Podcast appearances and mentions of simon kucher

In der Produktentwicklung entstehen laufend neue Erkenntnisse – aus Kundeninterviews, Tests, technischen Fragen sowie den Erfahrungen von Marketing, Vertrieb und Service. Doch wenn jeder Bereich nur für sich lernt, wird das Produkt als Ganzes trotzdem nicht besser. In dieser Folge geht es darum, wie verteiltes Wissen zusammengeführt und gemeinsam gedeutet werden kann. Denn was nützt ein relevantes Kundenbedürfnis, wenn die Lösung technisch kaum umsetzbar, schwer erklärbar oder nicht verkäuflich ist? Erst wenn die beteiligten Bereiche ihre Erkenntnisse miteinander verbinden, entsteht ein tragfähiges Produktbild. Du erfährst, warum Produktentwicklung eine gemeinsame Lernarchitektur braucht und wie du sie aufbauen kannst. Die Folge ist relevant für alle, die Produkte oder neue Angebote entwickeln und dafür sorgen wollen, dass Erkenntnisse nicht in einzelnen Bereichen hängen bleiben, sondern in die Weiterentwicklung des Produkts einfließen.

Neue Produkte sind entwickelt, die Unterlagen sind fertig und der Vertrieb ist geschult – trotzdem werden die neuen Lösungen nicht verkauft. Häufig wird dann an Präsentationen, Claims oder Verkaufsargumenten nachgebessert. Doch meistens liegt das eigentliche Problem nicht im Material, sondern viel früher. Dem Vertrieb fehlt ein klarer Anlass für das Kundengespräch: Warum sollte der Kunde gerade jetzt über diese neue Lösung sprechen? Wenn diese Situation nicht klar ist, kann der Vertrieb das Produkt zwar erklären, aber nicht überzeugend verkaufen. Das führt zu Unsicherheit. Die ersten Gespräche verlaufen schwierig, der Erfolg bleibt aus – und am Ende verkauft der Vertrieb lieber wieder die Produkte, die bereits funktionieren.

Is the American Dream still alive? And if it has changed, who stands to win? Who stands to lose? Simon-Kucher recently conducted an exhaustive survey of more than 5,000 Americans across all income levels and demographics to answer exactly these questions. The findings have profound implications for consumers, retailers, brands, and, frankly, any business that serves them. Omni Talk is pleased to welcome Shikha Jain, Partner and Head of Consumer for North America at Simon-Kucher and the architect of this landmark research, to a special installment of our Ask an Expert webinar series. Joining Chris Walton, Shikha unpacks how years of economic uncertainty, inflation, and shifting consumer priorities are redefining the American Dream and what those changes mean for businesses looking to stay ahead. Read the full Simon-Kucher "New American Dream" study discussed in this episode: https://www.simon-kucher.com/en/insights/new-american-dream Key topics covered: • How Americans across generations define the modern American Dream • Why younger consumers remain optimistic, even as they believe success is harder to achieve • The rise of financial stability, personal freedom, and life experiences over traditional status symbols • How inflation and the ongoing "permacrisis" are reshaping consumer spending habits • Why Gen Z and Millennials are prioritizing experiences over material possessions • The growing comfort younger generations have with debt and what that signals for future consumption • How retailers should rethink pricing, promotions, assortments, and customer experiences • Why experiential retail and stronger value propositions are becoming competitive necessities • The importance of combining customer data with ongoing consumer research to stay ahead • How AI could fundamentally reshape consumer behavior and the future of the American Dream Whether you're a retailer, marketer, consumer insights leader, or simply fascinated by how economic and cultural shifts influence buying behavior, this conversation offers research-backed insights into the forces shaping today's consumer and tomorrow's retail landscape. P.S. To explore more conversations from the Omni Talk Ask an Expert Series, head here: https://omnitalk.blog/category/ask-an-expert/ Music by hooksounds.com Sponsored Content

Der Kunde versteht den Nutzen – und sagt trotzdem: „Ganz schön teuer.“ Kommt dir bekannt vor? In dieser Folge geht es genau um diese Situation im Vertrieb: Nicht fehlender Nutzen ist das Problem, sondern der Maßstab, an dem der Kunde ihn bewertet. Du erfährst, warum selbst ein sauber hergeleiteter Business Case nicht automatisch zum passenden Preisgefühl führt, welche Rolle Vergleichswerte, Anker und interne Logiken auf Kundenseite spielen und warum guter Nutzen allein nicht reicht. Es geht darum, wie du im Gespräch herausfindest, womit dein Angebot eigentlich verglichen wird – und wie du durch klares Framing dafür sorgst, dass dein Wert auch richtig eingeordnet wird.

In dieser Folge spricht Host Dr. Sebastian Voigt mit Daniel Meyer, Principal Monetization & Value Creation bei sofatutor, Deutschlands größter Lernplattform für Schulkinder, über das Spannungsfeld zwischen Eltern, die kaufen, Kindern, die nutzen, und Lehrkräften, die Vertrauen stiften. Sofatutor verkauft B2C-Abos zwischen 8 und 20 Euro, differenziert dabei aber bewusst nach Funktionsumfang statt nach Fach oder Klassenstufe. Dynamisches Pricing nach Segmenten bleibt deshalb in absehbarer Zukunft keine Option. Daniel bringt das Prinzip auf den Punkt: „Man muss da auch immer die Balance wahren, zwischen Monetarisierung auf der einen Seite und Fairness auf der anderen Seite." Sprich: Auch eine Fünf in Mathe macht das Abo nicht teurer. Das Schulgeschäft funktioniert strukturell anders als der B2C-Kern, denn Lehrkräfte-Accounts stiften zwar Vertrauen bei Eltern, sind laut Daniel aber kein direkter Sales-Hebel. Bei KI erwartet Daniel, dass sich die Unternehmenslandschaft künftig in zwei Lager spaltet, nämlich in Firmen, die von KI disruptiert werden, und Firmen, die KI nutzen, um ihren Vorteil weiter auszubauen. Entscheidend dafür sind interne Prozesse, kundenseitige KI-Features und vor allem die Distribution. Über den Gast Daniel Meyer ist seit über vier Jahren Principal Monetization & Value Creation bei sofatutor, mit Fokus auf Pricing im B2C-Elterngeschäft und im B2B-Schulgeschäft. Zuvor durchlief er bei Simon-Kucher die Karriereleiter vom Praktikanten bis zum Senior Manager.

OKRs sollen Fokus schaffen, Prioritäten klären und Strategie in die Umsetzung bringen. In der Praxis passiert oft das Gegenteil: Die Ziele kommen zusätzlich zum Tagesgeschäft dazu – und aus Fokus wird Überlastung. In dieser Folge geht es um einen typischen Denkfehler bei der Einführung von OKRs: Viele Unternehmen formulieren neue Objectives, ohne wirklich zu entscheiden, was dafür weniger, später oder gar nicht mehr gemacht wird. Dann wird Strategie nicht priorisiert, sondern gestapelt. Wenn du OKRs gerade einführst – oder merkst, dass sie bei euch eher zusätzliche Last als Klarheit erzeugen – bekommst du in dieser Folge konkrete Denkanstöße für mehr Fokus, echte Priorisierung und wirksame Strategieumsetzung.

Send us Fan MailThe consumer and retail consulting market is fragmenting. Specialists are winning deals that used to go to the big firms – and the clients driving that shift aren't going back.2 partners from this year's Top Consumer & Retail Consulting Firms ranking break it down. Keith Fogerty from Advancy and Shikha Jain from Simon-Kucher share what's actually happening in the market – revenue growth pressure, AI's real role, private equity's tightening standards, and why a pretty PowerPoint that collects dust is a failed engagement.If you're building a career in consumer or retail consulting, or running a practice in this space, this is the market intelligence you can't get anywhere else.Full speaker bios and firm profiles here.Resources:See this year's Top Consumer & Retail Consulting Firms rankingReady to break into a top consulting firm? Black Belt is where serious candidates get the coaching to do itExplore top firms hiring in Consumer and Retail on the Management Consulted Job BoardConnect With Management ConsultedCreate a free MC account or download the MC app (Apple, Android) to start your prep todaySchedule a free 15min consultation with the MC TeamWatch the video version of the podcast on YouTubeFollow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTokJoin an upcoming live event – case interviews demos, expert panels, and more

Wirtschaftlicher Druck und KI verändern die Monetarisierung von Kleinanzeigen-Plattformen und Marktplätzen. Anne Ringbeck und Dr. Sebastian Voigt kennen die Branche aus erster Hand: Gemeinsam haben sie an mehr als 50 Pricing-Modellen in über 20 Ländern auf vier Kontinenten gearbeitet. Anne Ringbeck, Senior Vice President bei hy, hat gemeinsam mit ihrem Team in Experteninterviews mit Executives von Kleinanzeigen-Portalen und Marktplätzen gesprochen und die Erkenntnisse in der Studie "The Future of Classifieds and Marketplace Monetization" zusammengetragen. Sie diskutieren die wichtigsten Preismodelle, ob “Post and Pray” noch die Zukunft ist und ob KI die Kleinanzeigenbranche zerstört oder zum nächsten Wachstumstreiber wird. Anne sagt, die Studie zeigt: „Pricing wird komplexer, individueller und Daten spielen eine größere Rolle. Die Preisgestaltung ist keine einfache Überarbeitung der Preisliste auf einer Website mehr, sondern eine datenbasierte und strukturierte Angelegenheit." Ihr findet ihre Studie „The Future of Classifieds and Marketplace Monetization" hier: https://bit.ly/4w83enF  Über den Gast Anne Ringbeck ist Senior Vice President bei hy und eine echte Pricing-Expertin. Sie hat ihren Master an der WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management gemacht und startete ihre Karriere bei Simon-Kucher im Bereich Pricing und Commercial Excellence. Anschließend leitete sie gemeinsam mit Dr. Sebastian Voigt das Pricing-Monetization-Team bei Axel Springer und beriet Plattformen wie StepStone, ImmoScout24, Immowelt und Idealo. Danach wechselte sie zur Aviv Group, einer Holding von Immobilienplattformen in Europa, und sammelte bei HeyJobs im Bereich HR und Recruiting operative Erfahrung.

In dieser Podcast-Folge geht es darum, warum viele Strategien nach der Roadshow schnell wieder aus dem Arbeitsalltag verschwinden. Nicht, weil sie abgelehnt werden, sondern weil sie zwar erklärt, aber nicht für konkrete Entscheidungen nutzbar gemacht werden. In Budgetrunden, Projektpriorisierungen, Vertriebsmeetings oder Führungskreisen zeigt sich dann: Die Strategie ist bekannt, taucht aber bei Entscheidungen nicht mehr auf. Michael Stiller erklärt, warum wirksame Strategiekommunikation mehr leisten muss als Verständnis zu erzeugen. Sie muss vorbereiten, woran künftig entschieden wird, wofür die Strategie auch ein klares Nein braucht und wie Führungskräfte die neue Richtung im Alltag sprachfähig machen.

