, she shares why pricing professionals need to think beyond numbers, how empathy shapes influence, and why your next great pricing skill may have nothing to do with pricing at all.   Why You Have to Check Out This Episode: Learn why great ideas often fail—not because they're wrong, but because people don't see their value. Discover how pricing principles can help you gain buy-in, influence stakeholders, and communicate more effectively. See why empathy and perspective-taking may be the most underrated skills in pricing leadership.   "Your idea is like the product, and the person you need a yes from is your customer." – Claire Wang    Topics Covered: 02:10 – Why Claire Wrote The Price of Influence. Learn why Claire believes pricing professionals need to become better at communicating ideas—not just analyzing data. 05:00 – Your Idea Is a Product. Discover how pricing frameworks can help you persuade stakeholders and gain buy-in across your organization. 08:20 – How Buyers Build Willingness to Pay. Why willingness to pay isn't created at the moment of purchase—it grows through every customer interaction. 10:15 – The Real Meaning of Value. Claire explains why understanding another person's problems is the foundation of communicating value effectively. 13:00 – Shaping Willingness to Pay Starts Earlier Than You Think See why pricing should influence product design, sales conversations, and marketing—not just the final price. 16:40 – Why Pricing Teams Need More Perspective, Not More Certainty. Learn how collaborating with sales, marketing, and product teams leads to better pricing decisions. 19:15 – Do You Want to Be Right or Effective? Mark and Claire discuss why letting go of ego is essential for influencing others and getting ideas adopted. 21:00 – Using AI as a Thinking Partner. Hear how Claire uses AI to challenge her thinking, uncover blind spots, and improve decision-making. 24:00 – The One Pricing Skill Everyone Should Develop. Claire shares the advice she believes can have the biggest impact on every pricing professional's career.   Key Takeaways: "When you truly understand your audience, you understand their needs, you understand their hesitation, then getting a yes is almost inevitable." - Claire Wang "A good product design process should always be having pricing people involved early on." - Claire Wang "I would intentionally ask AI to be my sparring partner, challenge me, point out my blind spots." - Claire Wang   Connect with Claire Wang: Website: https://www.claire-wang.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-wang/    Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on May 11, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/what-is-a-pig-worth/ 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/  

Adrienne Gordon is the CEO of PriceSpace and founder of Pricing Empowered. With more than 25 years of pricing experience, she helps organizations combine pricing strategy, organizational change, and AI adoption to improve commercial performance.  In this episode, Adrienne and Mark explore what happens when pricing teams become half human and half AI. They debate whether AI can ever make pricing decisions on its own, why "humanless negotiation" may be closer than most companies realize, and how pricing leaders can use AI to strengthen—not replace—human judgment.   Why you have to check out today's podcast: Learn how to build a pricing team where humans and AI each do what they do best. See how pricing analysts, managers, and executives can use AI to make smarter decisions—not just write better prompts. Discover why AI buyers and humanless negotiations are closer than you think—and what pricing leaders should do now.   "Always offer versions. Put three things on the table so your customer chooses between you and you; not you and your competitor." – Adrienne Gordon   Topics Covered: 01:45 – AI Won't Replace Pricing Teams. It'll Redesign Them. Discover which pricing responsibilities AI can handle today—and where human judgment still matters most. 03:25 – Stop Using ChatGPT Like Google. Learn Adrienne's simple framework for turning AI into an experienced pricing partner instead of a search engine. 05:15 – The Pricing Work AI Should Already Be Doing. See how AI can clean data, uncover pricing insights, build value calculators, and automate repetitive analysis. 07:00 – How Pricing Leaders Should Use AI. Explore how managers and executives can use AI to test pricing strategies, positioning, and competitive scenarios. 09:15 – Don't Trust One AI. Make Them Debate. Why Adrienne uses multiple AI models to challenge each other's thinking and produce better recommendations. 12:05 – Building a Pricing Team That's Half Human, Half AI. Learn how to redesign pricing roles so people and AI each focus on what they do best. 15:20 – The One Decision AI Still Can't Make. Mark and Adrienne debate why accountability—not intelligence—is AI's biggest limitation. 17:00 – Humanless Negotiation Is Coming. What happens when AI buyers negotiate with AI sellers—and how it could reshape commercial pricing. 21:10 – Buying AI Isn't an AI Strategy. Why companies need a clear adoption plan before investing in more AI tools. 24:10 – The Pricing Advice That Never Gets Old. Why offering three options helps buyers compare your solutions instead of your competitors'.   Key Takeaways: "Stop using AI like Google. Give it a role, give it context, then give it a task." – Adrienne Gordon "Stay in the same thread. Keep giving it feedback. It gets smarter." – Adrienne Gordon "When in doubt, put multiple AI agents against one another and let them check each other's work." – Adrienne Gordon   People / Resources Mentioned: PriceSpace – Adrienne Gordon's pricing consultancy focused on AI adoption and commercial excellence. ChatGPT – Used throughout the discussion as an example of AI for pricing analysis and strategy. Claude – Discussed as one of Adrienne's preferred AI tools for analytics and executive presentations. Manus – AI platform Adrienne frequently uses for research and strategic intelligence. DeepSeek – Mentioned as a strong AI platform for pricing analytics. Perplexity – Mark references using it alongside ChatGPT and Claude for research. McKinsey – Referenced in discussing research predicting the growth of AI-driven negotiations.   Connect with Adrienne Gordon: Website: https://pricespace.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrienne-gordon-0a93129/    Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on May 4, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/the-information-trap-is-killing-your-deals/ 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/  

Most sales conversations assume buyers make rational decisions. Ted Olson argues that's exactly why so many deals stall. Ted Olson is a sales strategist who helps founders, consultants, coaches, and sales teams use behavioral science to improve how buyers make decisions. He is the author of Feel Good About Selling and the upcoming book, Distinct, where he explores what happens between a buyer saying, "This makes sense," and actually saying, "Yes."  In this episode, Ted and Mark challenge one of sales' biggest assumptions: why buyers hesitate. Is it fear or a lack of confidence? Their lively debate uncovers what really drives buying decisions and how sellers can help buyers confidently say yes.    Why you have to check out today's podcast: Learn why buyers hesitate and why it often has nothing to do with your price. Discover how great salespeople build buyer confidence instead of pushing harder to close. Understand what "We'll think about it" really means so you can reduce hesitation before objections show up.   "Indecision is fear-based. Status quo is fear-based. If you can address that fear, you can double your close rates." –  Ted Olson   Topics Covered: 02:05 – Are Buyers Rational? The Psychology Behind Every Buying Decision. Are buyers driven by logic or emotion? Ted and Mark debate how buyer psychology, perceived value, and decision-making influence pricing more than most companies realize. 05:45 – Buyers Buy Futures, Not Features. Learn why listing more features rarely wins deals. Discover how buyers imagine future outcomes and why too much information creates uncertainty instead of confidence. 09:10 – Why Buyers Say, "We'll Think About It". Is it really about price? Ted explains why buyer indecision is usually driven by fear and uncertainty, not budget or competition. 13:30 – Buyer Confidence vs. Buyer Fear. Mark introduces his Buyer Confidence Framework—payoff, probability, and anticipated regret—while Ted argues that every hesitation can be traced back to fear. 17:15 – Handle Buyer Objections Before They Happen. The best salespeople don't overcome objections—they prevent them. Learn how anticipating buyer concerns early makes closing feel natural. 23:00 – Stop Building Trust. Start Building Buyer Confidence. Ted introduces his new sales philosophy: Always Build Confidence. The goal isn't getting buyers to trust you—it's helping them trust their own decision. 26:20 – Why Buyers Push Back When You Try Too Hard. Learn how psychological reactance causes buyers to resist pressure, urgency, and traditional sales tactics—even when your solution is the right fit. 30:05 – How to Become the Obvious Choice. Ted shares the PACE Framework (Positioning, Authority, Conversion, Expansion) and explains how experts become the first choice before pricing is even discussed. 32:45 – What Really Shapes Willingness to Pay? Does willingness to pay come from ROI alone? Ted explains how context, experience, status, and perceived risk dramatically influence what buyers are willing to spend.   Key Takeaways: "If we think about pricing purely rationally, we'll miss the mark 100%." — Ted Olson "Buyers buy when they feel safe enough to buy." — Ted Olson "When I train sellers, I don't think about making them better sellers. I think about making them better decision-making coaches." — Ted Olson    People & Resources Mentioned: Matt Dixon & Brent Adamson – Authors of The JOLT Effect, referenced for their research on reducing buyer indecision and limiting information overload. Alex Hormozi – Mentioned in relation to identifying every reason prospects hesitate to buy. Charlie Munger – Referenced for his perspective that value can be viewed as reward divided by punishment (or risk). Zig Ziglar – Mentioned during the discussion about helping buyers understand their own problems more clearly.   Connect with Ted Olson: Website: https://tedolson.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tedolson/   Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on April 27, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/being-chosen-isnt-winning/ 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/  

