Pricing College Podcast

Joanna Wells and Aidan Campbell

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Get a free education when you attend Pricing College. Learn everything about pricing, value management, revenue management and how to build a pricing career. Join Joanna Wells and Aidan Campbell for entertaining and informative discussion every week.

Aug 25

Episode #138 - Customers Want Lower Prices. Costs Want Higher Ones. What Do You Do

Customers are becoming more price-sensitive while costs continue to rise. For businesses facing margin pressure, simply passing costs through or following competitors with another price increase may not be enough. In this episode, we explore what happens when customers want lower prices, costs demand higher ones, and competitors are raising prices at the same time. We look at recent pricing data from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve and the Reserve Bank of Australia, and examine why rising costs combined with higher price sensitivity can create a major margin risk. You'll also hear practical examples from Walmart, Dulux Group and W.W. Grainger and how they use pricing architecture, segmentation, brands and different value propositions to avoid turning every customer price objection into a discount. In this episode, we discuss: Why following competitors with price increases is not a pricing strategy How rising customer price sensitivity can create a segmentation event Why businesses need to know where to hold price and where to invest How Walmart is using targeted price reductions to drive growth How Dulux Group uses different brands and price points to protect value How W.W. Grainger and Zoro serve different customer needs without undermining premium pricing Why a structured price increase process cannot fix a weak value-based pricing architecture How acquisitions, product lines, brands and channels can create a stronger price architecture Three questions to identify where your business has genuine pricing power The key question is not simply, "Should we raise or lower prices?" It is: "Where can we protect price, where should we invest, and what alternatives can we offer price-sensitive customers without giving away margin?" If you cannot answer those questions clearly, you may not have a pricing strategy, you may be reacting to the market. Listen to the full episode to learn how to protect margins while responding to customers, costs and competitive pressure. #PricingStrategy #Pricing #PriceStrategy #PricingPower #PricingArchitecture #ValueBasedPricing #MarginManagement #PriceIncrease #PriceSensitivity #B2BPricing #RevenueGrowth #CommercialStrategy
Aug 10

Episode #0137 - Domino's Cut Discounts to Protect Margin. Was It the Right Call

In 2021, Domino's Pizza Enterprises (DPE) Australia declared itself a "technology company that happens to sell pizza" as its stock soared to $160. Four years later, DPE reported its first annual net loss in 20 years, closing 200 stores and cycling through two CEOs in under 12 months. What went wrong? Was cutting discounts a strategic mistake, or is Domino's facing a much bigger structural decline in the Australian market? In this episode, host Joanna Wells breaks down the commercial strategy behind Domino's rise and fall, from captive post-COVID demand and the rise of Uber Eats to category price ceilings and Australia's unique labour cost pressures. Do you think Domino's can turn its Australian operations around, or is the fast-food pizza model in structural decline? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! #Dominos #BusinessStrategy #CaseStudy #CommercialStrategy #FastFoodIndustry #UberEats #PricingStrategy #AustralianBusiness #JoannaWells #RetailTrends #BusinessAnalysis
Jul 28

Episode #0136 - How Do You Grow When Customers Want Lower Prices? Four strategies. Four businesses that got it right.

What do you do when your biggest customer asks for a lower price? Say yes, and your margins take a hit. Say no, and you risk losing the customer entirely. In this episode of the podcast, Joanna Wells explores how top brands avoid this margin trap and continue growing without across-the-board price cuts. We break down four real-world strategies from four leading businesses that got it right. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - The CEO's Pricing Dilemma 01:31 - Strategy 1: Portfolio Strategy (Penfolds) 04:21 - Strategy 2: Selective Price Investment (Woolworths) 05:57 - Strategy 3: Portfolio Optimisation (Nestlé) 07:31 - Strategy 4: Value Innovation (John Deere) 10:53 - What's Your Answer to the Price Question? #PricingStrategy #BusinessGrowth #JoannaWells #RevenueGrowth #B2BStrategy #ValueInnovation #BusinessLeadership
Jul 21

Episode #0135 - Why Pricing Is the Hidden M&A Risk Most Boards Never Plan For: Lessons from the Sigma- Chemist Warehouse Merger