Introduction The rules that governed software pricing for a decade are breaking down. Per-user SaaS models made sense when users were people. Now that AI is automating those seats, the pricing logic collapses — and carriers, brokers, and insurtech vendors are all rethinking the economics at the same time. Michael Nadel is a partner and head of the global insurance practice at Simon-Kucher & Partners. He joined Josh Hollander for his second appearance on the show to dig into what the AI era is actually doing to monetization — from the pricing mistakes early movers keep making, to why outcome-based models are harder to execute than they are to sell, to a 50,000-session LLM shopping simulation that revealed what could become the next SEO arms race for insurance carriers.   Guest Bio Michael Nadel is a partner and head of the global insurance practice at Simon-Kucher & Partners, a global strategy consultancy focused on growth, pricing, and monetization. Before consulting, he spent time at CNA in strategy and innovation, and earlier led large-scale financial services implementation work at Accenture. He advises carriers, brokers, MGAs, and insurtech vendors on pricing strategy, and co-hosts an annual monetization masterclass at InsureTech Connect.   Key Topics From offense to defense — A year ago, clients asked how to monetize new AI features. Today the questions are more defensive: how does AI threaten my core product, my pricing model, and my existing revenue base? The two biggest AI pricing mistakes — Pricing before understanding what customers actually value, and jumping to outcome-based models before you can define or reliably deliver the outcome. Outcome-based pricing is the destination, not the shortcut — Buyers love paying only when value is delivered. The problem is definitional complexity — what counts as the outcome, who controls it, and what happens when results fall short. AI spend that looks like RPA in new packaging — Carriers running well-designed AI programs focus on workflow economics, not technology for its own sake. The recommended split: 70% on high-value workflow automation, 20% on data and governance, 10% on exploratory bets. GEO: the next SEO — Simon-Kucher simulated 50,000 insurance shopping sessions across 50 consumer personas and three major LLMs. What gets a carrier recommended by an LLM is not the same as what gets them ranked on Google. CMOs need to decide how to treat LLMs as a distribution channel now. Services businesses face the same disruption — Pure labor arbitrage is structurally challenged by AI. Firms that survive will combine domain expertise with AI-enabled delivery and evolve from vendors to partners.   Notable Quotes "You need to understand what people value before you prescribe a price. But very often, people build something, bring it to market, and then try to figure out why it isn't selling." "Automating a bad process simply creates a faster bad process." "It's not replacing system X with system Y — it's changing the way you work fundamentally. Orange juice to lemonade. Not a better way to make orange juice." "Last year, roughly one percent of our traffic came from LLMs. This year it was roughly five percent and increasing."   Resources Guest: Simon-Kucher & Partners: https://www.simon-kucher.com Michael Nadel on LinkedIn: (verify and add URL) Host & Organization: Joshua R. Hollander on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuarhollander/ Horton International (USA): https://www.horton-usa.com/ Insurtech Leadership Podcast: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/insurtech-leadership-show   Subscribe & Review If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe on your favorite platform and leave a review. The Insurtech Leadership Podcast is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

In dieser Podcast-Folge geht es darum, warum scheinbar klare Begriffe in Unternehmen oft zu Missverständnissen führen. Wörter wie „Lead“, „Priorität“ oder „Kunde“ werden zwar von allen benutzt – aber nicht automatisch gleich verstanden. Michael Stiller zeigt, wie dadurch Missverständnisse und falsche Erwartungen zwischen Marketing, Vertrieb und Führung entstehen. Und warum bessere Zusammenarbeit manchmal nicht mit mehr Prozessen beginnt, sondern mit der Klärung der Begriffe, nach denen Teams arbeiten.

„Können Sie noch etwas am Preis machen?“ – eine Frage, die im Vertrieb nahezu garantiert kommt. Und trotzdem führt sie oft zu vorschnellen Reaktionen: erklären, verteidigen oder direkt nachgeben. In dieser Folge geht es nicht darum, ob Rabatt gefordert wird, sondern wann – und was diese Stelle im Gespräch wirklich bedeutet. Denn die Rabattfrage ist selten das eigentliche Problem. Sie ist ein Signal. Je nach Zeitpunkt kann sie auf ein normales Einkaufsritual hindeuten, auf Unsicherheit im Vergleich, fehlende interne Argumente oder eine Schwäche in der Nutzenargumentation. Genau hier entscheidet sich, ob Ihr unnötig Marge verliert – oder das Gespräch wieder in die richtige Richtung lenkt. Ihr erfahrt, wie Ihr Rabattfragen besser einordnet, gezielt nachfragt und den „Rabattreflex“ vermeidet.

„Da müssen wir jetzt was machen!“ – ein Satz, der in vielen Unternehmen fällt, sobald erste Signale aus dem Markt auftauchen: Kunden fragen nach Sonderlösungen, Wettbewerber bewegen sich, der Vertrieb bringt neue Impulse mit. Das Problem: Oft wird gehandelt, bevor überhaupt klar ist, was diese Signale wirklich bedeuten. In dieser Folge geht es genau um diesen Schritt davor: Wie unterscheiden Sie Einzelfälle von echten Mustern? Wann entsteht wirklich relevanter Bedarf – und wann reagieren Sie nur auf Marktrauschen? Denn genau hier passieren die teuersten Fehler: Aus einzelnen Stimmen werden Projekte. Aus Ideen entsteht Aufwand. Und am Ende stellt sich die Frage, ob es überhaupt ein echtes Problem zu lösen gab. Dazu bekommen Sie ein klares Denkmodell, mit dem Sie Signale einordnen, sauber bewerten und fundierte Entscheidungen vorbereiten – bevor Ressourcen gebunden werden.

In vielen Statusmeetings sieht auf den ersten Blick alles gut aus: Die Ampeln stehen auf Grün, Maßnahmen sind dokumentiert, Risiken werden erwähnt und der Fortschritt wirkt nachvollziehbar. Und trotzdem passiert oft zu wenig. Denn viele Statusberichte schaffen zwar Transparenz, führen aber nicht zu echter Steuerung. Sie zeigen, woran gearbeitet wird. Sie zeigen, welche Themen offen sind. Aber sie machen nicht klar, welche Entscheidung jetzt gebraucht wird. In dieser Folge geht es darum, warum genau das in vielen Organisationen passiert – und weshalb ein grüner Status nicht automatisch bedeutet, dass wirklich geführt und gesteuert wird.

"Strategic partnerships — what a buzzword this has become in our industry." Kaan Fabian-Kekec and Clarita Havermeier at Simon-Kucher, unveiled exclusive new research at the start of CDMO Live Europe 2026.The research by Simon-Kucher and PharmaSource draws on 120+ senior executives across pharma and CDMOs globally. It reveals many areas of goal alignment, but highlights an execution gap as late-phase CDMOs are meeting established pharma's expectations just 44% of the time. The widest gaps are not quality or timelines. It's pricing and supply resilience.Listen to this recording from CDMO Live Europe 2026 and read the article

Self-Service gilt als Königsweg der Digitalisierung: weniger Aufwand, geringere Kosten, schnellere Prozesse. Doch in dem Moment, in dem es für den Kunden kompliziert wird, zeigt sich, ob der Service wirklich gut gedacht ist. Denn das Problem entsteht oft nicht dort, wo der digitale Prozess an seine Grenze kommt – sondern dort, wo der Übergang zum Menschen nicht funktioniert. Wenn Kunden dann alles noch einmal erklären müssen, kippt die Wahrnehmung: aus Effizienz wird Frust. In dieser Folge geht es genau um diesen kritischen Moment: Warum Self-Service nur dann kundenzentriert ist, wenn er einen klaren und reibungsarmen Weg zum Menschen enthält. Und warum der Wechsel zum persönlichen Kontakt kein Scheitern ist, sondern ein Qualitätsmerkmal guten Servicedesigns.

In dieser Folge geht es um Sales Playbooks und die Frage, warum viele davon im Vertrieb kaum genutzt werden. Michael Stiller erklärt, warum ein Playbook keine Wissenssammlung und kein Trainingsordner sein sollte, sondern eine Arbeitsgrundlage für wiederkehrende Vertriebssituationen. Dabei grenzt er das Playbook von Selling Story und Verkaufsleitfaden ab: Die Selling Story erklärt, warum ein Angebot relevant ist, der Verkaufsleitfaden unterstützt das Gespräch, das Playbook hilft bei Entscheidungen. Außerdem geht es um Zielkunden, Gesprächspfad, Proof, Next Step und Stoppkriterien. Die Folge zeigt, wie Playbooks schlank bleiben und im Alltag, im Kundengespräch und im Pipeline-Review wirksam werden.

Viele Unternehmen glauben: Mehr Produkte = mehr Umsatz. Die Realität sieht anders aus. Mehr Angebote bedeuten für Kunden vor allem eines: mehr Entscheidungsstress. In dieser Folge spricht Michael Stiller darüber, warum Cross-Selling fast nie daran scheitert, dass Unternehmen zu wenig im Portfolio haben – sondern daran, dass sie zu wenig sortieren. Kunden wollen keinen Rundgang durchs Produktlager, sondern den nächsten sinnvollen Schritt, der zu ihrem Alltag passt. Anhand konkreter Beispiele – u. a. aus der Energiebranche und dem B2B-Umfeld – zeigt Michael, warum eine riesige Auswahl an Produkten kontraproduktiv ist und wie eine klare Cross-Selling-Reihenfolge aufgebaut werden kann

Warum werden Entscheidungen in Management-Meetings immer wieder vertagt – obwohl eigentlich genug Informationen auf dem Tisch liegen? In dieser Folge geht es genau um dieses Problem: Entscheidungen scheitern selten an fehlenden Daten, sondern daran, dass unklar ist, was eigentlich entschieden werden soll und wie. Michael Stiller zeigt, warum der reflexartige Ruf nach „mehr Daten“, „noch einer Analyse“ oder „einer zusätzlichen Studie“ häufig nur Zeit kostet, aber keine Entscheidung näherbringt. Der eigentliche Fehler liegt meist davor: Es fehlt eine klare Entscheidungslogik. Dazu unterscheidet er drei grundlegende Entscheidungsprobleme, die in der Praxis oft vermischt oder gar nicht benannt werden: - Zielprobleme (Was wollen wir eigentlich erreichen?), - Suchprobleme (Welche Informationen brauchen wir wirklich?), - Auswahlprobleme (Nach welchen Kriterien entscheiden wir?). Anhand typischer Situationen aus Management-Meetings erklärt er, - warum unklare Ziele Entscheidungen blockieren, - wie zu breite Informationssuche Prozesse verlangsamt, - und weshalb fehlende Auswahlregeln Diskussionen politisch statt wirksam machen.