Dan Rochon is the creator of the Teach to Sell methodology and host of the No Broke Months podcast, where he teaches professionals how to build trust and influence without pressure. Buying isn't usually the hard part. Committing is. In this conversation, Dan explains why buyers often hesitate at the final moment, even after they've decided what they want. Mark challenges Dan's ideas on buyer psychology, emotion, and trust, leading to a fascinating discussion about what really happens between deciding and saying yes.   Why you have to check out today's podcast: Discover why commitment is the hardest part of every buying decision. Learn how trust helps buyers overcome fear and hesitation. Understand why buyers don't just compare prices—they compare risks.   "Logic makes you think. Emotion makes you act."   –  Dan Rochon   Topics Covered: 02:10 – Why Buyers Don't Decide With Logic Alone. Dan explains why emotion drives buying decisions long before logic justifies them. 04:04 – The Emotional Side of Every Buying Decision. Why even B2B buyers are motivated by trust, confidence, and how they'll be perceived. 08:13 – Every Purchase Is a Prediction. Mark shares his buying framework and Dan explains why people move away from pain faster than they chase desire. 12:14 – Are You Selling an Aspirin or a Vitamin? The difference between solving painful problems and fulfilling aspirational desires. 14:05 – The Hardest Part: Saying Yes. Why buyers hesitate at the moment of commitment—and how to help them move forward with confidence. 17:17 – Teach to Sell, Don't Pressure. Dan introduces his trust-based approach to guiding buyers instead of convincing them. 23:41 – Ask Better Questions, Build More Trust. How deep, thoughtful questions uncover what buyers really care about. 25:01 – Ethical Influence vs. Manipulation. The simple mindset shift that separates helping buyers from persuading them. 29:22 – Dan's Pricing Advice for Every Business. How awareness, positioning, and the right buyers make premium pricing possible. 30:51 – The One Mindset Every Sales Professional Needs. Why serving the buyer's goals—not your own—is the foundation of ethical influence.   Key Takeaways: "It's about identifying what their pain is and what their desire is, then demonstrating that you are the bridge." –  Dan Rochon "The difference between manipulation and ethical influence is whose goals you're serving." –  Dan Rochon "Leadership is to teach somebody else how to think so they can get what they want." –  Dan Rochon   Connect with Dan Rochon: Website: https://teachtosellbook.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danrochon/    Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on April 20, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/i-was-wrong-about-will-i/ 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/  

Robin Waite is the founder of Fearless Business and author of Fearless Pricing, helping coaches, consultants, and freelancers stop selling time and start charging for results. In this episode, Robin shares the experiments that transformed his business—from raising prices 5X (and making more money with fewer clients) to packaging expertise into premium offers. Along the way, Mark challenges Robin on value-based pricing, guarantees, and competition, creating a practical and engaging debate. If you're still charging for your time instead of your results, this episode will make you rethink your pricing strategy.   Why you have to check out today's podcast: Learn how to charge for results, not hours, and package your expertise into premium offers. Use a simple pricing exercise to see if your prices can actually hit your income goals. Discover why higher prices often lead to better clients, less stress, and more profit.   "It's all about results and outcomes. If you can't articulate what they actually want to achieve by working with you, you shouldn't sell to them." — Robin Waite    Topics Covered: 02:00 – The 5X Price Increase That Changed Everything. Robin shares how raising prices dramatically increased profits—even after losing 40% of his clients. 05:15 – From Burnout to Business Coach. Why Robin walked away from his agency and discovered his passion for pricing and productizing services. 12:30 – Can You Really Charge Based on ROI? Mark challenges Robin on value pricing, competition, and money-back guarantees. 16:00 – Inside Robin's New Book, Fearless Pricing. How to package services, overcome pricing fears, and escape hourly billing. 21:00 – Will AI Kill Hourly Billing? Robin explains why AI will make experts more productive—but many will still charge the wrong way. 23:30 – Meet "RobBot" How Robin is using AI to turn eight years of coaching into an on-demand business coach. 25:00 – The One-Page Pricing Plan Every Business Needs A simple exercise to calculate the right price based on your income goals and capacity.   Key Takeaways: "You need to become a master at working out the return on investment your clients are going to get when they work with you." — Robin Waite  "The goal of running a business is not to enroll every single client. The goal of running a business is to build a profitable and sustainable business." — Robin Waite    People & Resources Mentioned: Built to Sell by John Warrillow – The book that inspired Robin to productize his services.   Connect with Robin Waite: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/RobinMWaite  Book: Fearless Pricing: How to package your offering and confidently charge more : https://www.amazon.com/Fearless-Pricing-package-offering-confidently-ebook/dp/B0FC6Y77LR?ref_=ast_author_mpb    Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on April 13, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/your-wins-are-lying-to-you/ 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 the founder of Value Intelligence (ValueIQ) and a longtime leader in value-based pricing. He is also a co-creator of The Value Project, an open-source initiative focused on creating standards for value and pricing models that both humans and AI can understand.  Steven Forth is back on the podcast—and as usual, he and Mark waste no time diving into a topic that feels a little futuristic, a little controversial, and a lot important: What happens when AI becomes the buyer? This is another thoughtful debate where Steven's vision for AI-powered buying collides with Mark's 'healthy' skepticism.  If you've ever wondered how pricing, value, and buying decisions will evolve in an AI-driven world, this conversation offers a fascinating glimpse into what comes next.   Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast: Discover how AI buyers will evaluate vendors and why companies that don't provide structured pricing and value data may be ignored—or worse, misrepresented by AI systems. Learn why pricing transparency may become unavoidable as AI agents increasingly compare solutions, estimate costs, and evaluate alternatives on behalf of buyers. Understand the emerging infrastructure behind AI-powered purchasing and how open-source value and pricing standards could reshape the future of B2B sales.   "If you don't want the AI to hallucinate about your company, you should give it the data it needs to do its job." – Steven Forth   Topics Covered: 02:00 – The Foundation for AI Buyers.Why AI needs standardized pricing and value data before it can make buying decisions. 04:00 – Pricing Models AI Can Actually Understand. Why pricing is more than a price list—and how AI could calculate costs across vendors automatically. 05:30 – Will AI Ignore Your Company?. The risk of missing or unstructured pricing data—and why AI may simply make assumptions about your business. 07:15 – Can Complex Pricing Be Standardized.  Mark challenges whether today's complicated pricing models can really be captured in a common framework. 09:00 – The Biggest Challenge: Understanding Value. Can AI truly understand value without understanding the root causes behind business results? 12:00 – Why Value Models Matter. Steven explains why value models aren't about intelligence—they're about giving AI the information it needs to reason. 15:00 – The Next Frontier: Product Configuration. Why pricing and value aren't enough—and how AI could eventually recommend the ideal product setup for every buyer. 18:00 – Can AI Pick the Best Solution?The debate over whether AI can evaluate context, causation, and business needs—not just numbers. 21:00 – When Buyers Have the Upper Hand. How AI could help buyers calculate value using their own private data without sharing it with vendors. 24:00 – The Future of Pricing Transparency. What happens when competitors—and AI—can instantly analyze your pricing structure? 26:00 – Getting Ready for an AI-Powered Buying World. Why businesses should start preparing now for a future where AI becomes the buyer.   Key Takeaways:  "If you don't want the AI to hallucinate about your company, you should give it the data it needs to do its job." — Steven Forth  "The AI needs to understand the value before it can understand if the price is reasonable or not." — Steven Forth  "The value project is just plumbing. Let's be able to connect the pipes." — Steven Forth    People & Resources Mentioned: The Value Project. An open-source initiative designed to create standardized, machine-readable formats for value models and pricing models that can be shared across business systems and understood by AI. Value Intelligence (ValueIQ). Steven's company focused on value management, value modeling, and helping organizations quantify and communicate customer value. GitHub. The repository where technical contributors can access, test, and improve The Value Project's open-source schemas. Linux Foundation. Mentioned as a potential future home for the project if adoption and community participation continue to grow. JSON (JavaScript Object Notation). The structured data format used to represent value and pricing models in a way that software systems and AI can interpret.   Connect with Steven Forth: Website: https://thevalueproject.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenforth/  Email: steven@valueiq.ai Subscribe to Steven's Substack: Synthetic data in pricing: https://pricinginnovation.substack.com/p/synthetic-data-in-pricing   Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on April 6, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/willingness-to-pay-isnt-about-your-product/ 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/  