When multi-billion-dollar mergers promise massive operational synergies, why do so many post-acquisition profit margins fall short? The leak often hides in plain sight: Pricing Architecture. In this episode, we break down the ACCC's approval of the landmark Sigma Healthcare – Chemist Warehouse merger and explore the commercial, regulatory, and pricing challenges that arise when wholesale and retail arms merge under one roof. We reveal why traditional integration plans focus on ERPs, HR, and procurement while completely ignoring pricing alignment—creating the dangerous Pricing Integration Gap. 📌 What You'll Learn in This Episode: The Synergy Illusion: Why board-approved M&A margin targets quietly disappear 18 months post-merger. The Sigma–Chemist Warehouse Case: How vertical integration creates inherent friction between wholesale supply and retail competition. ACCC Undertakings through a Commercial Lens: Deconstructing regulatory requirements regarding customer lock-in, data deletion, and remote supply as commercial pricing risks. The Pricing Integration Gap: Why leaving legacy pricing structures, discounts, and customer contracts intact destroys acquired value. The Regulatory Litmus Test: How to prove your wholesale pricing decisions don't uncompetitive advantage your internal retail arm. Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction: The Hidden Risk in Major M&A 00:45 – The Illusion of Merger Synergies & The Blame Game 02:15 – Case Study: Inside the Sigma & Chemist Warehouse Deal 03:45 – ACCC Undertakings: Regulatory Safeguards vs. Commercial Reality 05:15 – The Pricing Integration Gap & Why ERP Integration Isn't Enough 06:30 – The Litmus Test for Board Members & Commercial Leaders #MandA #PricingStrategy #MergersAndAcquisitions #BusinessStrategy #SigmaChemistWarehouse #ACCC #VerticalIntegration #CorporateGovernance #CommercialStrategy #ExecutiveLeadership #Podcast
Jul 14

Episode #0134 - The California AI Pricing Lawsuit Every CEO Should Know About. Who Really Owns Your Pricing: Your Business Or Your AI Vendor

Every night, algorithmic pricing software updates thousands of prices across the globe. Most CEOs assume it's working perfectly, the revenue is coming in, and the vendor says everything is fine. But a massive federal class-action lawsuit filed in California is exposing a dark truth about algorithmic pricing, and it's a massive wake-up call for corporate governance. In this episode, we break down the antitrust lawsuit targeting eight of the largest fuel retailers in the U.S. (including Walmart, 7-Eleven, and BP) who all subscribed to the same AI-driven pricing platform, Kalibrate. The core issue isn't just about reading the market; it's about what happens when competitors feed non-public, commercially sensitive cost and volume data into the exact same algorithm. When 1,700+ stations stop competing and start moving in a continuous algorithmic loop, who is actually setting the price? Your business, or your AI vendor? If a regulator or your board asked you to defend an automated 7.3% price hike tomorrow, could you prove it was your strategy, or would you have to blame the "black box" of a third-party platform? TIME-STAMPED NOTES: [00:00] The Hidden Risks of AI and Dynamic Pricing [01:44] How AI and Dynamic Pricing Can Influence Market Competition [05:17] When AI and Dynamic Pricing Take Control Away from Businesses [ 08:13] Why AI and Dynamic Pricing Require Stronger Governance and Accountability [11:38] Conclusion: Who Really Controls Your Prices? If you found this breakdown valuable, please LIKE, SHARE, and SUBSCRIBE for more deep dives into business strategy, AI governance, and modern leadership. #AIPricing #BusinessStrategy #CEO #ArtificialIntelligence #AntitrustLawsuit #CorporateGovernance #AlgorithmicPricing #TechLaw #BusinessLeadership
Jul 6

Episode #0133 - Can You Explain Your Price Without Looking At Your Competitor

"The market made me do it." For decades, that single phrase has been the ultimate shield for businesses facing tough pricing questions. If costs go up, you raise prices. If competitors move, you move with them. It's how the game has always been played—from fuel giants and supermarkets to manufacturing and B2B suppliers. But that shield is cracking. With regulators like the ACCC turning up the heat and increasingly sophisticated procurement teams demanding real answers, a massive shift is happening. Buyers no longer want to know what the market is doing. They want to know exactly how you arrived at your number. In this episode, we break down why relying on market-driven pricing is becoming a massive commercial risk, and how the best businesses are learning to justify their prices independently using internal cost structures, margins, and undeniable value propositions. Stop watching your competitors. It's time to know your own number. Key Takeaways From This Episode: The Death of the Market Defense: Why "following the market" is a description of behavior, not a justification of value. The Changing Buyer Mindset: How procurement leads and commercial managers are reframing the pricing conversation. The Exposure Risk: Why letting your competitors dictate your justification means they own your strategy. Building a Bulletproof Price: How to confidently articulate your cost, margin, and value without looking sideways. #PricingStrategy #BusinessStrategy #Procurement #ACCC #B2BSales #CommercialValue #Finance #BusinessGrowth #MarketTrends #CorporateLaw
Jul 1

Dear CEO Episode 2 : The Information You Receive About Pricing Has Been Designed By The Wrong People.