Viele Marken wirken austauschbar, weil sie nicht zu wenig, sondern zu viele Verkaufsargumente haben. Claims, Nutzenversprechen und Produktargumente werden immer weiter angereichert, bis am Ende alles drinsteht, was irgendwie „gut klingt“. Das Problem: Genau das sagen auch alle anderen. In dieser Folge geht es darum, warum zu viele Verkaufsargumente Eure Positionierung verwässern – und weshalb Differenzierung oft kleiner wird, je mehr ihr versprechen wollt. Du erfährst: • warum zusätzliche Argumente Euch nicht interessanter, sondern vergleichbarer machen • weshalb Differenzierung nicht mit Storytelling beginnt, sondern mit radikalem Streichen • welche einfache Prüffrage generische Claims sofort entlarvt • was ein gutes Verkaufsargument leisten muss

Wenn der Absatz fehlt, wird oft reflexhaft nach mehr Leads gerufen.In dieser Folge zeigt Michael Stiller, warum genau das häufig die falsche Priorität ist. Statt im Marketing liegt die teuerste Lücke oft zwischen Marketing und Vertrieb – dort, wo aus Interesse ein Gespräch und aus einem Gespräch eine echte Chance werden soll. Die Folge macht vier typische Bruchstellen sichtbar: zu frühe Übergaben, zu langsame Reaktion, fehlender Kontext und kein sauberer Rückkanal. Außerdem ordnet sie das Thema mit Studien aus der Harvard Business Review und mit der Logik klarer Checklisten ein. Es geht also nicht um mehr Aktivität, sondern um mehr Zuverlässigkeit im System – mit Michael Stiller, Geschäftsführer von effektweit.

Viele Verkaufsgespräche scheitern angeblich am Preis. Tatsächlich scheitern sie daran, dass über Zahlen gesprochen wird, bevor klar ist, welchen Wert ein Angebot überhaupt hat. In dieser Folge geht es darum, warum der erste genannte Preis immer den falschen Rahmen setzt – und wie sich Gespräche verändern, wenn zuerst über Nutzen, Wirkung und Wirtschaftlichkeit gesprochen wird.

Viele Unternehmen mangelt es nicht an Daten oder Analysen, die den Ist‑Zustand beschreiben. Was jedoch häufig fehlt: dass diese Analysen tatsächlich eine Entscheidung oder konkrete Handlung auslösen. Wer kennt's nicht? Das Team tagt, 40‑Seiten‑Analysen werden präsentiert … alle nicken – und trotzdem passiert nichts. In dieser Folge erklärt Michael Stiller, was Analysen brauchen, um echte Bewegung auszulösen. Er zeigt fünf zentrale Regeln, die ihr in euren Analysen unbedingt berücksichtigen solltet, damit daraus Klarheit, Dringlichkeit und wirkungsvolle Entscheidungen entstehen – statt reiner Erkenntnis ohne Konsequenz.

In vielen Unternehmen werden in Meetings endlose KPI‑Listen heruntergerattert – ohne echte Erkenntnisse und vor allem ohne Entscheidungen. 50 KPIs in 60 Minuten? Monatsreports mit 180 Slides? Willkommen im Paradox of Choice: Je mehr Zahlen, desto weniger passiert. In dieser Folge zeigt Dir Michael Stiller, welche 5 entscheidenden Regeln Du für ein wirksames KPI‑Set brauchst – und wie Du mit einem fokussierten Ansatz endlich wieder steuerst statt nur reportest.

Der europäische Brillenmarkt wächst von 57 auf 83 Milliarden US-Dollar bis 2034, angetrieben von einer alternden Bevölkerung, der Brille als Fashionprodukt und einer globalen Myopie-Krise. Sebastian Voigt spricht mit Dr. Tim Frommeyer, Head of Category Management bei Mr. Spex, über einen Markt, der nach außen vergleichbar wirkt und es bei näherer Betrachtung kaum ist. Das liegt am Glas: individuell gefertigt, in Hunderten Varianten, für Kunden nahezu unvergleichbar. Mr. Spex nutzt das konsequent mit einem Good-Better-Best-Glassortiment, einer Eigenmarke mit über zehn Prozent Umsatzanteil und MrSpex Switch, einem Mietmodell für zwei Brillen über zwei Jahre zum Kaufpreis minus 15 Prozent. Dazu gibt Frommeyer eine pointierte Einschätzung zu Rabattkampagnen im Markt: "Sind Kampagnen dafür da, den Umsatz zu pushen, der sowieso gekommen wäre, und sich dann für eine gute Kampagne zu feiern, oder hat man damit gezielt Zusatzkäufe generiert?" Außerdem in dieser Folge: Warum der Sehtest der letzte Schritt ist, den die Branche nicht digitalisieren kann, und was das für die Omnichannel-Strategie von Mr. Spex bedeutet. Wie Sonnenbrillen-Pricing auf Wetterdaten reagiert und warum Luxusmarken wie Prada oder Miu Miu strukturell preisstabil bleiben. Und welche Rolle Smart Glasses und Myopie-Technologie in den nächsten Jahren spielen werden. Über den Gast  Dr. Tim Frommeyer studierte und promovierte in Volkswirtschaftslehre an der Universität Bonn mit Schwerpunkt Spieltheorie. Danach war er mehrere Jahre bei Simon-Kucher & Partners im Bereich Pricing und Monetarisierung tätig. Seit 2022 ist er bei Mr. Spex im Category Management und verantwortet die Kategorien Kontaktlinsen und Brillengläser.

Viele Strategien klingen auf dem Papier überzeugend – im Alltag verändert sich trotzdem wenig. In dieser Folge schauen wir uns an, wie du deine Strategie nicht auf der Bühne inszenierst, sondern im Alltag testest. Schritt für Schritt. Du erfährst, wie du aus deiner Strategie fünf konkrete Mini-Experimente machst: eine klare Wenn‑Dann-Entscheidungsregel, ein Alltagstrigger für strategisches Denken, ein bewusst kleiner Schritt pro Team, drei einfache Fortschrittsmarker und ein wöchentliches „Montags‑Nein“, mit dem du Ballast abwirfst. Anhand von Beispielen aus Energiewirtschaft und B2B wird deutlich, wie Entscheider:innen in Strategie, Marketing, Vertrieb und Produktentwicklung damit in wenigen Wochen echte Verhaltensänderungen anstoßen können.

Strategien wirken erst dann, wenn Teams die Zukunft nicht nur kennen – sondern erleben können. Genau darum geht es in dieser Folge: Wir sprechen über sogenannte Zukunftsartefakte, die Strategiearbeit konkret, greifbar und entscheidungsstark machen. Statt abstrakter Zielbilder versetzen wir Teams bewusst in die Zukunft – etwa indem wir ein Kundengespräch im Jahr 2030 skizzieren oder einen Zeitungsartikel formulieren, der in 2030 über euer Unternehmen erscheint. Solche Szenen machen die Zukunft plastisch und schaffen ein gemeinsames, eindeutiges Zukunftsverständnis, das alle teilen. Das Ergebnis: Teams können sich die Zukunft leichter vorstellen, treffen schneller fundierte Entscheidungen und richten ihre Arbeit zielgerichteter auf die gewünschte Zukunftssituation aus. Und wenn Du dafür mal ein Sparring möchtest, dann buch Dir einfach einen Termin mit Michael: https://bit.ly/Kennenlernen-mit-Dr-Stiller Dr. Michael Stiller hat an der RWTH Aachen am Lehrstuhl für Unternehmenspolitik und Marketing promoviert. Nach Stationen in der Beratung (u. a. Marketing Partners, Simon Kucher) ist er aktuell Geschäftsführer von effektweit, einer Unternehmensberatung für Strategie, Marketing und Vertrieb. Dr. Michael Stiller lebt und arbeitet in Köln.

In this episode of UNSCRIPTED, Sarah Nicastro sits down with Sasha Ilyukhin, SVP of Global Processing Services & Services Solutions at Tetra Pak, for a candid conversation about what it truly takes to unlock service growth at scale.Grounded in new research from Future of Field Service in partnership with Simon-Kucher, this discussion moves beyond theory to explore how one global leader has turned service ambition into measurable business outcomes.While 85% of service leaders say they are optimistic about growth, only 2% have successfully delivered outcome-based services at scale. Sasha shares how Tetra Pak has spent more than a decade building the trust, capabilities, and commercial models required to transform service into a €2.2B business — with half delivered through long-term, performance-based agreements.This episode explores what it really takes to evolve from traditional support models to outcome-driven service partnerships that create lasting value for both customers and providers.In this conversation, you'll learn:• How Tetra Pak evolved from a la carte services to outcome-based partnerships• Why service growth should be anchored in customer value realization, not revenue targets• The connection between employee experience, service quality, and long-term retention• How digital platforms like Factory OS enable efficiency, sustainability, and workforce transformation• What organizations must do to move beyond the “2%” of outcome-based service offerings• Why workforce shortages, travel reduction, and knowledge management can become strategic advantagesSasha also challenges leaders to rethink how value is identified, captured, and shared. Every service already delivers outcomes — the question is whether companies are structured to recognize and monetize that value effectively.If you're navigating the shift from transactional field service models to strategic service partnerships, this episode offers practical guidance, real-world lessons, and a compelling vision for the future of service.Because in the end, as Sasha puts it:“You sell equipment once. Customers come back for the service experience.”

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you'll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with 20+ CEO/c-suite leaders from the CDMO space, who discuss the big headwinds for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for 2026.   Show features: Christiane Bardroff, Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Rentschler Biopharma SE Philip Macnabb, Chief Executive Officer at Curia Kaan-Fabian Kekec, Partner at Simon-Kucher‘s Healthcare & Life Sciences division Dirk T. Lange , Chief Executive Officer at Pyramid Pharma Services Bruce Thompson, CTO at Kincell Bio Bill Vincent, Biotech Entrepreneur, CEO, Board Member Derek Hennecke - founder, investor, board member Matthew Bio, CSO at Cambrex & President, Snapdragon Chemistry Stephen Dilly, CEO at Sonoma Biotherapeutics, Stephen Dilly, CEO at Sonoma Biotherapeutics, Bill Humphries, Chief Executive Officer at Medpharm Elisabeth Stampa, CEO at Medichem SL Kerstin Dolph, SVP of Manufacturing at Charles River Labs Eric Edwards, Chief Executive Officer at Phlow-USA Peter DeYoung, CEO at Piramal Pharma Ian Tzeng, Managing Director at L.E.K. Consulting Adam Siebert, Managing Director at L.E.K. Consulting J.D. Mowery, President CDMO Division Bora Pharmaceuticals Peter Belden President, US, Tjoapack Nick Fortin, CEO CODIS Molecule to Market is also sponsored by Bora Pharmaceuticals and supported by Lead Candidate. Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We'd also appreciate a positive rating!