What if the pricing function isn't just a specialty discipline—but one of the best training grounds for future CEOs? Ryan Walter, Partner at Jennings Executive Search and author of The Pricing Talent Playbook, joins Mark to explore the evolution of pricing careers, what separates great pricing leaders from average ones, and why pricing may soon become a recognized pathway to the CEO role. Ryan draws on his experience recruiting pricing talent and leading pricing teams across retail, manufacturing, data products, and industrial businesses. If you're building a pricing career, hiring pricing talent, or wondering how AI is reshaping the profession, this episode offers a glimpse into where pricing is headed next.   Why you have to check out today's podcast: Discover why pricing may become a legitimate path to the CEO role. Learn why pricing transformations often fail despite strong strategy. Understand how AI is changing pricing talent expectations and why curiosity may now be more important than technical expertise alone.   "My prediction is that the pricing function is going to end up being a path to CEO." — Ryan Walter   Topics Covered: 01:00 – From Professional Musician to Pricing Leader. Learn why the skills required in professional music translated surprisingly well into pricing leadership. 03:05 – The Rare Combination Every Great Pricing Professional Needs. Why pricing success requires both IQ and EQ—the ability to work with complex data while influencing executives, sales teams, and non-technical stakeholders. Ryan explains why finding both traits in one person is surprisingly rare. 05:05 – The EQ Problem Pricing Professionals Must Solve. Mark and Ryan discuss why being right isn't enough. Learn how great pricing leaders simplify complexity, build trust, and communicate insights in ways that drive action instead of resistance. 06:50 – Why Ryan Wrote The Pricing Talent Playbook. Ryan explains the motivation behind his new book and why pricing leaders need more guidance on talent, team building, interviewing, and career development—not just pricing models and strategy. 09:20 – The Hidden Reason Pricing Transformations Fail. A fascinating hiring story reveals how a successful pricing leader was undermined when executive priorities shifted. Learn why organizational support often matters more than technical pricing expertise. 11:30 – What AI Is Changing About Pricing Right Now. Ryan shares examples of pricing leaders using AI to perform customer profitability analysis, strategic planning, and complex investigations in hours instead of weeks. The discussion moves beyond productivity into AI as a strategic thought partner. 14:30 – The New Hiring Question Every Pricing Candidate Should Expect. More companies are now evaluating AI readiness during interviews. Ryan explains what hiring managers actually want to hear—and why curiosity matters more than having the perfect answer. 17:00 – Why Pricing Professionals Change Jobs More Often. Many pricing leaders thrive on building functions, driving change, and solving messy problems. Ryan explains why some professionals leave after creating momentum—and why that's often a feature, not a flaw. 19:15 – The Two Pricing Archetypes. Are you the builder or the operator? Ryan breaks down the two common pricing career paths: the change agent who loves creating order from chaos and the operator who excels at maintaining and evolving mature pricing functions. 22:00 – Why Pricing Could Become a Path to CEO. The episode's biggest idea. Ryan explains why pricing professionals gain unusually broad exposure to strategy, systems, finance, customers, and operations—and why that experience mirrors many responsibilities of a CEO.   Key Takeaways: [on pricing talent and skills ] "You need to be able to do the math and deal with the data and build models and figure out how systems work. But you also need to speak to non-technical folks in a way that they understand what your model is doing." – Ryan Walter [on pricing talent and skills ] "It's not just how to do math. It's helping as a thought partner to come up with [pricing] strategy." – Ryan Walter [Communication & Influence ] "You can't tell the sales leader about the R-squared. You have to simplify that down." – Ryan Walter   People & Resources Mentioned: Jennings Executive Search – Executive search firm specializing in pricing and commercial leadership recruitment. The Pricing Talent Playbook – Ryan's new book focused on pricing talent, career development, and building pricing organizations.   Connect with Ryan Walter: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-walter3141/  Email: ryan@jenningsexec.com   Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on March 30, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/why-more-features-make-it-harder-to-buy/ 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/  