By the time pricing data arrives on your desk, in your board pack, or in your leadership meetings, it has already been shaped, structured, filtered, and framed. In this episode, we pull back the curtain on corporate pricing reporting. This isn't a story of fraud or bad intentions; it is a breakdown of a rational corporate system where everyone is answering a different question, except yours. Discover how Finance, Sales, and Commercial teams naturally curate data to "survive the room," how leadership culture accidentally encourages the filtering of uncomfortable truths, and how you can change your perspective to see the real story behind your margins. 📌 Key Takeaways from This Episode The Ownership of the Story: Why the person who owns the data ultimately owns the narrative your business believes. The Three Filters: How Finance focuses on margin percentages, Sales focuses on top-line volume, and Commercial teams protect accounts, leaving nobody looking at the whole picture. The Three Hidden Conversations: A step-by-step breakdown of how uncomfortable data gets "contextualised" and curated long before the CEO review. Surviving the Room: How executive reactions inadvertently train teams to hide structural pricing flaws. Moving Upstream: Why changing your dashboard won't solve your pricing problem, but changing which room you sit in will. ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction: The data on your desk isn't what you think it is 01:12 – The 3 owners of pricing data (Finance, Sales, and Commercial) 03:45 – The 3 hidden conversations that curate your data 06:20 – "Surviving the Room": How corporate culture filters uncomfortable truths 08:15 – The final filter: Why leaders accept confirmation over reality 10:10 – What you aren't receiving: The missing customers and conversations 12:35 – How to fix it: Moving upstream to change your pricing reality 🔔 Connect & Subscribe If you found this episode valuable, please Like, Comment with your biggest takeaway, and Subscribe for more deep dives into executive leadership, strategy, and corporate truth. #ExecutiveLeadership #BusinessStrategy #PricingStrategy #CEOInsights #DataTransparency #CorporateCulture #FinanceAndSales #BusinessGrowth #DataAnalytics
Jun 29

Episode #132 - From 1 July Coles Will Have to Justify Their Price, Then They'll Start With Yours

A massive shift is hitting Australian retail. Under the mandatory food and grocery code of conduct, Coles and Woolworths are legally required to justify their shelf prices to regulators based on a strict standard: cost of supply plus a reasonable margin. But if you think this law stays at the checkout, you are missing the real commercial threat. The pressure is about to travel directly into the range review room. When a retailer has to prove their numbers to the ACCC, the very first thing they will do is demand that you justify yours. In this episode, we break down exactly how this law changes your next buyer negotiation, the critical question your current price list can't answer, and why this "justification framework" is about to spread far beyond the grocery sector into mining, construction, and manufacturing. ⏱️ Key Timestamps 00:00 – The hidden consequence of the new pricing laws. 00:29 – The $10M ACCC penalty: Cost of supply vs. reasonable margin. 01:40 – Why the commercial logic forces buyers to audit your supply chain. 02:53 – What happens in a range review when a supplier isn't ready. 04:37 – Why offering a discount is actually an admission of defeat. 05:36 – How to defend your margin without using "cost-plus" pricing. 07:22 – B2B Warning: Why this pricing question will travel to other industries. 09:05 – A price without a reason is just a discount waiting to happen. #ColesAndWoolworths #ACCC #PricingStrategy #FMCG #RangeReview #B2BNegotiation #SupplyChain #AustralianBusiness #MarginProtection #PodcastEpisode132

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Creator

Joanna Wells and Aidan Campbell
Years Active

2020 - 2026
Episodes

100
Rating

Clean
Show Website

Pricing College Podcast

Pricing College Podcast

Episodes

Episode #138 - Customers Want Lower Prices. Costs Want Higher Ones. What Do You Do

Episode #0137 - Domino's Cut Discounts to Protect Margin. Was It the Right Call

Episode #0136 - How Do You Grow When Customers Want Lower Prices? Four strategies. Four businesses that got it right.

Episode #0135 - Why Pricing Is the Hidden M&A Risk Most Boards Never Plan For: Lessons from the Sigma- Chemist Warehouse Merger

Episode #0134 - The California AI Pricing Lawsuit Every CEO Should Know About. Who Really Owns Your Pricing: Your Business Or Your AI Vendor

Episode #0133 - Can You Explain Your Price Without Looking At Your Competitor

Dear CEO Episode 2 : The Information You Receive About Pricing Has Been Designed By The Wrong People.

Episode #132 - From 1 July Coles Will Have to Justify Their Price, Then They'll Start With Yours

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