Jason Cohen is a four-time founder (including two unicorns, one being WP Engine) and an investor in over 60 startups, and has been sharing his lessons on company building at A Smart Bear for nearly 20 years. In this episode, Jason shares his methodical five-step framework for diagnosing stalled growth—a problem that faces almost every team.We discuss:1. Jason's five-step framework: logo retention, pricing, NRR, marketing channels, target market2. A small tweak that'll double response rates on your cancellation surveys3. Why “it's too expensive” is almost never the real reason customers cancel4. The “elephant curve” of growth5. How repositioning the same product can increase revenue 8x6. When to reconsider if growth is even the right goal for your business—Brought to you by:10Web—Vibe coding platform as an APIStrella—The AI-powered customer research platformBrex—The banking solution for startups—Episode transcript: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/why-your-product-stopped-growing—Archive of all Lenny's Podcast transcripts: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/yxi4s2w998p1gvtpu4193/AMdNPR8AOw0lMklwtnC0TrQ?rlkey=j06x0nipoti519e0xgm23zsn9&st=ahz0fj11&dl=0—Where to find Jason Cohen:• Preorder Jason's book: https://preorder.hiddenmultipliers.com/• X: https://x.com/asmartbear• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncohen• Blog: https://longform.asmartbear.com• Website: https://wpengine.com—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Jason Cohen(05:19) Jason's writing journey(08:25) Questions to ask when your product stops growing(18:17) Getting real customer feedback(20:27) Analyzing cancellation reasons(26:54) Onboarding and activation(29:35) Quick summary(35:46) Revisiting pricing strategies(41:46) Positioning strategies(47:52) Why pricing is inseparable from your strategy(52:06) The importance of net revenue retention (NRR)(01:00:25) Asking whether or not this is good for the customer(01:04:34) Leveraging existing customers(01:06:42) Are your acquisition channels saturated? The “elephant curve”(1:09:41) Why all marketing channels eventually decline(01:12:04) Direct vs. indirect marketing channels(1:13:36) Getting creative with new channels(01:19:04) Do you actually need to grow?(01:25:57) Deciding when to quit(01:29:27) Book announcement(01:33:21) AI corner(01:34:35) Contrarian corner(01:37:43) Lightning round and final thoughts—Referenced:• Tyler Cowen's website: https://tylercowen.com• How to Perform a Customer Churn Analysis (and Why You Should): https://www.groovehq.com/blog/learn-from-customer-churn• Linear: https://linear.app• Jira: https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira• Patrick Campbell's post on X about pricing: https://x.com/Patticus/status/1702313260547006942• The art and science of pricing | Madhavan Ramanujam (Monetizing Innovation, Simon-Kucher): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-art-and-science-of-pricing-madhavan• Pricing your AI product: Lessons from 400+ companies and 50 unicorns | Madhavan Ramanujam: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/pricing-and-scaling-your-ai-product-madhavan-ramanujam• Pricing your SaaS product: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/saas-pricing-strategy• M&A, competition, pricing, and investing | Julia Schottenstein (dbt Labs): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/m-and-a-competition-pricing-and-investing• “Sell the alpha, not the feature”: The enterprise sales playbook for $1M to $10M ARR | Jen Abel: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-enterprise-sales-playbook-1m-to-10m-arr• Buffer: https://buffer.com• AG1: https://drinkag1.com• How to find hidden growth opportunities in your product | Albert Cheng (Duolingo, Grammarly, Chess.com): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-find-hidden-growth-opportunities-albert-cheng• How Duolingo reignited user growth: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-duolingo-reignited-user-growth• The Elephant in the room: The myth of exponential hypergrowth: https://longform.asmartbear.com/exponential-growth• HubSpot: https://www.hubspot.com• Zigging vs. zagging: How HubSpot built a $30B company | Dharmesh Shah (co-founder/CTO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/lessons-from-30-years-of-building• Adjacency Matrix: How to expand after PMF: https://longform.asmartbear.com/adjacency/• Ecosystem is the next big growth channel: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/ecosystem-is-the-next-big-growth• ChatGPT apps are about to be the next big distribution channel: Here's how to build one: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/chatgpt-apps-are-about-to-be-the• 10 contrarian leadership truths every leader needs to hear | Matt MacInnis (Rippling): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/10-contrarian-leadership-truths• Breaking the rules of growth: Why Shopify bans KPIs, optimizes for churn, prioritizes intuition, and builds toward a 100-year vision | Archie Abrams (VP Product, Head of Growth at Shopify): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/shopifys-growth-archie-abrams• Geoffrey Moore on finding your beachhead, crossing the chasm, and dominating a market: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/geoffrey-moore-on-finding-your-beachhead• ER on Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/ER-Season-1/dp/B0FWK5WJQ4• The Pitt on Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/The-Pitt-Season-1/dp/B0DNRR8QWD• Wispr Flow: https://wisprflow.ai• Anker: https://www.anker.com—Recommended books:• Will: https://www.amazon.com/Will-Smith/dp/1984877925• Monetizing Innovation: How Smart Companies Design the Product Around the Price: https://www.amazon.com/Monetizing-Innovation-Companies-Design-Product/dp/1119240867• Hidden Multipliers: Small Things That Accelerate Growth: https://preorder.hiddenmultipliers.com• On Writing Well: The Essential Guide to Mastering Nonfiction Writing and Effective Communication: https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-Classic-Guide-Nonfiction/dp/0060891548• Crossing the Chasm, 3rd Edition: The Updated Version of the Insightful Guide on Bringing Cutting-Edge Products to the Mainstream: https://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Chasm-3rd-Disruptive-Mainstream/dp/0062292986—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you'll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with 20+ CEO/c-suite leaders from the CDMO space, who discuss the optimism levels for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for 2026.   Guests include: Christiane Bardroff, Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Rentschler Biopharma SE Philip Macnabb, Chief Executive Officer at Curia Kaan-Fabian Kekec, Partner at Simon-Kucher‘s Healthcare & Life Sciences division Dirk T. Lange , Chief Executive Officer at Pyramid Pharma Services Bruce Thompson, CTO at Kincell Bio Bill Vincent, Biotech Entrepreneur, CEO, Board Member Derek Hennecke - founder, investor, board member Matthew Bio, CSO at Cambrex & President, Snapdragon Chemistry Stephen Dilly, CEO at Sonoma Biotherapeutics, Bill Humphries, Chief Executive Officer at Medpharm Elisabeth Stampa, CEO at Medichem SL Philip Lee, CEO at GeneFab Kerstin Dolph, SVP of Manufacturing at Charles River Labs Eric Edwards, Chief Executive Officer at Phlow-USA Peter DeYoung, CEO at Piramal Pharma Ian Tzeng, Managing Director at L.E.K. Consulting Adam Siebert, Managing Director at L.E.K. Consulting J.D. Mowery, President CDMO Division Bora Pharmaceuticals Peter Belden President, US, Tjoapack   Molecule to Market is also sponsored by Bora Pharmaceuticals and Charles River Laboratories, and supported by Lead Candidate. Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We'd also appreciate a positive rating!

Unser heutiger Gast hat Wirtschaftswissenschaften an der Universität Hohenheim studiert und anschließend seinen Master of Science in Business Management an der Universität Würzburg gemacht, inklusive Stationen im internationalen Business an der Universidad de Deusto in Spanien. Nach dem Studium sammelte er erste Erfahrung in der Strategieberatung und im Business Development, unter anderem bei Simon-Kucher, bei BCG Digital Ventures und später bei Westwing, wo er strategische Projekte in einem dynamisch wachsenden Umfeld verantwortete. Doch dann kam der Punkt, an dem er beschloss, seine Energie in ein ganz anderes Thema zu stecken: mentale Gesundheit. Auslöser war eine persönliche Erfahrung in seinem engen Umfeld und die Erkenntnis, dass der Zugang zu psychologischer Unterstützung in unserer Gesellschaft, vor allem aber im Arbeitsumfeld, noch immer viel zu schwer und stigmatisiert ist. 2019 gründete er zusammen mit seinem Team nilo.health, eine digitale Plattform für mentale Gesundheit am Arbeitsplatz. Seitdem hat sich viel getan: nilo unterstützt heute über 500 Unternehmen europaweit dabei, mentale Gesundheit in der Unternehmenskultur zu verankern – und ist nach dem Zusammenschluss mit Likeminded nun europäischer Marktführer. Seit mehr als acht Jahren beschäftigen wir uns in diesem Podcast mit der Frage, wie Arbeit den Menschen stärkt, statt ihn zu schwächen. Wir haben in über 500 Gesprächen mit mehr als 600 Persönlichkeiten darüber gesprochen, was sich für sie verändert hat und was sich weiter verändern muss. Wie schaffen wir es, die mentale Gesundheit endlich aus der Tabuzone zu holen und in Unternehmen als echten Erfolgsfaktor zu begreifen? Was braucht es, damit Führungskräfte nicht nur über Wellbeing sprechen, sondern selbst Vorbilder für gesunde Selbstführung werden? Und wie können Plattformen wie nilo dazu beitragen, dass psychologische Unterstützung niedrigschwelliger, skalierbarer – und vor allem menschlicher wird? Fest steht: Für die Lösung unserer aktuellen Herausforderungen brauchen wir neue Impulse. Deshalb suchen wir weiter nach Methoden, Vorbildern, Erfahrungen, Tools und Ideen, die uns dem Kern von New Work näherbringen. Darüber hinaus beschäftigt uns von Anfang an die Frage, ob wirklich alle Menschen das finden und leben können, was sie im Innersten wirklich, wirklich wollen. Ihr seid bei On the Way to New Work – heute mit Jonas Keil. [Hier](https://linktr.ee/onthewaytonewwork) findet ihr alle Links zum Podcast und unseren aktuellen Werbepartnern

In this episode of UNSCRIPTED, Sarah Nicastro sits down with Dave Clement, Partner and Head of the New York office at Simon-Kucher, to unpack a joint global research project to explore the trends, challenges, and opportunities defining commercial potential within today's service landscape. Whether you're navigating digital transformation, rethinking your pricing strategy, or building a customer-centric growth model, this conversation sheds light on what the research reveals about the foundational shifts required to translate commercial excellence into competitive edge.