Jenny Millar is the CEO and Founder of Untapped Pricing, and Ann Padley is a Senior Strategy Consultant at Untapped Pricing. Together, they are the co-authors of The Pricing Sprint, a practical framework that helps organizations make better pricing decisions through customer insight, behavioral science, and cross-functional alignment. In this episode, Jenny and Ann explore why pricing is ultimately a human problem—even as AI becomes more capable of analyzing data, running scenarios, and optimizing decisions.  If you're responsible for pricing, product strategy, or commercial growth, this episode will change how you think about behavioral pricing, customer decision-making, and why human behavior still wins in the age of AI.   Why you have to check out today's podcast: Learn why pricing problems are often people problems—not pricing problems. Discover how small changes in pricing presentation, packaging, and choice can increase willingness to pay. Understand why AI can improve pricing decisions, but human judgment still drives great pricing.   "Most pricing problems aren't pricing problems. They're human behavior problems." — Jenny Millar   Topics Covered: 01:20 – Why Great Pricing Starts With Human Behavior, Not Spreadsheets. How human-centered design helps companies create pricing that customers actually understand and respond to. 03:59 – Are Buyers Irrational? The Debate Every Pricing Team Needs to Hear. Why customer decisions aren't always driven by logic—and how pricing teams can use that reality to their advantage. 10:19 – The Hidden Link Between Behavioral Economics and Willingness to Pay. How customer perceptions, context, and price presentation influence what buyers are actually willing to spend. 12:15 – The Pricing Sprint: A Faster Way to Improve Pricing Decisions. Jenny and Ann break down their practical framework for testing, validating, and implementing pricing changes with confidence. 16:19 – Why Companies Consistently Misjudge Customer Value. The internal biases and assumptions that cause businesses to leave money on the table—and how to uncover what customers truly value. 21:50 – Who Should Own Pricing? Solving One of Business's Toughest Questions. Why pricing often falls between departments and what successful companies do differently to create alignment. 26:51 – Can AI Improve Pricing Without Replacing Human Judgment? Where AI can help pricing teams move faster—and where human insight remains irreplaceable. 28:11 – Why the Way You Present a Price Can Matter More Than the Price Itself. Real examples of how small changes in pricing presentation can drive revenue growth without changing the underlying price.   Key Takeaways: "When behavioral pricing is done right, it actually leads to higher customer satisfaction and better customer experience." – Ann Padley  "Most pricing problems aren't pricing problems—they're human behavior problems." – Jenny Millar  "Loss aversion, status quo bias, and misaligned incentives are all shaping pricing decisions inside a company." – Jenny Millar  "Every dollar that flows into an organization is the result of a pricing decision." – Jenny Millar    Resources Mentioned: The Pricing Sprint - The new book by Jenny Millar and Ann Padley that outlines a human-centered approach to pricing, combining behavioral science, customer research, experimentation, and cross-functional decision-making. Dan Ariely - Behavioral economist and author of Predictably Irrational. Referenced during the discussion about whether buyers are truly rational in their decision-making. Steven Forth - Founder of Ibbaka and longtime pricing thought leader. Mentioned during the discussion about the possibility of AI agents eventually becoming buyers and negotiating on behalf of humans. eBay — Jenny's former employer, where she spent 10 years in pricing analytics and pricing strategy roles, helping shape pricing for a multi-billion-dollar business. University of Bristol Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship - Referenced as part of Ann's background in human-centered design, innovation, and behavioral science. Behavioral Economics - Referenced throughout the episode as the study of how psychological factors influence decision-making, willingness to pay, and pricing perceptions. Human-Centered Design - A core principle behind the Pricing Sprint methodology, focused on understanding customer needs, behaviors, and decision-making processes before making pricing changes.   Connect with Jenny Millar & Ann Padley: Website: https://www.untappedpricing.co.uk/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennymillar/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annpadley/ Book: The Pricing Sprint: https://www.amazon.com/Pricing-Sprint-Steps-Unlock-Power-ebook/dp/B0GN8CTTW4   Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on March 23, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/will-ai-shrink-our-teams-or-expand-our-ambitions/ 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/  

Todd Caponi is the author of The Transparency Sale, The Transparency Sales Leader, and The Four Levers of Negotiating. He advises revenue teams on decision science, transparency, and how buyers actually make decisions. In this episode, Todd challenges one of the biggest assumptions in business: that more information leads to better decisions. Drawing from buyer psychology and real-world sales research, he explains why buyers actively seek out negatives, why perfect pitches create skepticism, and why transparency accelerates trust.   Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast: Discover why more information often makes buying decisions harder. Learn why buyers seek out negatives before positives and how transparency can increase trust, shorten sales cycles, and improve win rates. Master the shift from persuasion to prediction so buyers feel confident moving forward instead of getting stuck in analysis paralysis.   "We don't buy when we're convinced. We buy when we can predict." — Todd Caponi   Topics Covered: 01:03 – Why Negotiating Pricing Feels So Unnatural. Todd shares the negotiation breakthrough that led him to embrace transparency instead of traditional sales tactics. 05:18 – Why Buyers Trust Imperfect Solutions More Than Perfect Ones. The consumer research that changed Todd's thinking—and why buyers actively seek out negatives before making decisions. 08:50 – Transparency vs. Honesty: The Difference That Changes Sales Outcomes. What transparency really means and how proactively sharing weaknesses can accelerate trust. 12:15 – The Long Game Wins the Short Game. A debate on incentives, trust, and whether transparency actually benefits individual salespeople. 15:11 – Do Buyers Make Emotional or Logical Decisions? Todd explains why feelings often drive decisions before logic enters the picture. 20:24 – Why B2B Buyers Still Behave Like Consumers. Buying committees, RFPs, and the hidden emotional biases behind supposedly rational decisions. 25:14 – Buyers Don't Buy Products—They Buy Predicted Futures. Mark introduces a powerful framework for understanding how buying decisions really happen. 31:42 – More Information Doesn't Help Buyers—It Makes Decisions Harder. From mail-order catalogs to AI, Todd explains why information overload increases decision friction. 32:35 – The Case for Radical Pricing Transparency. Todd's practical framework for pricing conversations built around volume, commitment, cash flow, and predictability.   Key Takeaways: "Transparency is without asking, I'm going to tell you the truth." — Todd Caponi "The long game wins the long game—but it wins the short game too." — Todd Caponi "More information has never made buying easier. It's always made it harder." — Todd Caponi "True salesmanship is the science of service." — Todd Caponi (quoting Arthur Sheldon)   People & Resources Mentioned: Arthur Sheldon - Early sales philosopher and author of The Art of Selling (1911), whose principle that "true salesmanship is the science of service" remains relevant today. António Damásio - Neuroscientist and author of Descartes' Error, referenced during the discussion on emotion, logic, and decision-making. Northwestern University Research - Consumer behavior research that revealed buyers actively seek out negative reviews and trust products with balanced ratings more than perfect scores. The Transparency Sale - Todd's bestselling book exploring how openness and honesty accelerate buying decisions and improve sales outcomes. The Four Levers of Negotiating - Todd's latest book on transparent negotiation and value creation.   Connect with Todd Caponi: Website: https://toddcaponi.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddcaponi/   Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on March 16, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/buyers-are-rational-its-the-sellers-that-arent/ 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/

Ajit Ghuman is the co-founder of Monetizely, former VP of Product at Segment, and author of Price to Scale. In this episode, Ajit breaks down one of the biggest pricing challenges AI companies are about to face: what happens when software no longer supports employees — but starts replacing them entirely? If your company is building, pricing, or monetizing AI products, this episode will change how you think about per-seat pricing, buyer psychology, and the future of SaaS monetization.   Why you have to check out today's podcast: Understand why per-user pricing may stop working as AI agents increasingly replace human workflows inside software products. Learn Ajit Ghuman's 3-part "Agentic Pricing Spectrum" for evaluating AI products based on autonomy, operational scope, and output-to-cost dynamics. Discover why buyers are suddenly comfortable with tokens, credits, and bundled AI pricing — even when they don't fully understand what those units actually mean.   "Unless you understand what your market is, who your buyers are, what do they want... it's the only thing that I start with when I do any project." – Ajit Ghuman   Topics Covered: 02:02 – Why Pricing Became the Most Direct Link to Customer Value. How pricing became the clearest connection between products, value, and business strategy.  06:29 – The AI Pricing Problem Nobody Has Fully Solved Yet. Why AI is forcing SaaS companies to rethink seats, tokens, outcomes, and margins.  07:38 – "Zero Human Companies" and the End of Per-User Pricing. Ajit explores a future where AI agents replace entire job functions — and asks the terrifying question: what happens when there's no user left to charge for? 12:30 – Why Cursor Still Charges Per User (For Now). A fascinating breakdown of AI coding tools, human "anchors," and why most AI products still can't fully move to outcome-based pricing. 16:51 – The Coming AI Commoditization Wave. Why Ajit believes agentic AI companies could rise — and collapse — dramatically faster than traditional SaaS businesses. 23:07 – Why Buyers Suddenly Accept Tokens, Credits, and Weird AI Pricing. Ajit explains how ChatGPT normalized token-based pricing — even though most buyers still don't fully understand what they're paying for. 26:00 – The Real Reason AI Pricing Feels So Chaotic Right Now. Inference costs are dropping, users are disappearing, and pricing anchors keep shifting faster than companies can adapt. 29:35 – The One Pricing Principle That Still Matters in the AI Era.  Despite all the chaos around AI monetization, Ajit says successful pricing still starts with deeply understanding your buyers and their problems.   Key Takeaways: "The anchor is still the human… but the moment the human disappears, per-user pricing starts breaking." – Ajit Ghuman  "Agentic AI may compress 20 years of SaaS evolution into just a few years." – Ajit Ghuman    People / Resources Mentioned: Cursor — Used as a real-world example of current AI pricing models Harvey AI — Referenced as an example of high-value AI transformation inside the legal industry Anthropic — Mentioned in relation to inference models powering AI tools OpenAI — Referenced throughout the discussion on tokens and AI pricing behavior Salesforce — Discussed in relation to potential future shifts away from per-seat pricing Zoom — Used as an example of changing pricing priorities during growth stages   Connect with Ajit Ghuman: Website: https://www.getmonetizely.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajitpalghuman/   Email: ajit@getmonetizely.com   Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on March 9, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/credits-trade-clarity-for-flexibility/ 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/

