Pricing Evolution Podcast

Brendan Hodge

Weekly insights into the world of pricing from professional pricer Brendan Hodge of Pricing Evolution. www.pricing-evolution.com

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    Interview: Value-based Pricing with Doug Mullett of Forthright LED

    This latest episode of the Pricing Evolution Podcast takes a different format from usual. It’s an interview with Doug Mullett, the founder and owner of Forthright LED. Doug sells LED lighting to larger commercial buildings like warehouses and factories. His typical customer is lighting an indoor space larger than a football field. He’s not a trained pricer, he’s an entrepreneur running his own business, but I was struck by how he talked about pricing in his posts on LinkedIn. And after we’d talked, he agreed to come on and talk about his business and how he prices and sells his products. There are several key lessons I’d highlight from Doug’s business which would apply to other businesses: * He’s clear on what types of customers are willing to let him compete on value rather than price, and he simply does not deal with customers who are only interested in price. (He doesn’t answer RFPs.) * He recognizes that customers want to hear about the savings he can deliver and the price for his products first, so rather than a long proposal with the price on the last page, he starts with the money saved and the price it will cost, and then provides the background. * He focuses on the key value he can deliver customers: Saving energy if they are converting from incandescent to LED, and providing greater brightness if they are upgrading old LEDs. He focuses on those customer-centric value measures rather than other metrics that people have more trouble understanding. I always think it’s interesting to get a look into a type of business I haven’t thought about before, and I hope you’ll enjoy this conversation as much as I did. And if you need to light a large commercial space, give Doug a call. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pricing-evolution.com

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    The Model T: How Pricing Created the Auto Industry

    In 1905 there were less than 100,000 total cars on US roads, and the price of a car was 2x-3x the average annual wage of a US worker. That means that in terms of the years an average person would have to work to buy a car, the cars of 1905 (which had about the power of a modern lawn mower and a top speed of perhaps 30 miles per hour) took as long to save up for as a modern Corvette Z06 Supercar or Porshe 911 Turbo. This all changed with the Ford Motor Company as with development of the Model T Ford. The Model T was the first truly mass produced car, and after launching in 1909 at a price of $850 (about $30,000 in today’s dollars) Ford developed efficiencies which allowed it to drop the price of a Model T to $260 by 1925. Given that by 1925 the average US worker make $1,200 per year, that means that a Model T was equivalent to less than three months of wages for the average American. And a result, sales went from thousands of cars a year to millions. In this week’s episode we look at how passing on the savings from manufacturing efficiency can turn a tech product enjoyed by the few most fanatical fans into a mass market phenomenon. And after looking at this trend in the early days of automobiles, we examine it in personal computers and smart phones. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pricing-evolution.com

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    Tariffs and the Price of Uncertainty

    I’d been looking at a few different fun topics for this episode, but in the end, there’s one topic which is dominating price discussions at the moment, and I couldn’t ignore it. So, this week’s podcast is about tariffs. In the first half of the episode, I look at the more general questions: How to tariffs work? How were these particular tariff rates calculated? Will these tariffs cause companies to bring manufacturing jobs back to the US? In the process, I talk about the key role of uncertainty: Companies are hesitant to make major changes and investments in response to conditions which seem temporary. And these tariffs seem like they may be very termporary. The Canada and Mexico tariffs have been announced and delayed and modified several times, and this newest “Liberation Day” round of tariffs announced on April 2nd already appear to be the subject of further negotiations. This generally makes companies less likely to make major investments (such as moving factories) as a result. Then, in the second half, I talk about the specific things that companies should consider doing from a pricing perspective as they deal with tariffs: * Don’t panic, and don’t predict. It’s a rapidly changing situation so give yourself the time to see what is happening and respond to the things that have actually happened to you cost thus far. Don’t try to guess what may be happening next in a fluid situation. * Base your prices on what your current cost to replace inventory is: the price to buy or build new product. Your current inventory was built up at older prices, but you’ll want to base your prices on what it will cost you to refill your inventory, not those old costs. * Focus on communicating clearly to your customers. Good pricing requires good communication. This means that if you are changing prices due to tariff-driven costs, you need to communicate that clealry to your customers. And if you’ve decided it’s important for you to absorb some or all of those costs, communicate that decision to absorb the costs to your customers as well. If you stay silent, they won’t see the value your sacrifice is giving them. * And as the tariffs disrupt your industry (which, after all, is what they are designed to do) be ready to talk to your own customers about lower cost substitute products you can help them trade down to if they are no longer willing to buy the same produce you’ve been selling them. And also, be ready to address possible opportunities as a result of previously lower-priced competitors suffering a bigger tariff impact than you have. All together, this is the longest Pricing Evolution episode we’ve had yet, but it’s tackling an important issue and I hope you find it interesting and useful. If you do, please share it with others who may also find it interesting. A recommendation from a friend is the best way for a podcast to find new listeners! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pricing-evolution.com

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Weekly insights into the world of pricing from professional pricer Brendan Hodge of Pricing Evolution. www.pricing-evolution.com