Impact Pricing

Mark Stiving, Ph.D.
  • 4.8 (50)
  • Marketing
  • Updated Weekly

The Impact Pricing Podcast will help you win more business at higher prices by teaching you about pricing and value. Once you understand how your buyers perceive the value of your product, you can build, market and sell products that win at higher prices. Pricing is really about creating, communicating and capturing value.

  1. How to Price When AI Becomes Your Buyer with Steven Forth

    4h ago

    How to Price When AI Becomes Your Buyer with Steven Forth

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

    28 min

  2. 3d ago

    Buyer Insight: Willingness to Pay Isn't About Your Product

    This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on April 6, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/willingness-to-pay-isnt-about-your-product/ If you have any feedback, definitely send it. You can reach us at mark@impactpricing.com.  Now, go make an impact.   Connect with Mark Stiving: Email: mark@impactpricing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/

    3 min
  3. Why Pricing Might Be the Best Path to CEO You've Never Considered with Ryan Walter

    Jun 15

    Why Pricing Might Be the Best Path to CEO You've Never Considered with Ryan Walter

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

    25 min

  4. Jun 12

    Buyer Insight: Why More Features Make It Harder to Buy

    This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on March 30, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/why-more-features-make-it-harder-to-buy/ If you have any feedback, definitely send it. You can reach us at mark@impactpricing.com.  Now, go make an impact.   Connect with Mark Stiving: Email: mark@impactpricing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/

    3 min
  5. The Pricing Sprint: Why Human Behavior Still Wins In the Age of AI with Jenny Millar & Ann Padley

    Jun 8

    The Pricing Sprint: Why Human Behavior Still Wins In the Age of AI with Jenny Millar & Ann Padley

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

    31 min

  6. Jun 5

    Buyer Insight: Will AI Shrink Our Teams or Expand Our Ambitions?

    This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on March 23, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/will-ai-shrink-our-teams-or-expand-our-ambitions/ If you have any feedback, definitely send it. You can reach us at mark@impactpricing.com.  Now, go make an impact.   Connect with Mark Stiving: Email: mark@impactpricing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/

    4 min
  7. Why Buyers Don't Buy When They're Convinced — They Buy When They Can Predict with Todd Caponi

    Jun 1

    Why Buyers Don't Buy When They're Convinced — They Buy When They Can Predict with Todd Caponi

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

    34 min

  8. May 29

    Buyer Insight: Buyers Are Rational, It's the Sellers That Aren't

    This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on March 16, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/buyers-are-rational-its-the-sellers-that-arent/ If you have any feedback, definitely send it. You can reach us at mark@impactpricing.com. Now, go make an impact.   Connect with Mark Stiving: Email: mark@impactpricing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/

    6 min
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About

The Impact Pricing Podcast will help you win more business at higher prices by teaching you about pricing and value. Once you understand how your buyers perceive the value of your product, you can build, market and sell products that win at higher prices. Pricing is really about creating, communicating and capturing value.

Information

  • Creator
    Mark Stiving, Ph.D.
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    500
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Impact Pricing 2022
  • Show Website
    Impact Pricing

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