Dan Balcauski is the founder of Product Tranquility, where he helps B2B SaaS companies improve pricing, packaging, and monetization strategy.  In this episode, Dan breaks down the uncomfortable reality behind today's AI gold rush: buyers are tired of "AI-powered" hype, SaaS companies are struggling to monetize features nobody uses, and pricing teams are rewriting their strategies in real time. If your company is trying to monetize AI without becoming another forgettable AI feature, this episode will change how you think about pricing, adoption, and customer value.   Why You Have to Listen: Learn why AI features alone don't drive purchases — and how to position AI around customer outcomes people actually value. Discover the biggest AI pricing mistake SaaS companies are making — charging for features before customers build adoption habits. See how smart SaaS companies roll out AI strategically — using adoption-first pricing, early access models, and workflow-driven product design.   "Prove value with your new AI features before you throw a paywall in front of it." — Dan Balcauski    Topics Covered: 02:10 - "Freemium Is a Terrible Idea for Most SaaS Companies". Why most freemium models fail before companies fully understand the real costs behind them. 06:48 - Why AI Can't Automatically Set Your SaaS Prices. Dan explains where AI can help pricing teams and where human judgment still matters most. 09:53 - The Dangerous Truth About AI Pricing Advice. Most LLMs learned pricing strategy from bad SEO content and outdated thinking. 13:35 - The Adoption vs. Monetization Framework. The simple 2x2 model every SaaS company should use before pricing AI features. 17:34 - Margin Percentage vs. Margin Dollars. A smarter way for CFOs and SaaS leaders to think about AI profitability. 18:32 - "Buyers Don't Care That Your Product Uses AI". Why customers care more about outcomes and workflows than your AI technology. 24:31 - Why SaaS Companies Keep Changing AI Pricing. Most AI pricing models don't survive their first 18 months. 26:07 - The "Early Access" AI Pricing Strategy. How smart SaaS companies introduce AI features without hurting adoption. 29:24 - "Earn the Right to Monetize". Why proving customer value should happen before putting up a paywall.   Key Takeaways: "We need to prove our value first before we can monetize it." – Dan Balcauski   People / Resources Mentioned: Steven Forth — Mentioned as a trusted source of pricing expertise and strategic thinking. Anthropic Claude Code — Dan's primary AI workspace for research synthesis and pricing analysis. Readwise — Tool Dan uses to ground AI outputs using trusted expert highlights and notes. Salesforce — Referenced as an example of rapidly evolving AI pricing strategies. Pragmatic Institute — Mentioned during the discussion on product adoption and feature prioritization.   Connect with Dan Balcauski: Website: https://www.producttranquility.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/balcauski/ X: https://x.com/dan_balcauski Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/saas-scaling-secrets/id1682338188   Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on March 2, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/if-buyers-cant-explain-it-youve-not-sold-it/ 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/  

Blair Enns is the founder of Win Without Pitching, author of The Four Conversations, and co-host of the 2Bobs podcast. He helps experts, agencies, and consultants move from being treated like vendors to becoming trusted advisors. In this episode, Blair joins Mark Stiving to unpack the hidden dynamics behind how buyers decide who they trust, who they listen to, and who they ultimately hire. They explore why selling expertise is fundamentally different from selling products, how authority is established long before proposals are presented, and why presenting multiple options changes the psychology of buyer decision-making. If you've ever wondered why some experts command confidence while others get stuck competing like commodities, this conversation will change how you think about selling, value, and buyer behavior.   Why You Have to Listen: Learn how buyers decide who feels like the trusted expert — long before proposals, pricing, or deliverables are discussed. Discover why presenting multiple options changes buyer psychology and keeps you out of "convince mode" during sales conversations. Understand the Four Conversations framework that helps experts move from being treated like vendors to becoming trusted advisors.   "Selling isn't talking people into things. It's helping somebody make a decision." — Blair Enns   Topics Covered: 02:44 — Why Selling Expertise Changes Buyer Behavior. Blair explains why buyers evaluate experts differently from traditional salespeople and why trust starts forming before proposals are discussed. 06:20 — The Four Conversations Behind Every Buying Decision. A breakdown of the four conversations that quietly shape how buyers decide who they trust and hire. 07:41 — Expert vs. Vendor: The Positioning Buyers Feel Immediately. Why buyers instinctively place sellers into categories and how experts avoid becoming "just another option." 11:36 — The Question That Unlocks Better Buyer Conversations. How focusing on a buyer's desired future state changes the entire direction of a sales discussion. 15:51 — Why Multiple Options Change Buyer Psychology. Blair explains why presenting choices keeps you out of "convince mode" and makes buyers feel safer saying yes. 19:17 — Why Value Should Come Before Pricing. A conversation on why buyers think differently when outcomes are discussed before solutions or costs. 23:53 — The Hidden Power of Price Anchoring. How the first numbers buyers hear quietly reshape expectations, negotiations, and decision-making.   Key Takeaways: "Selling isn't talking people into things. It's helping somebody make a decision." — Blair Enns "We rarely do the amount of thinking required to reason ourselves away from the starting point." — Blair Enns on how anchors shape buyer decisions   People and Resources Mentioned: Mahan Khalsa — Referenced for the idea that "the sale is the sample of the engagement to follow" from his book Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play. Thinking, Fast and Slow — Referenced during the discussion on anchoring, heuristics, and buyer decision-making psychology. Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky — Mentioned for their work on Prospect Theory and anchoring effects that shape how buyers evaluate pricing and options. 2Bobs — Blair's podcast co-hosted with David Baker, known for conversations on positioning, expertise, and agency growth. The Four Conversations — Blair's book introducing a framework for selling expertise through authority, value conversations, and buyer trust.   Connect with Blair Enns: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blairenns/  Website: https://www.winwithoutpitching.com/ Books: https://www.winwithoutpitching.com/books    Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on February 23, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/why-ai-is-making-saas-metrics-grow-up/ 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/  