Eddie Hartman co-founded LegalZoom with a simple but radical idea: legal documents are just information, and information belongs online. Despite facing an industry of lawyers who wanted to sue the company out of existence, Eddie pushed forward to help launch one out of every four small businesses in California. Today, as a partner at Simon-Kucher, he advises global giants like Uber and Airbnb on pricing strategies, proving that the secret to success isn't just building things people want—it's building things people want to pay for.In this interview, Eddie sits down with Ryan Atkinson to deconstruct the psychology of the founder mindset. He explains why entrepreneurs need to be "insane in a specific way" to overcome the fear of failure and how to avoid the "single engine trap" of leaning too heavily on your natural strengths. Eddie breaks down the critical difference between chasing market share versus wallet share and explains how to become a "profitable growth architect" rather than just another business owner with a cool idea.If you are struggling to monetize innovation or wondering if your business model is built to last, this episode is a masterclass in strategy. You'll learn how to price your product to get to "yes," why you should embrace the fear of failure, and the specific steps you need to take to scale your business from a startup concept to an industry disruptor.Takeaways:- Build for Payment: Don't just build what people want; build what they are willing to pay for.- The Single Engine Trap: Avoid over-relying on your natural strength (like sales) while neglecting other business needs.- Growth Strategy: Successful companies chase market share and wallet share simultaneously.- Founder Psychology: You need "specific insanity"—the fear of failure combined with the certainty of success.- Price First: Validate the price point and willingness to pay before you build the product.- Strategic Packaging: Don't offer one price; create tiers to capture different customer segments.- Fear as a Shield: Use high barriers to entry (like fear of lawsuits) to keep competitors away.- Sales vs. Customers: A one-time transaction (especially a discounted one) is not a loyal client.- Stamina Over IQ: Success is often determined by the ability to "not stop" rather than raw genius.- Leverage Imposter Syndrome: Use the fear of not being good enough as fuel to outwork everyone else.Tags: Startup, Entrepreneurship, Pricing Strategy, Business Mindset, Small Business,  LegalZoomResources:Grow your business today: https://links.upflip.com/the-business-startup-and-growth-blueprint-podcast Connect with Eddie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddie-hartman 

Danilo Zatta is the author of The Pricing Model Revolution, The 10 Rules of Highly Effective Pricing, and the new book Revenue Growth Management. He is recognized as one of LinkedIn's Top 5 Pricing Thought Leaders and brings decades of consulting experience from Accenture, Simon-Kucher, and BCG. His work is anchored in one simple insight: pricing is the "sunny side" of consulting. He shares real examples of companies that increased profit by cutting ineffective promotions and by detecting thousands of spare-part pricing outliers with AI. This episode explores pricing leadership, the CEO's role, the difference between pricing truth and framework preference, and why democratized pricing knowledge makes talent the true competitive advantage.   Why You Have to Check Out This Episode: Learn how AI spots hidden pricing outliers across hundreds of thousands of SKUs and turns them into instant profit. Discover why FMCG companies burn cash on promotions and how smart RGM frameworks finally fix it. Understand the real "truth" behind pricing frameworks and why people, not methodology, drive pricing success.   "Start the AI pricing journey—not by boiling the ocean—but by finding a use case that works, proves value, and then expand it." – Danilo Zatta   Topics Covered: 01:27 - How Dan Got Into Pricing. His shift from cost-cutting to pricing and why he calls it the "sunny side" of consulting. 06:57 - Freedom in Consulting Choices. Comparing Accenture, Simon-Kucher, and BCG—and why team chemistry matters most. 09:11 - Revenue Growth Management. How FMCG brands optimize trade terms, promos, and price architecture for profit. 11:55 - FMCG as B2B. Why FMCG selling to retailers is a pure B2B relationship with limited price control. 17:22 - Implicit Collusion in Airlines. How industries use public price signaling to influence competitor behavior. 19:13 - AI in Spare Parts Pricing. How AI identified major pricing outliers and delivered over €1M in quick wins. 24:42 - Why AI Beats Excel. AI's advantage in scale, complexity, and instant alerts across massive SKU sets. 27:15 - Starting Your AI Pricing Journey. Begin with one use case, prove it works, then expand—no perfect data needed.   Key Takeaways: "Pricing used to be specialized knowledge. Today it's democratized—so what differentiates you is the team, not the tools." – Danilo Zatta "If you're the market leader, you must act first. Smaller players can't reduce promotions until you do." – Danilo Zatta "Pricing is never boring because every industry has its own logic, levers, and constraints." – Danilo Zatta   Books by Danilo Zatta: The Pricing Model Revolution: https://www.amazon.it/Pricing-revolution-pricing-cambier%C3%A0-comprare/dp/8836010547/ The 10 Rules of Highly Effective Pricing: https://www.amazon.com/Rules-Highly-Effective-Pricing-Management/dp/1394195761 Revenue Growth Management: https://www.amazon.it/Revenue-Management-Manufacturing-Application-Industry/dp/3319807595/   Connect with Danilo Zatta: Website: https://www.danilozatta.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danilo-zatta  Books: https://www.danilozatta.com/books/    Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

In dieser Folge ist Hermann Simon zu Gast – Gründer von Simon-Kucher & Partners, international anerkannter Managementdenker und Autor des neuen Buchs „Simon sagt: Was im Management wirklich zählt“. Gemeinsam mit Christoph geht es um die fundamentalen Prinzipien moderner Unternehmensführung, Innovationskraft, Preissetzung und Kundenzentrierung.In dieser Folge:Warum Führung mehr ist als FachkompetenzWas Hidden Champions auszeichnet – und warum Mittelständler oft schneller und besser sindWie Unternehmen in Deutschland agiler und entscheidungsfreudiger werden könnenDer richtige Umgang mit Pricing: Wert vor PreisKreativität messen und verkaufen – so funktioniert esWarum Kundennähe Innovationsmotor Nr. 1 istDas große Potenzial von hybriden Preismodellen und PreistestsBuch von Hermann Simon:Simon sagt – Was im Management wirklich zählt (Spiegel-Bestseller)Mehr Infos:www.simon-kucher.com_______________________

Ohrendorf spricht mit Hariolf Wenzler vom Center on the Legal Profession der Bucerius Law School über Erkenntnisse ihrer gemeinsamen Roadshow 2024, in deren Mittelpunkt eine Studie mit Simon Kucher zu KI-Einflüssen auf Geschäftsmodelle und Pricing von Kanzleien sowie Rechtsabteilungen stand. Sie beleuchten, wie unterschiedlich Tech-Readiness verankert ist, welche Rolle Kultur, Vergütungssysteme und Mandantenbedürfnisse als Treiber oder Blocker spielen und warum überbordende Digitalisierung ohne passende Empfänger ins Leere laufen kann. Kann eine Kanzlei technologisch zu weit sein? Wie verändert KI die gesamte Wertschöpfungskette von Intake bis Delivery? Welche Anreize fördern echte Innovation statt punktueller Experimente? Antworten auf diese und viele weitere Fragen erhaltet Ihr in dieser Folge von IMR. Viel Spaß!

Emanuel Martonca, founder of Soft Fight, reveals how agentic AI is solving one of the biggest challenges in IT services: coordinating pricing decisions across hundreds of people in decentralized organizations.  After his career journey from product management to sales management to discovering pricing at a Simon Kucher workshop, Emanuel shares how his bootstrapped company evolved from traditional consulting to building AI-powered pricing agents that act as an ever-present pricing manager- coaching teams, improving proposals, and recommending pricing models without sending a single byte of data outside the client's infrastructure. In this episode,  learn why AI should augment rather than replace pricing teams, why deterministic calculations still matter, and how to quantify value in IT services without universal quality standards.   Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast: Discover how AI solves coordination problems in large IT services companies where hundreds of people make pricing decisions without pricing expertise. Learn why AI should augment pricing teams, not replace them, and why deterministic calculations still matter more than probabilistic AI outputs. Understand how to quantify value in IT services using measurable quality attributes instead of universally accepted standards.   “Pricing is leverage. It allows you to have an impact with very few actions, with little effort."  – Emanuel Martonca   Topics Covered: 01:32 -Emanuel's transformational discovery of pricing at a Belgian retail bank workshop that revealed a world he didn't know existed—launching 18 years of pricing-focused work. 02:37 - Why pricing is the ultimate leverage tool, especially in B2B tech where "it's just communication"—what you write in Excel, on websites, and in proposals. 03:28 - How the pandemic transformed Emanuel from a globe-trotting sales manager into a pricing consultant, then bootstrapped Soft Fight to solve the value extraction gap in tech companies. 04:41 - How large IT companies lose money when hundreds of non-experts across five functions (finance, marketing, sales, delivery, executives) make pricing decisions on every custom project. 06:59 - The evolution from deterministic SaaS pricing rules to AI-augmented agents installed in client infrastructure—solving pricing problems in hours instead of years without sending data externally. 08:00 - Why new deals lack technical depth and renewals lack value articulation—and how AI coordinates knowledge without restructuring organizations. 11:00 - Eight AI agents (four for understanding, four for justifying) with access to all systems but zero external communication—no security or privacy risks. 13:00 - All pricing calculations remain deterministic because AI makes too many mistakes—it's used only for reading RFPs, emails, and meeting notes to improve value communication. 14:17 - How AI acts as a coach recommending pricing models with ready-made arguments, eliminating months of change management—with email as the main interface. 16:17 - Why determining "how long will this take?" is unpredictable and varies by person and timing—and how AI solves the costliest unknown in custom projects. 18:00 - Mark's perspective on why costs matter less than value, and why companies avoid alternative pricing models despite knowing hourly billing hurts both sides. 21:00 - When AI tools cut development time, hourly pricing becomes self-defeating: "You're cutting your own revenue"—forcing the industry to finally sell value, not time. 21:56 - Starting with measurable quality attributes on invented scales that competitors can't compare—getting 80% of the way just by having the quantification discussion. 23:00 - Mark's framework for B2B value and why results translate to economic impact through customer KPIs like reduced complaints, not abstract "quality" metrics. 25:00 - Unlike automotive suppliers with nanometer specs, IT services vendors can define their own quality metrics—putting them two steps ahead of alternatives. 26:00 - The necessity of industry knowledge for value conversations (increase revenue, reduce costs, mitigate risk) and how AI enables understanding of new sectors that would've taken years. 27:30 - Final Advice: AI as Your Pricing Force Multiplier Using AI for research, analysis, and domain understanding when teams are too small or mandates unclear—plus how to connect with Emanuel on LinkedIn.   Key Takeaways: "AI is a huge multiplier for pricing experts—not for calculating prices, I agree with you on that, it's not there yet. But for everything else around pricing, whether we want to call it product management, analysis, or research, it can help us overcome typical challenges." - Emanuel Martonca "Pricing is a change management problem. It can be done, it'll take months, sometimes years, and they have to experiment and they have to make mistakes." - Emanuel Martonca   Resources Mentioned: Simon-Kucher: https://www.simon-kucher.com/en    Connect with Emanuel Martonca: Website: https://www.softfight.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emartonca/    Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com  

Adam Echter is a partner at Simon-Kucher and a global expert in pricing strategy. A thought-leader and consultant, Adam brings decades of experience helping companies shape strategies that drive both profit and purpose. In this Tugboat Institute® Summit talk, Adam challenges the myth that purpose and profit are mutually exclusive. He lays out actionable pricing strategies that align with Evergreen® values, helping leaders create lasting value for customers while sustaining healthy margins. Through case studies and practical tools, Adam demonstrates that pricing, done well, is not just a financial lever but a strategic expression of purpose. Listen and be inspired to rethink pricing as a pathway to strengthen both your impact and your bottom line.

Eddie Hartman has been disrupting legal long before it was fashionable. As Co-Founder of LegalZoom and now a Partner & Board Member at Simon-Kucher, he's worked with everyone from startups to AM Law 100 firms on pricing, innovation, and tech strategy.  In this episode, Mary sits down with Eddie to talk about the legal industry's industry's uneasy relationship with change. From AI hype to the stubborn grip of the billable hour, they unpack why so many “innovations” fail, what clients actually mean when they ask about tech, and how law firms can evolve without losing their identity. In this episode: LegalZoom's Early Lessons: Why paralegals—not lawyers—were the first adopters, and what that reveals about confidence, adoption, and who really drives change. AI's False Start: The real reason 95% of AI initiatives fail—and why law firms may never fully embrace the efficiency it offers. Innovation vs Incentives: How law firms unintentionally kneecap their own innovation efforts—and what spinning off “tech incubators” says about the business model. What Pricing Really Signals: Why clients don't necessarily want cheaper—they want predictable, credible, and justified. And how fees send louder messages than firms realize. The Human Roadblock: From cultural protectionism to career incentives, why most resistance to change isn't technological—it's personal. If you're tired of the hype cycle and looking for a sharp, grounded view of where legal innovation actually stands, this conversation delivers. Follow Mary on LinkedIn Rate and review on Apple Podcasts  

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you'll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Kaan-Fabian Kekec, Partner in Healthcare and Life Sciences at Simon-Kucher. Your host, Raman Sehgal, discusses the pharmaceutical and biotechnology supply chain with Kaan, covering: Being on the sunny side of consulting, and helping clients unlock growth. What makes a key strategic partnership both from a CDMO, and a sponsor perspective. The taboo subject of pricing and how it can be used to help unlock commercial positioning, and excellence. Common mistakes in BD teams, and the importance of value positioning. The hottest segments in the market right now, and some of the competitive drivers in today's market. Kaan leads the firm's Healthcare B2B and Pharma Services business globally, encompassing CDMOs, CROs, bioprocessing solutions, drug delivery, packaging, and more. He specializes in delivering end-to-end commercial strategies for CDMOs, advising on growth initiatives and supporting clients throughout the entire lead-to-deal process—from marketing and sales to proposal management and deal optimization. Molecule to Market is also sponsored by Bora Pharma (boracdmo.com) and Charles River (www.criver.com), and supported by ramarketing.  Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We'd also appreciate a positive rating!

Eoghan McCabe is the founder and CEO of Intercom, a customer service platform that has successfully pivoted to become an AI-first company with its agent product, Fin. After stepping away from the CEO role in 2020 due to health issues, Eoghan returned to find the company's growth had stalled. Just one month after his return, ChatGPT launched, and within six weeks, Intercom had a working prototype of what would become Fin. In this conversation, Eoghan shares the brutal reality of transforming a late-stage SaaS business valued at multiple billions into an AI-first company that's now growing faster than most public software companies.We discuss:1. Why Eoghan believes most late-stage companies won't survive the AI transition2. The “founder mode” transformation that required firing 40% of staff and resulted in 98% employee satisfaction3. Why having “nothing to lose” is the ultimate advantage in AI transformation (and why comfortable companies will fail)4. How Intercom transformed from a plateauing SaaS business to an AI-first company growing at 300%+5. How Intercom's pricing evolved from “the most hated in SaaS” to a model that charges just $0.99 per resolved ticket6. The cultural transformation required to compete with AI-native startups7. How 12 years of therapy and a period of “ego death” shaped Eoghan's leadership approach—Brought to you by:Great Question—Empower everyone to run great research: https://www.greatquestion.com/lennyWorkOS—Modern identity platform for B2B SaaS, free up to 1 million MAUs: https://workos.com/lennyDX—The developer intelligence platform designed by leading researchers: http://getdx.com/lenny—Transcript: ⁠https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-intercom-rose-from-the-ashes-eoghan-mccabe—My biggest takeaways (for paid newsletter subscribers): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/i/170710700/my-biggest-takeaways-from-this-conversation—Where to find Eoghan McCabe:• X: https://x.com/eoghan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eoghanmccabe/• Website: https://eoghanmccabe.com/—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Eoghan(05:00) The state of Intercom(09:53) The decision to pivot to AI(12:33) Why Eoghan is "anti-bot" in customer service(16:19) Pricing strategy evolution(19:26) Implementing the AI transformation(26:11) Cultural and organizational changes(31:18) Surviving a coup attempt(40:05) The future of AI and business(45:11) AI's impact on jobs(48:44) AI and human creativity(50:26) The importance of young AI talent(55:00) The cultural shift in AI adoption(58:00) Personal growth and leadership(01:04:34) Intercom's success in producing product leaders(01:11:05) Intercom's unique company culture(01:14:11) Lightning round and final thoughts—Referenced:• Intercom: https://www.intercom.com/• Fin: https://fin.ai/• Des Traynor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/destraynor/• The art and science of pricing | Madhavan Ramanujam (Monetizing Innovation, Simon-Kucher): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-art-and-science-of-pricing-madhavan• Pricing your AI product: Lessons from 400+ companies and 50 unicorns | Madhavan Ramanujam: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/pricing-and-scaling-your-ai-product-madhavan-ramanujam• Brian Chesky's new playbook: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brian-cheskys-contrarian-approach• Behind the founder: Marc Benioff: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/behind-the-founder-marc-benioff• Anthropic co-founder on quitting OpenAI, AGI predictions, $100M talent wars, 20% unemployment, and the nightmare scenarios keeping him up at night | Ben Mann: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/anthropic-co-founder-benjamin-mann• Fergal Reid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fergalreid/• How Perplexity builds product: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-perplexity-builds-product• Yosi Amram's website: https://yamram.com/• (Nathaniel Russell) Ego Death Now: https://heythereprojects.shop/products/copy-of-nathaniel-russell-space-is-a-place• Daniel Kahneman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Kahneman• Palantir: https://www.palantir.com/• Stripe: https://stripe.com/• Revolut: https://www.revolut.com/en-US/• Paul Adams on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauladams• What AI means for your product strategy | Paul Adams (CPO of Intercom): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/what-ai-means-for-your-product-strategy• Which companies accelerate PM careers most: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/which-companies-accelerate-your-pm• N26: https://n26.com/en-eu• Notion: https://www.notion.so/• Coinbase: https://www.coinbase.com/• True Detective on Max: https://www.hbomax.com/shows/true-detective/9a4a3645-74e0-4e4d-9f35-31464b402357• 28 Years Later: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10548174/• Trainspotting: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117951/• 28 Days Later: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289043/• Fellow: https://fellowproducts.com/• Porsche 911: https://www.porsche.com/usa/models/911/• Making Meta | Andrew ‘Boz' Bosworth (CTO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/making-meta-andrew-boz-bosworth-cto—Recommended book:• Nuclear War: A Scenario: https://www.amazon.com/Nuclear-War-Scenario-Annie-Jacobsen/dp/0593476093Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com

Some leaders are forged in boardrooms. Others are forged in battle.In this mashup, Denis Gianoutsos features Hermann Simon and Mario Bekes, two leaders whose paths have taken them from Cold War tensions and combat zones to building global businesses and protecting corporate integrity.From commanding in the German Air Force to pioneering the field of pricing consultancy, Hermann Simon reveals how formative experiences shaped his leadership style and the founding of Simon-Kucher & Partners. Mario Bekes shares how his time in military intelligence and investigations forged a leadership philosophy built on protection, responsibility, and example.What happens when leadership is tested in the highest-stakes environments? When leaving security means starting from scratch. When investigations become a tool for trust and resilience.Press play and see what it takes to lead when the pressure is real.EP 306 – Hermann Simon: Hidden Champions and the Courage to LeadHow a farm boy and aspiring fighter pilot became a global pricing authorityWhy leaving a secure job to start a company was “the ultimate motivation”Lessons from Cold War nuclear readiness and student leadershipThe traits that define leaders of the world's unknown market championsEP 309 – Mario Bekes: Protecting People, Preserving IntegrityFrom combat to corporate: leadership lessons from the front linesHow fear, fight, and freedom became the pillars of his businessWhy every leader must accept: “It is not when or how, but it'll happen”Using investigations to strengthen, not just safeguard, your businessKey Quotes:“If you do not want to have a boss above you, you must become a leader. You must stand on your own feet.” – Hermann Simon“If you don't lead by example, you are not a leader.” – Mario BekesThe 10 Proven Ways to Lead and Thrive in Today's World – FREE Executive Guide Downloadhttps://crm.leadingchangepartners.com/10-ways-to-leadConnect with Denis:Email: denis@leadingchangepartners.comWebsite: www.LeadingChangePartners.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/denisgianoutsosLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denisgianoutsos/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipischanging/YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DenisGianoutsos