Bobby Moesta is the President & CEO of The Re-Wired Group, where he helps companies understand why customers buy.He is the co-creator of Jobs to Be Done alongside Clayton Christensen, and has spent decades studying the demand side of innovation—what actually drives people to change, choose, and pay. In this episode, Bobby joins Mark Stiving to challenge some of the most common assumptions behind pricing and decision-making—starting with how buyers really think (and why it's not what most companies expect). They explore what's actually happening beneath the surface of a purchase decision—and why understanding that can completely shift how you approach pricing. If you've ever felt like your pricing "should work" but doesn't—this conversation will make you rethink what's really going on.   Why You Have to Listen: Understand why context + outcome determines willingness to pay (not features). Learn why buyers don't "choose" instead they eliminate options and build confidence. Discover why most companies underprice by targeting the average instead of high-value contexts.   "Pricing is contextual. It's based on the context they're in and the outcome they want." — Bobby Moesta   Topics Covered: 02:21 – Why buyers don't change (until something breaks). The hidden trigger that forces people out of the status quo 04:41 – What buyers actually expect when they pay. Why value isn't what you think—and where expectations really come from 06:30 – The invisible forces behind every purchase. Push, pull, anxiety, and habit—and how they quietly control decisions 12:13 – How buyers really decide (it's not what you think). Why people don't "choose"—and what they actually do instead 18:17 – Why confused buyers walk away. The simple reason deals stall (and how to fix it) 20:06 – What creates buyer confidence. How people convince themselves to finally say yes 23:20 – What "I need to think about it" really means. The hidden signals behind hesitation—and how to uncover them 27:41 – Why one price doesn't fit all. How context changes what customers are willing to pay 29:37 –Every decision is a purchase decision. Why pricing thinking applies far beyond products and sales   Key Takeaways: "We can't convince them of anything. They have to convince themselves." — Bobby Moesta "Most of the time we end up pricing at the bottom of the market… and we're giving away the high end." — Bobby Moesta   Resources Mentioned: Jobs to Be Done – Framework for understanding customer decisions The Re-Wired Group – Bobby's firm focused on demand-side insight Demand-Side Sales – Bobby's book on how customers actually buy   Connect with Bobby Moesta: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobmoesta/  Website: https://therewiredgroup.com/    Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on February 16, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/credits-are-both-billing-and-currency-and-thats-the-problem/ 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/

Felix Hoffmann is the co-founder of 7Learnings, where he helps companies move from intuition-based pricing to predictive, data-driven pricing systems. He previously led pricing optimization at Zalando, managing pricing across millions of products and markets—giving him a front-row seat to how pricing actually behaves in the real world. In this episode, instead of relying on gut feel or delayed results, Felix introduces predictive pricing—a system that forecasts the impact of price changes before you make them. They break down why most pricing decisions today are still reactive, how companies are leaving profit on the table by not simulating outcomes, and why testing alone isn't enough anymore. If you've ever changed prices and hoped for the best—this episode will challenge that approach.   Why You Have to Listen: If you're changing prices without knowing what will happen—this episode shows you a better way. Understand why testing pricing isn't enough—and what comes after testing. Discover how companies are using simulations to make faster, smarter pricing decisions.   "You shouldn't decide based on gut feeling—you should decide based on what you predict will happen." — Felix Hoffmann   Topics Covered: 01:30 – What Is Predictive Pricing? How to forecast the impact of price changes before making them 04:00 – Why "Should We Change Price?" Is the Wrong Question The real question: what happens if you change it 07:00 – What You Need to Predict (Beyond Sales) Profit, costs, returns, and long-term effects of pricing decisions 13:30 – Why Testing Alone Isn't Enough You can't test everything—so you need simulations 17:00 – Competitor Pricing: Guessing vs Predicting Why most companies match competitors blindly—and how to avoid it 20:30 – The Role of External Signals (Weather, Seasonality, Trends) How real-world factors shape pricing decisions 23:30 – B2B vs B2C Pricing Reality Why predictive pricing is easier in high-volume environments 29:00 – Final Advice: Predict First, Decide Second Why simulation is the missing layer in pricing strategy   Key Takeaways: "The question is not: should I change my price? The question is: what happens if I change it?" — Felix Hoffmann "Nobody is doing perfect decisions today… perfect decisions would require mathematical optimization." — Felix Hoffmann   Resources Mentioned: 7Learnings – Platform for predictive pricing and revenue optimization Zalando – Example of large-scale pricing optimization   Connect with Felix Hoffmann: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/felix-hoffmann-7learnings/  Website: https://7learnings.com/    Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on February 9, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/pricing-theory-vs-buying-reality-why-usage-based-pricing-still-wins-in-enterprise-ai/ 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/  

Mark Walker, CEO at Nue.io, helps companies design pricing models that align with how customers actually experience value—across usage, subscriptions, and hybrid approaches. In this episode, he joins Mark Stiving to unpack a growing tension: companies are pushing more flexible pricing models—but customers don't always want them. At the center is a simple question that changes everything: "How would you like to buy?" They explore why pricing isn't about finding one perfect model, but about giving customers the right options—while avoiding the complexity that slows decisions. If you're trying to evolve your pricing so customers can decide faster (without overwhelm), this is a conversation you'll want to hear.   Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast: Understand why the future of pricing isn't choosing the "right" model—but giving customers the right options. See why customers don't want to decode your pricing—and how simplifying it builds trust faster. Learn how to experiment with pricing without breaking your business—or your customer relationships.   "You need to introduce your customers to what you're going to be changing about your product set and ask them to tell you how they would relate that to value." — Mark Walker   Topics Covered: 02:26 – What is a revenue architecture system? Why pricing, billing, and quoting can't live in silos anymore—and how unifying them enables pricing flexibility 05:11 – Aligning pricing models to customer value Why the same product needs different pricing models depending on how customers experience value 08:11 – What "hybrid pricing" really means Breaking down how companies combine subscription and usage to better reflect real-world value 19:29 – Why changing pricing is so hard The hidden risk: once a pricing model is live, you're locked into it longer than you think 21:39 – Optionality as a pricing strategy Why giving customers multiple ways to buy may outperform forcing a single pricing model 25:42 – Outcome-based pricing: what it actually means Why outcome-based pricing isn't new—and really comes down to who takes the risk 29:36 – Don't guess pricing—ask your customers  Why involving customers early can prevent costly pricing mistakes 30:44 – How to talk to customers about pricing changes The role of communication in introducing new pricing without creating resistance   Platforms & Pricing Model Examples: Amazon Web Services – Example of committed spend and consumption-based pricing at scale Snowflake – Known for credit-based pricing, highlighting the tradeoff between flexibility and pricing clarity DocuSign – Example of outcome-based pricing where customers pay per completed transaction ZoomInfo – Combines seat-based pricing with credits, illustrating hybrid pricing in practice   Key Takeaways: "The more abstract you make the relationship between what the person is doing and what that costs, the harder it is to get the customer to budget for it." — Mark Walker "Outcome-based pricing is not a real thing. It is just a subset of usage-based pricing." — Mark Walker "You need to introduce your customers to what you're going to be changing… and ask them to tell you how they would relate that to value." — Mark Walker "Align your pricing to how your customer measures value." — Mark Walker   People Mentioned: Steven Forth – Pricing thought leader referenced in discussions about credit-based pricing and abstraction Ray Tetlow – Mark Walker's mentor; known for simplifying business models and influencing his perspective on pricing structures   Connect with Mark Walker: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markwalker/   Website: https://www.nue.io/    Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on February 2, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/the-three-value-disciplines-why-price-takes-the-blame-when-buying-gets-hard/ 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/  

Keenan is the founder and CEO of A Sales Guy, where he helps organizations move beyond product-driven selling and into problem-centric sales strategies. He's also the author of Gap Selling, a framework built around one powerful idea: understanding the gap between where a buyer is today and where they need to be. In this episode, Keenan and Mark Stiving unpack a truth most teams say they believe—but rarely execute: buyers don't pay for products, they pay based on the size of the problem and the cost of not solving it. If you've ever wondered why deals stall, why buyers default to "no decision," or why price suddenly becomes the issue—this conversation will challenge how you think about selling, pricing, and what actually drives someone to act.   Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast: Understand why buyers don't change unless the problem feels urgent enough and how to surface the real cost of inaction. Learn how gap selling uncovers the true drivers behind buying decisions by connecting root causes, problems, and impact. Discover why pricing power comes from problem size not product features and how that changes the way you sell and price.   "Value is delivered by the size of the problem—and the cost of not solving it." — Keenan   Topics Covered: 01:07 – What Gap Selling Really Means. How shifting from product pitching to problem diagnosis changes win rates, deal size, and sales outcomes 05:05 – Why Everything Starts with a Problem. The hidden truth: every buying decision is driven by a problem—whether the buyer realizes it or not 09:47 – The Different Levels of Problems in Sales. How surface-level needs hide deeper drivers—and why most salespeople stop too early 10:37 – Root Cause vs. Problem vs. Impact. A powerful framework to uncover what's really driving the need to change 13:56 – What Actually Motivates Buyers to Act. Why root causes don't trigger action—but impact does 19:30 – How Deep Should You Go in Problem Discovery? Knowing when to keep digging—and when you've found what truly matters 20:26 – A Real Example: Breaking Down Root Causes (Obesity Case). How complex problems reveal multiple layers—and why that matters in selling 25:04 – How Trust Is Built Through Problem Clarity. Why buyers trust you more when you understand their problem better than they do 27:33 – Pricing Based on the Cost of Inaction. Why price isn't about your product—it's about how painful it is not to solve the problem   Key Takeaways: "People don't change unless their current state is untenable." – Keenan "Gap Selling is a selling methodology that helps salespeople improve their win rate, shorten sales cycles, improve their average contract value and close more deals faster." – Keenan "Understanding the size of the problem of not solving it is crucial for pricing." – Keenan   People / Resources Mentioned: A Sales Guy – Keenan's company; focused on modern sales strategy Gap Selling – Framework for understanding buyer problems and driving sales Gap Prospecting – Keenan's extension of gap selling into outbound and pipeline generation Status Quo Bias – Why buyers avoid change unless impact is high   Connect with Keenan: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimkeenan/  Website: https://salesgrowth.com/    Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on January 26, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/free-ai-is-a-strategy-not-a-pricing-model/ 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/  

AI pricing is changing fast—and suddenly, everyone is selling credits. But here's the uncomfortable question: Are credits actually helping you scale… or quietly pulling you back into cost-plus pricing? Steven Forth, co-founder of ValueIQ, joins Mark Stiving to unpack what's really going on behind the rise of credit-based pricing—and why so many companies are adopting it despite its obvious flaws. This isn't a polite discussion. Mark challenges the very foundation of credits, arguing they break the connection between price and value. Steven pushes back, revealing why credits may be the only viable system in a world where AI usage is unpredictable, costs are real, and value is still being discovered in real time. What emerges is a deeper truth most companies are missing about credit-based pricing. If you're navigating AI pricing—or even just rethinking your current model—this episode will force you to rethink not just how you price… but what you're really charging for.   Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast: Discover when credit-based pricing actually works—and when it quietly pulls you back into cost-plus thinking, weakening your ability to communicate real value. Learn how AI companies balance cost, value, and scale using the "two dials" of pricing—credit price vs. credit consumption—and why this changes how you design pricing systems. Avoid the hidden design traps that break credit models—including overages, rollovers, and pooling decisions that frustrate buyers and limit growth.   "AI is still early. Value is not preordained. Credits give you flexibility while you figure it out."  – Steven Forth   Topics Covered: 01:43 – Why Credits Break Value-Based Pricing (And Create Buyer Confusion). Mark explains why credits add a layer of abstraction between price and value—making it harder for buyers to connect what they pay to the outcomes they get. 05:47 – The Hidden Shift to Cost-Plus Pricing in AI. Why tokens = cost-plus pricing, and how rising compute costs are quietly pushing SaaS companies away from value-based pricing without realizing it. 10:11 – The "Two Dials" Strategy: How Credits Unlock Pricing Flexibility. Discover how adjusting price per credit vs. credits per action creates a more adaptable system—without constantly changing your pricing model. 12:05 – The Hardest Problem Nobody Solves: Mapping Credits to Value. Why most companies fail at credit pricing—not because of the model itself, but because they skip the deep work of aligning credits with real customer value. 15:22 – The 3 Critical Design Decisions That Make or Break Credits. A breakdown of pooling, rollovers, and overages—and how each one impacts buyer trust, revenue predictability, and product usage. 21:57 – Overage Mistakes That Kill Adoption (And What to Do Instead). Why hard stops frustrate users and reduce usage, plus smarter alternatives like soft limits, borrowing, and on-demand credit purchases. 25:34 – The Emerging Best Practice: Hybrid Credit + Subscription Models. How leading companies combine base subscriptions with flexible credit top-ups to balance predictability with scalability. 27:00 – The Only Rule That Matters: Understand How You Create Value. Steven's closing insight: pricing models don't matter if you don't deeply understand how your value is created—and how it's changing over time.   Key Takeaways: "Credits add a layer of abstraction between price and value—and that's what makes them dangerous." – Mark Stiving "Tokens are cost-plus pricing. Credits give you a way to reconnect pricing back to value." – Steven Forth "Buyers are much more flexible with credits than with price increases." – Steven Forth "Credits feel easier to allocate internally—because they've already been 'spent." – Mark Stiving "Hard stops on usage are bad design—they hurt both the buyer and the seller." – Steven Forth "Well-designed credit systems are actually buyer-centric—they give flexibility across different use cases." – Steven Forth    Resources and People Mentioned: Lovable (AI platform) – Referenced for its approach to on-demand credit purchasing and overage design, including A/B testing credit top-ups to improve revenue and user experience Box (company) – Example of a company implementing restricted credit pooling rules (e.g., limited sharing of AI credits), highlighting tension between buyer flexibility and revenue protection AI Token Pricing Models – Discussed as a contrast to credits; tokens represent cost-plus pricing tied to compute usage, while credits can be designed to reflect value instead of just cost Cell Phone Industry (Rollover & Subscription Models) – Referenced as the origin of many modern SaaS pricing mechanics like rollovers, ARR, and customer lifetime value thinking, influencing today's credit-based systems   Connect with Steven Forth: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenforth/  Email: steven@valueiq.ai Subscribe to Steven's Substack: Synthetic data in pricing: https://pricinginnovation.substack.com/p/synthetic-data-in-pricing   Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on January 19, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/we-lost-on-price-truthful-and-useless/ 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/

Jim Kalbach is the Chief Evangelist at Mural, where he helps teams uncover what customers actually need—not just what they say they want. Known for his work in Jobs to Be Done, experience mapping, and innovation, Jim has spent years helping organizations see beyond their products and into how buyers really think, decide, and act. In this episode, we unpack a simple but often overlooked truth: buyers don't start with problems—they start with solutions. Jim walks us through what's really happening beneath the surface—from how buyers recognize (or miss) their own problems, to how they search, evaluate, and eventually decide when to stop looking. Along the way, you'll learn how identifying unmet needs doesn't just improve your product—it sharpens your messaging, builds trust faster, and gives you a clearer path to pricing around real value.   Why you have to check out today's podcast: Understand why buyers struggle to explain their own problems and how removing the solution from the conversation reveals what they actually need. Learn how Jobs to Be Done helps you predict buyer behavior by uncovering the unmet needs driving their decisions. Understand the moment buyers stop searching and how aligning with their real problem builds trust and increases conversion.   "Understand the problems first—and then price around that." – Jim Kalbach   Topics Covered: 02:08 – Why Buyers Struggle to Express Their Problems. Learn why buyers default to solutions instead of articulating real needs—and how that limits insight. 05:57 – The Jobs to Be Done Mindset Explained. Discover how removing the solution from the conversation helps uncover true customer problems. 10:06 – The Layers of Problems in Sales. Understand how to navigate from surface-level needs to deeper value-driving problems. 12:43 – Why Buyers Are Predicting the Future. Explore how every purchase is a bet on future outcomes—and what builds buyer confidence. 14:37 – Identifying Unmet Needs in the Market. Learn how uncovering unmet needs improves product-market fit, messaging, and adoption. 18:45 – Building Trust by Understanding Problems First. See how recognizing a buyer's problem before they articulate it creates instant credibility. 21:22 – Shifting from Product Thinking to Human Problems. Why focusing on the human problem—not the product—makes selling and pricing easier. 25:47 – Core Principles of the Jobs to Be Done Framework. Break down the key idea: temporarily remove the solution to better understand the job. 27:29 – Pricing Around Value Creation. Why pricing should be anchored in the problems you solve—not the product you sell.   Key Takeaways: "Try to understand the value that you can create by shifting your attention to the problems that you solve." – Jim Kalbach "The power of jobs to be done is let's not see things only through the lens of our own solution." – Jim Kalbach "Jobs to be done is trying to predict the future by creating a solution that fills an unmet need." – Jim Kalbach   Resources and People Mentioned: Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) – Framework for understanding customer behavior by focusing. Henry Ford – Referenced for the "faster horse" analogy, illustrating how customers describe needs based on existing solutions. Theodore Levitt – Known for the classic insight: people don't want a drill, they want a hole—used here to illustrate layers of customer problems.   Connect with Jim Kalbach: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalbach  Website: www.jtbdtoolkit.com Jobs to be Done Playbook: https://experiencinginformation.com/jtbd-playbook/    Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

If buyers need to believe the value before they buy…why don't they trust ROI when we show it to them? In Episode 5 of the Buyer Decision Series, Mark Stiving and Rebecca Kalogeris explore how to actually help buyers quantify value in a way they believe. Because the real value conversation doesn't start with spreadsheets or ROI calculators — it starts by helping buyers connect their problems to measurable outcomes they already care about. Discover how guiding buyers to use their own assumptions, their own numbers, and their own logic transforms value from something you claim… into something they trust — and why that trust is what ultimately increases the confidence needed to say yes.   Why you have to check out today's podcast: Discover why buyers don't trust ROI; even when your numbers are right and how this skepticism silently kills deals and drives unnecessary discounting Learn how to guide buyers to calculate value using their own numbers so the outcome feels credible, defensible, and worth paying for Master a simple framework to connect features to real business impact; turning vague problems into measurable results buyers can justify internally   Catch Up on the #BuyerDecisionSeries: Episode 1: Buying Is a Prediction of the Future  Episode 2: Buyers Buy Futures, Not Features Episode 3: What Buyers Actually Pay For Episode 4: Why Buyers Can't Articulate Their Real Problems (And Why That Matters for Pricing)   "Buyers believe it more when they use their own numbers than when you tell them the answer." — Mark Stiving   Topics Covered: 00:00 – Why Buyers Don't Trust ROI (Even When It's True).  The core problem: telling buyers the value doesn't build confidence — it often creates skepticism. 01:30 – The Value Table: Turning Features into Business Impact. A simple framework — Feature → Problem → Result → KPI — to connect what you sell to what buyers actually care about. 03:30 – The Hardest Step: Defining the Real Problem. Why companies (not just buyers) struggle to articulate the problem — and how the "curse of knowledge" gets in the way. 05:00 – From KPIs to Money: Where Value Actually Comes From. How to link metrics like churn or productivity to real financial impact (cost savings or revenue growth). 06:30 – Step 2: How to Quantify Value in a Live Conversation. How to guide buyers through their own logic — starting from their problems and moving toward measurable outcomes. 08:00 – Let the Buyer Do the Math (And Why It Works). Why using their assumptions and their numbers makes the value more believable than any pitch. 09:30 – Why Smaller Numbers Increase Credibility. Using conservative estimates builds trust — and still leads to compelling value. 10:30 – Why ROI Calculators Backfire (and What to Do Instead). Big, polished numbers feel manipulative — buyers trust what they help build. 11:15 – The Real Goal: Build Confidence, Not Just Prove Value. Quantifying value isn't about proving ROI — it's about making buyers believe the decision is right.   Key Takeaways: "When we can articulate problems to our buyers, they trust us more." — Mark Stiving "If we could solve this problem for you, what do you think that's going to do for your employee turnover?" — Mark Stiving "The buyer...once they've done the math and used their own numbers, they believe this way more than if you walked in and said, we're going to save you a million dollars." — Mark Stiving "We show that we understand their business, which is key." — Rebecca Kalogeris   Connect with Rebecca Kalogeris: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-kalogeris   Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on January 12, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/ai-didnt-kill-per-user-pricing-it-exposed-it/ 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/

If value comes from solving problems… why do buyers struggle to explain the problems they actually have? In Episode 4 of the Buyer Decision Series, Mark Stiving and Rebecca Kalogeris explore why buyers often jump straight to solutions instead of clearly articulating their problems. But the real value conversation doesn't start with features or products — it starts with understanding the problem behind the purchase. Discover why the sellers who understand a buyer's problems best are the ones buyers trust most… and why that trust increases the confidence needed to say yes.   Why you have to check out today's podcast: Understand why value only exists when a real problem is being solved—and why no problem means no value. Learn why buyers often jump to solutions and features instead of articulating their real problems. See why the best sales conversations focus less on products and more on diagnosing the buyer's situation.   Catch Up on the #BuyerDecisionSeries: Episode 1: Buying Is a Prediction of the Future  Episode 2: Buyers Buy Futures, Not Features  Episode 3: What Buyers Actually Pay For   "If there's no problem, there's no value." — Mark Stiving   Topics Covered: 00:00 – The Question Most Buyers Never Stop to Ask.  Mark opens with a simple but powerful question: what problem are we actually trying to solve? The starting point behind value — and why most buyers skip it. 02:00 – The Rule That Explains Why Value Only Exists When Problems Exist. Mark introduces the second half of the Second Law of Value: value is the result of solving problems. If there's no meaningful problem, there's no reason to pay. 02:28 – The "Drill Aisle" Mistake Buyers Make. Why buyers walk into a store asking for a drill instead of understanding what they actually need — and how jumping straight to solutions leads to bad decisions. 05:12 – Why Feature-Focused Buyers Often Choose the Wrong Solution. From cars to CRM systems, buyers instinctively compare features instead of identifying the deeper problems they're trying to solve. 08:09 – The Question That Instantly Builds Buyer Trust. Why great sellers ask deeper questions about context and behavior — revealing problems the buyer hasn't fully articulated. 09:55 – The Confidence Equation Behind Every Buying Decision. Mark revisits the confidence framework — payoff, probability, and anticipated regret — and explains why understanding problems increases the probability a buyer believes your solution will work. 11:04 – The "Doctor Test" for Great Selling. Rebecca compares great sellers to doctors: when someone clearly diagnoses your problem, you immediately trust their solution. 12:48 – The Next Puzzle: Turning Problems Into Measurable Value. Mark previews the next episode: how companies can help buyers quantify value once the real problems are understood.   Key Takeaways: "Buyers typically are horrible at articulating their own problems."  — Mark Stiving "Nobody cares about your product. What they care about are the problems you can solve and the results they'll achieve."  — Mark Stiving "The better a salesperson is at understanding your problems, the more likely you are to believe that solution solves your problem."  — Mark Stiving "When someone can articulate your problem with nuance and detail, suddenly you believe they can solve it." — Mark Stiving "Confidence changes when someone demonstrates they truly understand your situation." — Rebecca Kalogeris   People / Concepts Mentioned: Theodore Levitt. Referenced for the famous insight: "People don't want a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole." Jobs to Be Done. A framework focused on understanding the underlying job a customer is trying to accomplish.   Connect with Rebecca Kalogeris: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-kalogeris   Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on January 5, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/price-is-the-tradeoff/ 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/