Bret Taylor's legendary career includes being CTO of Meta, co-CEO of Salesforce, chairman of the board at OpenAI (yes, during that drama), co-creating both Google Maps and the Like button, and founding three companies. Today he's the founder and CEO of Sierra, an AI agent company transforming customer service. He's one of the few people I've met who's been wildly successful at every level—from engineer to C-suite executive to founder—and across almost every discipline, including PM, engineer, CTO, COO, CPO, CEO, and board member.In this conversation, you'll learn:1. The brutal product review that nearly ended his Google career—and how that failure led to creating Google Maps2. The question Sheryl Sandberg taught him to ask every morning (“What's the most impactful thing I can do today?”) that transformed how he approached every role3. The three AI market segments that matter4. Why AI agents will replace SaaS products5. His framework for knowing whose advice to actually listen to—and how that came in handy during the OpenAI board drama6. The counterintuitive go-to-market strategy most AI startups get wrong7. Sierra's outcome-based pricing model that's transforming how enterprise software is sold (and why every SaaS company should adopt it)8. What he's teaching his kids about AI that every parent should know—Brought to you by:CodeRabbit—Cut code review time and bugs in half. Instantly: https://coderabbit.link/lennyBasecamp—The famously straightforward project management system from 37signals: https://www.basecamp.com/lennyVanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security: https://vanta.com/lenny—Where to find Bret Taylor:• X: https://x.com/btaylor• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettaylor/—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Bret Taylor(04:10) Bret's early career and first major mistake(08:24) The birth of Google Maps(11:57) Lessons from FriendFeed and the importance of honest feedback(31:30) The future of coding and AI's role(45:26) Preparing the next generation for an AI-driven world(48:46) AI in education(52:05) Business strategies in the AI market(01:04:38) Outcome-based pricing in AI(01:09:15) Productivity gains and AI(01:17:35) Go-to-market strategies for AI products(01:21:49) Lightning round and final thoughts—Referenced:• Marissa Mayer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marissamayer/• “Lazy Sunday”—SNL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRhTeaa_B98• Quip: https://quip.com/• Sierra: https://sierra.ai/• FriendFeed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FriendFeed• Sheryl Sandberg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheryl-sandberg-5126652/• Jim Norris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/halfspin/• Paul Buchheit on X: https://x.com/paultoo• Sanjeev Singh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjeev-singh-20a1b72/• Barack Obama: https://www.obamalibrary.gov/obamas/president-barack-obama• Oprah Winfrey: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah_Winfrey• Ashton Kutcher: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashton_Kutcher• PayPal Mafia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PayPal_Mafia• Sam Altman on X: https://x.com/sama• Warren Buffett on X: https://x.com/warrenbuffett• Unix: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix• Fortran: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortran• C: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C_(programming_language)• Python: https://www.python.org/• Perl: https://www.perl.org/• Rust: https://www.rust-lang.org/• Eleven Labs: https://elevenlabs.io/• The exact AI playbook (using MCPs, custom GPTs, Granola) that saved ElevenLabs $100k+ and helps them ship daily | Luke Harries (Head of Growth): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-ai-marketing-stack• Confluent: https://www.confluent.io/• Databricks: https://www.databricks.com/• Snowflake: https://www.snowflake.com• Harvey: https://www.harvey.ai/• Behind the founder: Marc Benioff: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/behind-the-founder-marc-benioff• Larry Summers's website: https://larrysummers.com/• AutoCAD: https://www.autodesk.com/products/autocad/overview• Revit: https://www.autodesk.com/products/revit/• The art and science of pricing | Madhavan Ramanujam (Monetizing Innovation, Simon-Kucher): https://www.amazon.com/Monetizing-Innovation-Companies-Design-Product/dp/1119240867• Pricing your AI product: Lessons from 400+ companies and 50 unicorns | Madhavan Ramanujam: https://lenny.substack.com/p/pricing-and-scaling-your-ai-product-madhavan-ramanujam• Cursor: https://cursor.com/• CodeX: https://openai.com/codex/• Claude Code: https://www.anthropic.com/claude-code• The rise of Cursor: The $300M ARR AI tool that engineers can't stop using | Michael Truell (co-founder and CEO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-rise-of-cursor-michael-truell• DirecTV: https://www.directv.com/• SiriusXM: https://www.siriusxm.com/• Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com/• Akai: https://www.akaipro.com/• Chubbies Shorts: https://www.chubbiesshorts.com/• Weight Watchers: https://www.weightwatchers.com/• CLEAR: https://www.clearme.com/• Stripe: https://stripe.com/• Building product at Stripe: craft, metrics, and customer obsession | Jeff Weinstein (Product lead): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/building-product-at-stripe-jeff-weinstein• Twilio: https://www.twilio.com/• ServiceNow: https://www.servicenow.com/• Adobe: https://www.adobe.com/• Jobs to be done: https://jobs-to-be-done.com/jobs-to-be-done-a-framework-for-customer-needs-c883cbf61c90• The ultimate guide to JTBD | Bob Moesta (co-creator of the framework): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-ultimate-guide-to-jtbd-bob-moesta• Inception: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/• Alan Kay's quote: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/alan_kay_100831• Jobs at Sierra: https://sierra.ai/careers—Recommended books:• Monetizing Innovation: How Smart Companies Design the Product Around the Price: https://www.amazon.com/Monetizing-Innovation-Companies-Design-Product/dp/1119240867• Competing Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice: https://www.amazon.com/Competing-Against-Luck-Innovation-Customer/dp/0062435612• Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage: https://www.amazon.com/Endurance-Shackletons-Incredible-Alfred-Lansing/dp/0465062881—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com

Madhavan Ramanujam is the world's foremost expert on pricing and monetization strategy. As managing partner at Simon-Kucher, he helped over 250 companies, including 30 unicorns, architect their pricing strategies. He's the author of the definitive book on pricing, Monetizing Innovation. Now he's back with a sequel, Scaling Innovation, which reveals how to build enduring businesses by dominating both market share and wallet share. He recently left Simon-Kucher to launch his own fund, 49 Palms, focused on helping early-stage AI companies.In this conversation, we discuss:1. The 2x2 framework that identifies your optimal pricing model2. Why AI companies can capture 25% to 50% of value created, vs. 10% to 20% for traditional SaaS products3. Why popular AI coding tools may have already doomed themselves with underpricing4. The “give-and-get” framework top negotiators use to extract maximum value from every deal5. The negotiation strategy that helped one founder 4x their deal size overnight6. How to frame POCs as “business case creation” instead of technical demos (and why this changes everything)7. Why AI companies must get monetization right from day one—not “figure it out later”8. How companies like Intercom's Fin and Sierra pioneered outcome-based pricing (charging $0.99 per AI resolution)9. The single question that reveals if your pricing is too complex—Brought to you by:Enterpret—Transform customer feedback into product growth: https://enterpret.com/lennyDX—A platform for measuring and improving developer productivity: https://getdx.com/lennyPersona—A global leader in digital identity verification: https://withpersona.com/lenny—Transcript: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/pricing-and-scaling-your-ai-product-madhavan-ramanujam— My biggest takeaways (for paid newsletter subscribers): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/i/168109183/my-biggest-takeaways-from-this-conversation—Where to find Madhavan Ramanujam:• X: https://x.com/madhavansf• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madhavansf/• Promo email for Scaling Innovation: promo@49palmsvc.com — If you're purchasing more than five copies, send a screenshot of your receipt to enter Madhavan's exclusive bundle raffle.—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Madhavan and his work(04:30) The core thesis of Scaling Innovation(09:20) Common traps founders fall into(12:06) Beautifully simple pricing(15:00) Mastering negotiations(26:51) Other strategies for effective pricing and monetization(27:35) How AI pricing is different(31:33) Handling POCs(36:25) The importance of mastering monetization(38:58) Choosing the right AI pricing model(43:13) Current trends in AI pricing(44:48) Strategizing for outcome-based models(50:23) Packaging strategies for scaling(51:37) Adapting pricing strategies over time(53:40) Key axioms for pricing success(58:00) Takeaways for founders(01:01:33) Lightning round and final thoughts—Referenced:• The art and science of pricing | Madhavan Ramanujam (Monetizing Innovation, Simon-Kucher): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-art-and-science-of-pricing-madhavan• Cursor: https://www.cursor.com/• The rise of Cursor: The $300M ARR AI tool that engineers can't stop using | Michael Truell (co-founder and CEO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-rise-of-cursor-michael-truell• Sierra Finn: http://www.sierrafinn.com/• Chargeflow: https://www.chargeflow.io/• GitHub: https://github.com/• Intercom: https://www.intercom.com/• Warren Buffett's quote: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/11478913-if-you-ve-got-the-power-to-raise-prices-without-losing• Sierra: https://sierra.ai/• Clay Bavor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claybavor/• Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9603208/• Delphi: https://www.delphi.ai/• Dara Ladjevardian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dara-ladjevardian/• Sam Spelsberg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-spelsberg/• Lennybot: https://www.lennybot.com/• Granola: https://www.granola.ai/• Simon-Kucher: https://www.simon-kucher.com/• Josh Bloom on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuabloompricingconsulting/—Recommended books:• Monetizing Innovation: How Smart Companies Design the Product Around the Price: https://www.amazon.com/Monetizing-Innovation-Companies-Design-Product/dp/1119240867• Scaling Innovation: How Smart Companies Architect Profitable Growth: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1119633060• Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers: https://www.amazon.com/Business-Model-Generation-Visionaries-Challengers/dp/0470876417• Thinking Fast and Slow: https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0374533555/• Contagious: Why Things Catch On: https://www.amazon.com/Contagious-Things-Catch-Jonah-Berger/dp/1451686587/—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com

Send us a textCurious about a career in healthcare consulting? In this live panel recording, hear directly from leaders at Guidehouse, L.E.K. Consulting, Simon-Kucher, and Stax as they discuss what's happening in the industry, how AI is shaping the work, and what they look for when hiring.You'll walk away with practical advice on how to break into the industry, and stand out once you're in - plus:Trends shaping healthcare consulting in 2025How each firm is using AI Hiring hot spotsThe #1 soft and hard skills to start building nowThe biggest mistakes candidates make - especially when using AI tools to prepareSee jobs and connect with these 4 firms.AdditiJoin Management Consulted for the NYC Case Camp from June 27-29Intensive, hands-on experience that will give you skills, confidence, and insider insights to break into consultingSeats are limited; confirm your spot

Krithika Shankarraman was the first marketing hire at OpenAI and Stripe and led marketing at Retool. At OpenAI, she established marketing foundations for ChatGPT for consumers and enterprises, as well as their developer API platform. While at Stripe, she spent over eight years building and scaling their marketing function from scratch. An engineer turned marketer, Krithika brings a uniquely analytical approach to marketing. She currently serves as Entrepreneur in Residence at Thrive Capital, where she helps portfolio companies on all things marketing.What you will learn:1. Why do most marketing playbooks often fail, and what's a better way?2. Which marketing lever should I pull first?3. Why is trying to be better than competitors usually a losing strategy?4. How do I craft positioning that actually converts?5. What makes messaging stick with developers, enterprises, and consumers?6. What pricing experiments actually move revenue?7. What is working at OpenAI really like?8. Why does consistency and quality matter more than speed?—Brought to you by:Eppo — Run reliable, impactful experimentsAirtable ProductCentral—Launch to new heights with a unified system for product developmentLinkedIn Ads—Reach professionals and drive results for your business—Where to find Krithika Shankarraman:• X: https://x.com/krithix• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krithix/• Website: https://krithix.com/—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Krithika(04:22) Early marketing lessons from OpenAI(11:17) Diagnosing marketing needs(15:06) The DATE framework and why being cheaper is a race to the bottom(17:11) Marketing strategies at Retool(22:29) Insights from marketing at Stripe(32:33) The importance of consistent marketing communication(39:55) Criteria for hiring a marketing expert(41:43) “Capital M” vs. “lowercase m” marketing(43:05) ChatGPT vs. Claude: market dominance(45:31) The future of AI and its societal impact(47:09) Work-life balance(48:41) Transitioning to Thrive(52:35) Career advice for marketers(55:00) The importance of taste and creativity in the AI era(01:00:04) AI product pricing(01:03:21) AI tools in marketing(01:05:17) Failure corner(01:08:46) Lightning round and final thoughts—Referenced:• OpenAI: https://openai.com/• Stripe: https://stripe.com/• Retool: https://retool.com/• Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/• Sam Altman talks about his business model: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLnyjxgFxew• The art and science of pricing | Madhavan Ramanujam (Monetizing Innovation, Simon-Kucher): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-art-and-science-of-pricing-madhavan• Pricing your SaaS product: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/saas-pricing-strategy• Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/• Stripe Connect: https://stripe.com/connect• John Collison on X: https://x.com/collision• Patrick Collison on X: https://x.com/patrickc• Cristina Cordova on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristinajcordova/• Hackpad: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackpad• Building Wiz: the fastest-growing startup in history | Raaz Herzberg (CMO and VP Product Strategy): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/building-wiz-raaz-herzberg• Wiz: https://www.wiz.io/• Thrive Capital: https://thrivecap.com/• Brian Chesky's new playbook: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brian-cheskys-contrarian-approach• Claude: https://claude.ai/new• ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/• Lessons from scaling Stripe | Claire Hughes Johnson (former COO of Stripe): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/lessons-from-scaling-stripe-tactics• Databricks: https://www.databricks.com/• Everyone's an engineer now: Inside v0's mission to create a hundred million builders | Guillermo Rauch (founder and CEO of Vercel, creators of v0 and Next.js): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/everyones-an-engineer-now-guillermo-rauch• Tobi Lütke's leadership playbook: Playing infinite games, operating from first principles, and maximizing human potential (founder and CEO of Shopify): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/tobi-lutkes-leadership-playbook• OpenAI's CPO on how AI changes must-have skills, moats, coding, startup playbooks, more | Kevin Weil (CPO at OpenAI, ex-Instagram, Twitter): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/kevin-weil-open-ai• April Dunford on product positioning, segmentation, and optimizing your sales process: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/april-dunford-on-product-positioning• A step-by-step guide to crafting a sales pitch that wins | April Dunford (author of Obviously Awesome and Sales Pitch): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/a-step-by-step-guide-to-crafting• Severance on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/severance/• Granola: https://www.granola.ai/• Some people think AI writing has a tell—the em dash. Writers disagree: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/04/09/ai-em-dash-writing-punctuation-chatgpt/—Recommended books:• Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning So Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It: https://www.amazon.com/Obviously-Awesome-Product-Positioning-Customers/dp/1999023005• Circe: https://www.amazon.com/Circe-Madeline-Miller/dp/0316556327/—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

In dieser Folge beleuchten wir die steigenden Kosten im Gesundheitswesen und deren Auswirkungen auf die privaten und gesetzlichen Krankenversicherungen. Unsere Gastgeber Dominik Badarne und Alexander Bernert diskutieren gemeinsam mit den Experten Tobias Gerig und Suthan Kethees von Simon Kucher & Partners über die Herausforderungen und Entwicklungen auf dem PKV-Markt. Tobias und Suthan bringen Licht ins Dunkel, warum alles teurer wird, und welchen Einfluss der demografische Wandel und technologische Fortschritte auf die Gesundheitskosten haben. Außerdem werfen wir einen Blick auf wichtige strategische Ansätze für Versicherer zur Steigerung ihrer Effizienz und lernen, wie künstliche Intelligenz und digitale Ökosysteme die Zukunft der Branche gestalten könnten. Begleitet uns in dieser Episode auf eine Reise durch die Welt der Versicherungen, gefüllt mit tiefgehenden Einblicken und praktischen Tipps sowohl für Versicherte als auch für Versicherer.Schreibt uns gerne eine Nachricht!Folge uns auf unserer LinkedIn Unternehmensseite für weitere spannende Updates.Unsere Website: https://www.insurancemondaypodcast.de/Du möchtest Gast beim Insurance Monday Podcast sein? Schreibe uns unter info@insurancemondaypodcast.de und wir melden uns umgehend bei Dir.Dieser Podcast wird von dean productions produziert.Vielen Dank, dass Du unseren Podcast hörst!

Rahul Vohra is the founder and CEO of Superhuman. Prior to Superhuman, Rahul founded Rapportive, the first Gmail plug-in to scale to millions of users, which he sold to LinkedIn in 2012. He is also a prominent angel investor, and his fund has invested $50 million in over 120 companies, including Placer, Supabase, Mercury, Zip, ClassDojo, and Writer.What you'll learn:• The unexpected insight about virality Rahul gained from LinkedIn's head of growth.• Why Rahul restructured his entire executive team to spend 60% to 70% of his time on product, design, and marketing instead of the typical CEO responsibilities.• The counterintuitive approach to finding product-market fit using a methodical system inspired by Sean Ellis, and how this algorithmically determines your roadmap.• How manually onboarding every user (Superhuman had 20 full-time people doing this at peak) created superfans and allowed engineers to focus on product rather than onboarding flows.• The “Single Decisive Reason” framework for making better decisions by avoiding collections of weak justifications.• How Superhuman's AI features have evolved to create a truly intelligent email experience that works while you sleep.—Brought to you by:• Eppo—Run reliable, impactful experiments• Fundrise Flagship Fund—Invest in $1.1 billion of real estate• OneSchema—Import CSV data 10x faster—Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/superhumans-secret-to-success-rahul-vohra—Where to find Rahul Vohra:• X: https://x.com/rahulvohra• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulvohra/• Email: Rahul@superhuman.com—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Rahul and Superhuman(05:00) The most pivotal moment in Rahul's career(07:01) The secret to virality(11:02) Superhuman's product evolution and core values(13:32) Overcoming slowdowns at scale(18:06) Time management and meditation(27:35) The role of a president(30:56) Attention to detail(43:00) Finding your unique position(47:32) The power of manual onboarding(52:37) Mastering product-market fit(59:33) Game design in business software(01:05:35) Contrarian pricing strategies(01:09:29) Leveraging AI(01:15:40) Transitioning to enterprise solutions(01:19:08) The Single Decisive Reason framework(01:22:32) Conclusion and final thoughts—Referenced:• Superhuman: https://superhuman.com/• Rapportive: https://techcrunch.com/2012/02/22/rapportive-linkedin-acquisition/• Elliot Shmukler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eshmu/• What Are ‘Whales' in Video Games: https://gamerant.com/video-games-whales-concept-term-explained/• Figma: https://www.figma.com/• Notion: https://www.notion.com/• Loom: https://www.loom.com/• How to use Team Comments to reimagine email collaboration: https://blog.superhuman.com/how-to-use-team-comments-to-reimagine-email-collaboration/• Rajiv Ayyangar's post on X about Superhuman: https://x.com/rajivayyangar/status/1816176308130570385• Transcendental Meditation: https://www.tm.org/• Laurent Valosek on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurent-valosek-18708b5a/• Peak Leadership Institute: https://www.peakleadershipinstitute.com/• Ed Sim's website: https://edsim.net/• Adelle Sans: https://fonts.adobe.com/fonts/adelle-sans• Comic Sans: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comic_Sans• Greenfield project: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenfield_project• Why Mailbox died: https://www.theverge.com/2015/12/8/9873268/why-dropbox-mailbox-shutdown• Bill Trenchard on X: https://x.com/btrenchard• How Superhuman Built an Engine to Find Product-Market Fit: https://review.firstround.com/how-superhuman-built-an-engine-to-find-product-market-fit/• Using the Sean Ellis Test for Measuring Your Product-Market Fit: https://medium.productcoalition.com/using-sean-ellis-test-for-measuring-your-product-market-fit-c8ac98053c2c• Sean Ellis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanellis/• The original growth hacker reveals his secrets | Sean Ellis (author of “Hacking Growth”): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-original-growth-hacker-sean-ellis• The Trouble with Rewards: https://www.kornferry.com/insights/briefings-magazine/issue-13/519-the-trouble-with-rewards• The art and science of pricing | Madhavan Ramanujam (Monetizing Innovation, Simon-Kucher): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-art-and-science-of-pricing-madhavan•  Van Westendorp Price Sensitivity Meter: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Westendorp%27s_Price_Sensitivity_Meter• AI-powered email for high-performing teams: https://superhuman.com/ai• Linear's secret to building beloved B2B products | Nan Yu (Head of Product): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/linears-secret-to-building-beloved-b2b-products-nan-yu• Single Decisive Reason: decision-making for fast-scaling startups: https://blog.superhuman.com/single-decisive-reason-decision-making-for-fast-scaling-startups/• Reid Hoffman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reidhoffman/—Recommended books:• Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind: https://www.amazon.com/Positioning-Battle-Your-Al-Ries/dp/0071373586• Monetizing Innovation: How Smart Companies Design the Product Around the Price: https://www.amazon.com/Monetizing-Innovation-Companies-Design-Product/dp/1119240867—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

Rohini Pandhi is a product leader at Mercury, and previously spent over seven years at Square/Block leading product work on Square payments, invoicing, and the Bitkey hardware Bitcoin wallet. She's also the co-founder of the startup bootcamp Transparent Collective and is an active angel investor. In our conversation, we discuss:• Key indicators that it's time to hire PMs• How to build your early PM team• Why founders should initially take on the product manager role themselves• How to attract top PM talent• What she's learned about going multi-product• A case for investing in quality• More—Skip the Mercury Personal waitlist: https://mercurytechnologies.typeform.com/lenny—Brought to you by:• Cloudinary—The foundational technology for all images and video on the internet• OneSchema—Import CSV data 10x faster• Airtable ProductCentral—Launch to new heights with a unified system for product development—Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-build-your-product-team-from-scratch-rohini-pandhi—Where to find Rohini Pandhi:• X: https://x.com/rohinip• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohinipandhi—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Rohini's background(05:00) The role of product managers at Mercury(09:51) Key indicators that it's time to hire PMs(13:18) Building the product team at Mercury(19:53) Why you should avoid hiring PMs too early(22:26) The different flavors of product management(26:15) How to attract top talent(35:59) Advocating for quality in product development(44:10) Going multi-product(46:37) Organizational structure for multi-product success(50:57) Organizational culture for multi-product success(52:07) Customer obsession and product development(57:36) More lessons from going multi-product(01:05:57) Transparent Collective: supporting underrepresented founders(01:09:54) Lightning round—Referenced:• Immad Akhund on X: https://x.com/immad• Mercury: https://mercury.com• Square: https://squareup.com• Pioneers, Settlers, Town Planners [Wardley]: https://orghacking.com/pioneers-settlers-town-planners-wardley-9dcd3709cde7• Jason Zhang on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-zhang-5645a860• What is ‘Dogfooding'?: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/14/business/dogfooding.html• Mercury Bill Pay: https://mercury.com/bill-pay• Zip: https://zip.co• Jira: https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira• The art and science of pricing | Madhavan Ramanujam (Monetizing Innovation, Simon-Kucher): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-art-and-science-of-pricing-madhavan• Gokul Rajaram on designing your product development process, when and how to hire your first PM, a playbook for hiring leaders, getting ahead in you career, how to get started angel investing, more: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/gokul-rajaram-on-designing-your-product• Gokul Rajaram on X: https://x.com/gokulr• Transparent Collective: https://www.transparentcollective.com• 16 Reading Tips from Naval Ravikant: https://alexandbooks.com/archive/16-reading-tips-from-naval-ravikant• Shrinking on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/shrinking• Bad Sisters on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/bad-sisters• Slow Horses on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/slow-horses• Severance on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/severance• Presumed Innocent on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/presumed-innocent• Waymo: https://waymo.com• Adam Robinson on X: https://x.com/IAmAdamRobinson• Cyan Banister—From Homeless and Broke to Top Angel Investor (Uber, SpaceX, and 100+ More): https://tim.blog/2024/11/28/cyan-banister• Bobby Matson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbymatson• Jobs at Mercury: https://mercury.com/jobs—Recommended books:• Vectors: Aphorisms & Ten-Second Essays: https://www.amazon.com/Vectors-Aphorisms-Ten-Second-James-Richardson/dp/0967266890• The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance: https://www.amazon.com/Inner-Game-Tennis-Classic-Performance/dp/0679778314• Pachinko: https://www.amazon.com/Pachinko-National-Book-Award-Finalist/dp/1455563927• Cutting for Stone: https://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Stone-Abraham-Verghese/dp/0375714367• The Song of Achilles: https://www.amazon.com/Song-Achilles-Novel-Madeline-Miller/dp/0062060627—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe